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A SKETCH 



OF THE 



History of Attleborough 

FROM ITS SETTLEMENT TO THE DIVISION. 



BY 



JOHN DAGGETT. 



Edited and Completed by His Daughter. 



BOSTON : 
PEESS OF SAMUEL USHER, 

171 Devonshire Street, 

1894. 



Copyright, 1894, 
By Amelia Daggett Sheffield, 



PREFACE. 



IN placing this historical work of my father's, in its more extended form, before his towns- 
people, some words of explanation are requisite. The delay in its appearance has 
been unavoidable because the task of bringing it to completion assumed much greater 
proportions than was anticipated. I had but little knowledge during his lifetime of the 
progress he had made toward perfecting his plan, and it was not until nearly a year had elapsed 
after his death that I was able to commence such an examination of his papers as was neces- 
sary to enable me to decide whether it would be possible to undertake myself the labor of 
completion and publication. 

At first I thought a few months' time would suffice, as the preparations seemed to be quite 
complete; but this proved true of portions only which pertained to the ancient history of the 
town. Regarding the more modern times numerous scattered notes and suggestions were 
found, but frequently nothing whatever to guide me in trying to ascertain the author's ideas in 
certain lines, or to work out the same when a theme was given. I found no single page of 
fully prepared manuscript, but a copy of the former " Sketch," bound with as many blank as 
printed leaves, and upon them were corrections, additions, fresh items, etc. Beyond that 
scraps of paper containing facts, dates, references, etc., with now and again a few pages relating 
to some person or subject, requiring sometimes little or no change, at others partial or almost 
entire rewriting — all of which had to be arranged and rearranged again and again, as new 
links were added to the ever-lengthening chain, or new threads were brought to the almost 
endless weaving of the historical web. 

The book is simply what it purports to be — a "sketch," not a complete history; such in 
detail would comprise several volumes. As events have transpired, it is no doubt well that it 
was not published before the division, as that forms a proper ending to the history of the 
original town. I hope it may also prove to be well that the longer delay brings its publication 
into this our bi-centennial year. Like the earlier sketch this is designed first of all for Attle- 
borough people, wherever they may be, and in what it has fallen to my lot to finish I have 
endeavored to carry out this evident design of the author, by preserving many things of peculiar 
and personal interest to them. 

I have been most generously assisted in my labors by those to whom I have applied for 
information or advice. I am much indebted to Mr. D. Hamilton Hurd, of Boston, the compiler, 
and Messrs. J. W.Lewis & Co., of Philadelphia, the publishers, of the '-History of Bristol 
County," for their courteous permission to copy from that publication whatever might be of 
use to me; a privilege of which I have availed myself, especially outside the chapter therein 
which was prepared by my father; and I am indebted to Messrs. George H. Walker & Co., of 
Boston, Publishers, Engravers, Lithographers, etc., the publishers of the " Atlas of Attle- 
borough Town," for a similar courtesy with regard to the historical sketches in that work. I 
am also indebted to officers of Brown University, Amherst College, and Yale University for 
searching records and furnishing full and correct lists of Attleborough graduates from their 
respective institutions; and to the officials in the Secretary's Library at the State House for 
their civilities in facilitating my researches there. I am under special obligations to Mr. Thomas 
A. Barden for many essential facts which he took considerable trouble to furnish; to the Rev. 
John Whitehill for the valuable information he supplied ; to Mr. Edward R. Price for important 
aid; to Mr. Frank I. Babcock for clear statements regarding various matters, and much 
needed advice; and to Major Everett S. Horton for placing in my hands carefully compiled 
records relating to our soldiers of the Civil War, which I could not otherwise have obtained, 
and for useful information upon other subjects. 



4 PREFACE. 

I wish to express thanks to those town officers wlio placed records — both aucieut and 
mod. tii -at my disposal, and aided me materially in my investigations; to the large number of 
business men who responded to my lists of questions; to the old soldiers who recalled inter- 
esting war experiences; to Mr. Everett B. Bliss for his gift of several pictures; to Mr. Samuel 
M. Eolman lor his interesl and care in preparing the photographs from which nearly all of the 
illustrations were made; and to all the others, both ladies and gentlemen, — who number too 
many to be mentioned separately, and who would not desire such particular mention, — to 
Whom I have applied for help, and who have bestowed it graciously to the extent of their ability, 

and in mosl abundant measure. From tl Chronicle," the "Advocate," and the "Sun" 

I have culled much of interesl and importance, and it gives me pleasure to acknowledge my 
indebtedness to their columns in this manner. 

An g the many agreeable experiences to be remembered, I recall with special pleasure the 

interesl shown in my work by a little girl, who carefully gathered up numerous loosened ends 
<>f fact, bound them neatly together, ami sent them to me far over the seas to an ancient liberty- 
loving city of mid-Europe; and in that same city, by one of those happy accidents never to be 
forgotten, and always to be gratefully appreciated, some very essential matter relating to the 
firsf white settler within our original borders — without which a chapter would have been sadly 
incomplete — came to me by the hands of a lover of all that pertains to early New England 
history, a courteous and cultivated Boston gentleman. My gratitude to all these my creditors 
i- offered in the name of my father as well as my own, for in his name I asked for aid, and for 
bis sake I am sure my requests, of whatever nature, were fully and freely answered. 

The book bad assumed almost double the size expected before the manuscript was placed in 
the printer's hands. If blame attaches to that fact, I willingly bear my portion thereof; but 
the number of pages is largely due to the fact that the good people of whom I have asked 
information have shown their love for their town by rilling my hands to overflowing with those 
incidents and occurrences which form the contents of several of the following chapters, and 
which were of too much interest to be lightly thrown aside. 

No one can regrel more deeply than myself that the author die' not live to fully accomplish 
his purposed work, for he of all men was best fitted to write worthily a history of our town. 
Xo one can realize more fully than myself the many deficiencies of my own share of the work; 
bin I offer the result of my attempts to Attleborough people without hesitation, because I feel 
certain that in kindly remembrance of the author my many faults will meet with lenient criti- 
cism, and that my many failures will be generously overlooked by all those who understand 
my motives in essaying the completion of the book. Numerous errors will no doubt be found 
upon it^ pages — some probably avoidable, others perhaps not so; for all such I bespeak 
forbearance. 

If this " Sketch " — so called by its author— finds favor and proves acceptable and useful to 
Attleborough people, at home or abroad, wherever it is destined to find its way, his loug- 
(herished wish will be realized and my own highest desire fully satisfied. In writing these 
.' ords of explanation and preface it affords me peculiar pleasure to date them not only from 
tlie town where the author lived and died, but from the very house where for a long generation 
be dwelt, ami from the very corner of the room where during those years he constantly read 
and wrote, and where no doubt he often thought of those early days whose annals he so 
zealously investigated, and upon whose occurrences his fancy ever loved to dwell. 

The Editor. 
Attleborough, July, 1894. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 
Settlement of Rehoboth. — Purchase of the Tract Called Rehoboth North Pur- 
chase. — Proceedings of the Proprietors. — Captain Thomas Willett, etc 4:> 



CHAPTER II. 
Blackstone 65 

CHAPTER III. 
Incorporation.— Proceedings of the Town. — First Settlements, etc 85 

CHAPTER TV. 
Proceedings of the Proprietors. — Indian War. — Proceedings! of the Town 101 

CHAPTER V. 

The Revolutionary War 120 

CHAPTER VI. 
Proceedings of the Town, continued. — Division N-l 

CHAPTER VII. 
The Civil War. — Proceedings of the Town. — Experiences and Reminiscences of 

Soldiers, etc 172 

CHAPTER VIII. 
Soldiers of the Civil War 204 

CHAPTER IX. 
Churches and the Ministry -20 

CHAPTER X. 
Churches and the Ministrv. continued 271 



6 CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XL 
Schools 311 

CHAPTER XII. 

Manufactures. - The Bloomery. — Cotton Manufactories, etc 338 

CHAPTER XIII. 
Manufactures, continued. — Jewelry Manufactories, etc 307 

CHAPTEE XIV. 

Societies. — Organizations, etc 399 

CHAPTER XV. 
Biographical Sketches 4.">3 

CHAPTER XVI. 
Biographical sketches, continued 507 

CHAPTER XVII. 
Biographical Sketches, concluded 561 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Genealogy. — Statistics. — Representatives. — Town Officers. — Graduates of < lolleges, 

etc 623 

CHAPTER XIX. 

Miscellaneous 649 

(HATTER XX. 
Miscellaneous, continued 691 

CHAPTER XXI. 
< lemeteries 7i ) 7 

CHAPTER XXII. 
Topography. — Description of Attleborough, England. — Early Condition ol the. 
Country, etc 7(v> 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 



Hon. John Daggett, the author of this work, was born in Attleborough, 
February 10, 1805, one of the seventh generation of his family in this 
country. The first of the name to emigrate from his native land was one 
John Doggett, who came over in Winthrop's fleet in 1630. His name is 
found on the list of applicants for admission as freeman, October 19, 1630, 
and he was among the first admitted, — No. 8, — May 18, 1631. He was a 
proprietor, and among the first settlers of Watertown, this State. That town 
was settled in 1630 and was for man} 7 years larger than Boston. Mr. 
Doggett's homestead there was adjoining Fresh Pond, where a hotel of that 
name now stands, and contained about fifteen acres. He had six lots and a 
grant of eighty acres. He seems to have been actively engaged with Gov- 
ernor Mayhew — then a resident of Watertown — in getting up a companv to 
occupy Martha's Vineyard, " the island of which Governor Mayhew had 
purchased the grant," and about 1644 he went there in the compauy of the 
new governor, and, it is said, "was thus intimately associated with the 
Mayhews in the government of the colony, as indeed the Daggetts continued 
to be not only for some succeeding generations but down to the present da v." 
Thomas Mayhew, "a merchant," was born in Southampton, England, in 
1591. He came to this country and settled first in Medford, then removed 
to Watertown, and from there to Martha's Vineyard as its proprietor and 
governor. He died in 1681, six days before he was ninety. He had been a 
representative in this State, and was a preacher to the Indians for some 
thirty-three years. His first wife died in England ; the second one was 
Grace, widow of Thomas Payne, of London. Two of his descendants were 
missionaries to the Indians and many of them have been prominent men. 
Of one of these, Thomas, a son, an interesting story is related. He gradu- 
ated at Harvard College and prepared himself to be a missionary, going as 
such to the Vineyard in 1642, two years before his father took up a residence 
there. He was very successful as a teacher and preacher among those native 
people, and they became exceedingly attached to him. He finally decided to 
go to England to solicit funds with which to build a church and provide 
other things needed b} T his pupils, and in 1657 completed his arrangements 
for the voyage. The Indians regarded the ocean as a terrible monster, 
because it often swallowed up their friends and canoes when they ventured 
but a short distance from the land, and they were overwhelmed with fears for 
their beloved teacher when thev learned that he was going so far awav — 



8 BIOGBAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOB. 

quite over this treacherous ocean. " On the day he was to leave, the Indians 
gathered at a point a few miles from Edgartown to bid him a tearful fare- 
well. As he left them each Indian picked up a stone and placed it on a pile 
as a memento of the parting." The fears of the simple-minded savages 
were in this instance fully realized, for the ship in which Mr. Mayhew sailed 
was never heard from. The place of parting became a sacred one to them 
and their descendants, for, long after the last one who had seen Mr. Mayhew 
had died, ••each Indian as he passed the sacred spot added a stone to the 
monumental cairn," whose ruins " mark the place of the sad parting to this 
day." 

John Doggett settled at Edgartown. In 1641 and 1642 he had become 
interested in grants of land on the island, whose privileges the Mayhews 
shared with him and others, but ki it does not appear that he moved directly 
to the Vineyard, but instead made his home for a time at the new settlement 
at Rehoboth," going from there to the Vineyard about 1648. * Who his first 
wife was is not known, but they had five children, all but the eldest of whom 
it is supposed were born in Watertown. Of the death of this wife there is 
no record. On August 29, 1667, he was married at Plymouth to one 
Bathsheba Pratt, a widow. He seems to have been in some measure identi- 
fied with that town previously, and to have resided there most of the time 
after this marriage until his death, which occurred between the seventeenth 
and twenty-sixth of May, 1673. 

One of his sous — Thomas — married, about 1657, Hannah, the daughter 
of Governor Mayhew by his second wife. She was born in Watertown. 
This Thomas was a man of some education certainly, for Governor Mayhew, 
in writing to John Winthrop, Jr., in speaking of him says: "My son 
Doggett, that hath more language than any other Englishman upon the 
Island, and is a considerable young man." Thomas died between the middle 
of March and the middle of September, 1691, and his wife Hanuah, it is 
supposed, in 1722 or 172:1.- Of him it is said he " called his uame Daggett," 
but probably not ki until near the close of his life." There seems to be no 
doubt that the English surname of this family was Doggett, and it continued 
to be so called for about fifty years after the emigration to this country, the 
first indications of the change in the manner of spelling being found in 
records on the Vineyard relating to John the 2d, and others of the name, 
dated 167") and 1677. 



1 See " History of the Doggett-Daggett Family," by Samuel B. Doggett, of Boston, published 
L894. To this work the editor is Indebted for several items of information contained in the few para- 
graphs relating to the early ancestors of the author. They have necessitated some few changes in 
what had been written from the data collected by him many years ago, though those were in the main 
correct. The source of information is here acknowledged for all these facts and changes. 

- There seems to be no positive record of her death, but her will was proved in February, J722-23. 
She married again, her second husband being Captain Samuel Smith, of Edgartown. He survived 
her, and it is said lived to be 103 years old. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 9 

John, son of Thomas and Hannah, was probably born in Edgartown in 
1662. He married on the Island, and his wife's first name was Sarah. Of 
her other name nothing positive is known, one account declaring her to be 
the daughter of Isaac Norton, and another that there is no certainty as 
to who she was. This couple settled in Chilmark, and from there came to 
this town, their entire family of nine children also settling here. Prudence 
is mentioned as the residence of John Daggett, and that was a portion of 
Tisbury, the records speaking of it as " the maunour of Tisbury, commonly 
called Chilmark." This was the seat of the Mayhews, and is now a part of 
the town of Tisbury. He owned property there which it is said he sold in 
1711 for £300, a considerable sum in those days and the equivalent of a 
much greater one at the present time. During that same year he bought the 
Woodcock Garrison House and several hundred acres of land in this town. 
Upon a record bearing date June 10, 1711, Mayhew Daggett, his oldest sou, 
is named as k ' of Attleboro'." It would seem, therefore, that he preceded his 
father in removing to this town, the latter, with his family, coming ;i between 
October 17, 1711, and December 24, 1712." He at ouce became an inn- 
keeper in the old Garrison house, " and soon became interested in town audi 
church affairs. His lands being located on the road from Boston to Rhode 
Island, and his tavern a convenient stopping-place en route, he soon became 
well known, not only to the people of Attleborough, but to all travelers betw een 
Boston and Rhode Island." He became a deacon, and was a representative 
in 1720 to the General Court. In 1722 he sold his inn property and two 
years later, on September 7, 1724, he died. He was buried in the old 
"Hatch burying ground." 

Ebenezer, son of Deacon John, was born on the Vineyard in 1690. 
November 9, 1721, he married, in this town, Mary, daughter of Penticost 
Blackintou, and about that time he bought the farm on the East Bay Road, 
leading from Bristol and Providence to the Bay, Boston — now known as the 
"old Daggett place." He is spoken of as " husbandman," *' tanner," and 
" inn-holder." About the time of his marriage he built the house there 
which, with some changes, is still standing. The old-fashioned summer 
beams extend through the two large main rooms, and the immense chimney 
still occupies its original space in the centre of the building. It must be one 
of the oldest dwelling-houses in town. The old inn sign — a curious relic of 
oldeu times — is still in existence. It is of considerable weight aud size and 
was elaborately painted. The representations of the great royal crown of 
England, in once glowing but now fast-fading colors, are still discernible,, 
and the date of 1725 is still traceable on oue side. It ceased a century and 
a half ago to swing on its rusty hinges before the hostelry door, where it 
creakingly announced comfort aud cheer to mailcoach traveler, or weary 
wayfarer, its life of bustling activity changed to one of quiet reminiscence 
in the big lonely garret of the old house. Whose eyes have scanned its 



10 BIOGBAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 

brilliant painting in colonial days no one is left to tell us, and of the guests 
it invited to refreshment or repose the voice of time is silent. What 
changes has Attleborough seen since it first swung merrily to the breeze! 

from four hundred people to four times that number of thousands ; from 

almost a wilderness, with few and lonesome roads and here and there a rude 
and roughly built dwelling with its patch of clearing, to busy villages, 
smiling, fertile farms, beautiful houses, numberless cheerful roads, and light- 
ning railways. Would that its long silence might be broken ! Would that it 
could voice for us the incidents of those long-dead intervening years ! 

Ebenezer Daggett died in 1740. His son was John, the famous Revolu- 
tionary officer, and Ebenezer, his son, was the father of the subject of this 
sketch. 

The full descent is as follows : John, the English emigrant ; Thomas, 
second son and child: John, third sou and child — removed from the Vine- 
yard to Attleborough ; Ebenezer, second son and child ; John, first son 
and second child; Ebenezer, fourth sou and sixth child. The last named 
married Sally Maxcy, of North Attleborough, September 3, 1797. She was 
born in November, 1778, the daughter of Benjamin Maxcy by his second 
wife, Amy Ide, of this town. 

A story of considerable romantic interest is attached to the first of that 
name who came to this country. He is said to have been one Alexander 
Maxcy, son of a gentleman of rank and wealth in England. He was brought 
up on his father's estate in the country, and during his boyhood his constant 
playmate was the pretty daughter of the lodge-keeper. No danger of serious 
consequences was anticipated, and the children were allowed the utmost free- 
dom of companionship. The frequent result in such cases, however, followed 
here : the boy and girl fell in love with each other, both very naturally forget- 
ting the differences in their social positions, and as the former approached 
manhood he announced his intention of marrying his little friend. This 
idea, of course, met with instant and entire disapproval on the part of his 
parents, and he was at once dispatched to school and college, with the expec- 
tation that new scenes and occupations would speedily dispel the unfortunate 
illusion. In due time the young man returned to his home, and, to the dis- 
may of his family, more than ever determined to carry out his purpose and 
wed the woman of his choice, regardless of rank or position. The usual 
quarrel ensued ; the father would not yield and give his consent to the union, 
the son would not yield and promise to give it up, nor would he remain at 
home if he must forfeit his wished-for bride; so he ran away, and presently 
found passage to America. How he employed himself here is not stated, 
but some time after his arrival an advertisement happened to meet his eyes, 
which stated that if he would go to a certain place in Boston, something to 
his great advantage would there be communicated to him. His curiosity was 
sufficiently aroused to prompt him to make his appearance at the specified 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. U 

place, and he found that a vessel had been sent out for him. It was thor- 
oughly and completely equipped in every way, and contained many costly 
personal gifts in the line of handsome apparel, etc., and he was entreated 
to take the entire command of everything and return to his home. This 
young Maxcy promptly declined to do, finding the freedom and independence 
of this new country more congenial to his self-reliant nature than the con- 
ventional thraldom of the old. 

He finally came to this region — possibly to Wrentham, since this tradition 
has been preserved among descendants who lived in that town — and found 
occupation of some kind. The first love appears at length to have been for 
gotten, or at least supplanted, for in due time he fell in love again, this time 
with the daughter of some worthy citizen in his vicinity. Others also aspired 
to her hand, for she was comely, and her father kl well to do." One of these 
suitors, older and already kt forehanded" far beyond our hero, was approved 
by the father. The story runs that on a certain evening the elder swain 
was expected to make a visit upon the maiden for the purpose of declaring 
his sentiments. Maxcy, informed of this, — perhaps by the fair maiden 
herself, for we may be assured he had long before ascertained the state 
of her mind and heart upon the important question, — took occasion to 
present himself for a visit at the same time. He quietly but determinedly 
outstayed the elder man, and furthermore presented his own case to the 
father in such bold and manly fashion that he won it in spite of former 
obstacles and became the accepted lover, the father's consent thereto making 
the young people happy then and there. This account has been handed down 
in one branch of the family at least, but unfortunately no names but that of 
the hero have been preserved. Much or little of it may be true, but the 
whole of the determined independent spirit which it ascribes to the founder 
of the family may be accepted unquestionably, for the same spirit has been 
inherited by many of the descendants who have followed him here, and it is 
by no means wholly dissipated up to the present time. 

Ebenezer Daggett resided always upon the place purchased by his grand- 
father, and there in the old house his twelve children were born. Of the 
eight who lived to reach maturity, John was oldest sou and second child. 
Like most of our town boys of his time he was brought up in the occupation 
of his father. He, no doubt, performed his allotted share of the lighter 
farm work thoroughly and conscientiously, — as his nature would prompt him 
to do, — but taking no pleasure in the actual labor. He always, however, 
evinced a decided fondness for farming theoretically, and for many years he 
made it an avocation. He enjoyed practical work in that line occasionally, 
but his lameness prevented anything more than a very slight indulgence in 
personal application to it. As a child he was quiet and reserved, and though 
healthy and strong, never had any special fondness for rough sports and 
games or for indulging iu boyish pranks and frolics. He early developed a 



12 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 

quickness in learning and an aptitude for study, and he always had an unusu- 
ally vigorous and retentive memory. 

This latter was manifested in a remarkable manner at a very early age, as 
is shown by the following incident. When he was three or four years old. 
instead of amusing himself with playthings, he frequently wanted to sit 
down and sew. Upon one occasion, when he sat in his little armchair busily 
engaged in taking stitches, he had an experience like that which often befalls 
even adepts in the art— his work " plagued him," and presently he called to 
his mother to come to his assistance. His little soul was so vexed within 
him that he was moved to express his opinion of the sewing with a very 
short but very forcible word. The mother was surprised and shocked to 
hear an oath from those baby lips, and as she set matters right read him a 
lesson upon the wickedness of the word and his own exceeding naughtiness 
it using it, bidding him never to say it again. All went smoothly for a while, 
but, alas ! the thread, as thread will, knotted and tangled and broke again, 
and again the childish wrath waxed hot. The moral lesson was speedily 
forgotten in the all-absorbing anger, for, as he called a second time for 
assistance, he emphatically doubled his former forcible expression. A scream 
of horror burst from the lips of the dismayed mother, and a long and very 
serious conversation followed this second indulgence in impious phrases, 
conducted with severe solemnity on the part of the elder, and with, no doubt, 
a sober and decorous gravity on the part of the younger. A tract upon the 
use of profane language was purchased, and read so often to the innocent 
little sinner that he soon learned it by heart. The real delinquent in the 
case was one of the town's poor, a boarder at the house of Mr. Daggett, 
then one of the selectmen, and his was the language which had been caught 
and made use of by the child. That he, young as he was, understood the 
lessons taught him by his mother, and the tract, is shown by the fact that 
frequently, when the day's work was done and "Old Sweet" sat upon the 
kitchen settle, smoking his evening pipe, he would clamber up, tract in 
hand,— though he could not read a word and generally held it upside 
down, — and standing by the old man's side he would solemnly say off its 
contents — let us hope to the aged reprobate's repentance and improvement. 
This story was often told by the mother, in her later years, at family 
o-atherings. Her manner was inimitable, and convulsive laughter on the part 
of every listener accompanied each recital, no matter how oft repeated, and 
no one joined in it more heartily than the hero of the tale himself. She 
almost always ended her vivid description in words like these : "And 
that is the only time I ever heard John swear." It probably was the only 
time in his life, for his language was always characterized by simplicity and 
refinement. He rarely indulged in extravagant epithets, and he never made 
use of slang phrases, no matter how apt or expressive. Another instance 
of the power of his youthful memory was shown at a " spelling-match " held 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 13 

in the little old red scboolhouse, still standing, — though somewhat enlarged 
and differently clothed, — in New Boston. Upon that occasion, when he 
was perhaps eight or ten years old, he spelled seven hundred words without 
missing one, and, needless to say, took and held first place. In after years 
his memory in this direction never failed him. His children always found 
him the equal of the dictionary in telling them how to spell words, and often 
much clearer in explaining or simplifying definitions to suit their childish 
capacities. 

The New Boston district school was his " hall of learning " during his 
early boyhood. At one time, he himself says, he attended the classical 
school at South Attleborough, kept by a Mr. Wheatou, but at what date or 
for how long a time is not known. Very naturally in the then state of society 
in the sparsely settled districts, the decision in favor of giving to a boy 
a k k classical " or college education was frequently the result of what we 
call "accident" or " chance," and a sad misfortune was the chance in Mr. 
Daggett's case. It never ceased to be a trial to him, though, as it totally 
changed his entire expected course of existence, it resulted in giving him a 
higher, and very probably a happier, life in ninny respects, one which was 
certainly more congenial to his nature than almost any other could have 
been, and which was therefore perhaps more useful to his fellow men. 

When a lad of fourteen he was seized with a serious illness, which was 
long continued and attended with most unfavorable results. The disease 
finally settled in one of his lower limbs, and physicians pronounced amputa- 
tion the only means for saving his life. At first his mother, proud of the 
manly beauty of her promising boy, her oldest son, for the moment refused 
her consent to the proposed operation, feeliug almost that death was prefer- 
able to the process of maiming his body, and, it would seem, his entire life. 
Such a feeling can be well understood in view of the dreadful thing amputa- 
tion then was ; but of course she finally yielded her consent. The time required 
for such an operation was perhaps not much longer then than now ; but to-day 
powerful anaesthetics place the patient beyond the realization of suffering, 
and under their influence the shock to the system is reduced to a minimum 
amount. Then ether and chloroform were unknown, and in this case not 
even a drop of liquor was given to dull the sensibilities ; but, with his strength 
greatly reduced by months of severe suffering, the boy was strapped to his 
bed, and with only a handkerchief held before his eyes he endured the keen 
horrors of the surgeon's knife. The remembrance of that half -hour of agony 
was so terrible to him that he rarely if ever referred to it, and he never 
told the feelings he experienced during the operation ; nor did the older 
sister, who was in and out of the room ministering to him as best as she 
could, ever mention any details but once or twice, and then only in response 
to earnest questionings. 

After the double strain upon the system of protracted illness and the loss 



14 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 

of a limb, progress toward recovery was slow and tedious ; but at length 
health was completely restored. Then very naturally the question as to 
the best way of providing for the boy's entire future arose, and the only 
answer possible was to give him a liberal education, and so prepare him to 
earn with his mind the livelihood his body would in great measure be unfitted 
to procure. Such a decision coincided with his desires, and it was a great 
pleasure both to anticipate and to realize the gratification of his literary 
tastes. 

College life then differed in very many respects from that life now. Stage 
coaches were the only public modes of conveyance, a carpet-bag contained 
the young man's personal outfit, and college rooms were plain and bare, by 
no means the luxurious and often artistic apartments of the present day. It 
was the almost universal custom for students to eat in " Commons." They 
were largely farmers' sons, and ready money would not be easily obtained 
for the payment of all necessary bills, so the home woodlot supplied the log 
for the study fire, and many a generous store of good things from the home 
farm and kitchen accompanied the loads of wood, brought to the college very 
probably by the father himself, who took the opportunities the carrying of 
such supplies afforded to see personally how his boy was " getting on in the 
ways of learning." Upon the mother in those times devolved the preparation 
of the entire wardrobe, for even "suits" were then homemade, and in the 
case of which we write all that proud and loving heart could suggest and 
capable and willing hands perform was done to make the physical loss and 
inconvenience less deeply felt. 

Mr. Daggett fitted for college at Day's Academy in Wrentham, and later in 
the study of Rev. Alvau Cobb, of Taunton. In September, 1822, at the age 
of seventeen, he entered Brown University, graduating with high honors — 
third or fourth in his class — in 1826. The life of a real student thoroughly 
suited him, and his college years were very happy ones. Their experiences 
were among the most cherished of his after life, and were always recalled 
with great satisfaction, especially on commencement anniversaries, when, 
within the loved and honored walls or under the same old trees, he met 
surviving classmates and renewed the friendships formed there in the years 
gone by. Tales of fun and joke were told, professors' whims or peculiari- 
ties recollected and imitated, or their lessons of wisdom and good counsel 
repeated, and, sober, gray-haired men, he and his comrades lived over 
together those pleasant, youthful days. There was never a son of Brown 
who possessed a deeper or more lasting love for his Alma Mater than Mr. 
Daggett. His fidelity never wavered and he grew more zealous in his interest 
with his growing years. He was proud of the record of her great men, and 
of his own connection with the institution. He allowed nothing to keep him 
from attending each commencement as it recurred, and was present literally 
at every such celebration from the time he entered college until and including 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 15 

the year of his death — sixty-four in number — a fact which can be recorded 
of no otber graduate. 

Having cbosen the law as his profession, he at once upon graduating 
commenced its study in the office of Hon. Joseph L. Tillingbast, of Provi- 
dence, a distinguished member of the Rhode Island bar and a member of 
Congress. Here he remained about a year. He continued these studies 
in the office of Hon. J. J. Fiske, of Wrentham, for the same length of 
time, and the third year of his course in this department he attended the 
lectures of Hon. Theron Metcalf, of Dedham. He was admitted to the bar 
in that town in December, 1829, and at once commenced the practice of 
his profession, opening an office in East Attleborough in January, 1830. He 
continued to practise law in his native town throughout his entire life, with 
the exception of the two years, 1833 and 1834, when he held the position of 
editor of the Dedham Patriot, and resided in that town. 

In 1836, at the age of thirty-one, he was elected to the State Legislature 
for the first time, and his townsmen paid him the compliment of reelecting 
him for the two succeeding terms. He was a member of the judiciary 
committee in 1837, and chairman of the committee on railways in 1839. 
He opposed with all his powers the plan of running the Boston & Providence 
Railroad through the centre of East Attleborough, not only because the 
proposed route necessitated the removal of many bodies from that portion of 
the graveyard upon which the track trespassed, but because he considered, 
and so argued, that the heart of a growing village was an inappropriate situ- 
ation for railroad tracks and a depot with its necessary surroundings. He 
foresaw, as did many others, that as the village increased many inconveniences 
would arise, and even serious accidents would be almost certain to ensue. 
He urged the propriety of taking a projected line over the meadows in the 
rear of the Holman homestead, bringing many excellent arguments to bear 
upon the cpiestion ; but all efforts were in vain, the idea being at that time 
prevalent that railroads must as far as possible be built in straight lines. As 
was predicted, great trouble has followed and indeed continues to follow upon 
the laying of the tracks through the village-centre, and it was long ago 
acknowledged by the railroad company that Mr. Daggett was right, and 
that his desired line would have been better for all parties concerned. 

The following testimonials were presented to him at about the time of 
which we are now writing, and would seem to have been called forth in 
connection with his first candidacy for public office outside his native town. 

Dedham, May 27, 1836. 
This certifies that John Daggett, Esq., of Attleborough, pursued the study of law in 
my office during the year next preceding his admission to the bar — that he has since practised 
law in the County of Bristol, with honor and probity, and is, in my estimation, entirely worthy 
of the confidence of the public and of any individuals who may entrust to him the management 
of business which he will undertake to superintend. I might truly say much more — and my 
disposition would lead to a fuller statement of Mr. Daggett's character and habits. But I am 



16 BIOGBAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 

restrained by ;t belief that where he is known, or shall become known, his deportment ami 
talents will recommend him much more effectually than any account that can be given by 
another. Theron Metcalf. 

Boston. May 30, 1836. 

I have had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Daggett personally for several years, and it gives 

me pleasure to say that, so far as my knowledge extends, [ believe him worthy of the very high 

character given to him by Mr. Metcalf as above. Horace Manx. 

These are words of high praise, but only such as were well deserved by 
Mr. Daggett both at that early period of his life and ever after, for his 
course as a man commanded the respect of all who knew him, and as a 
lawyer the confidence of all who employed him. 

He began very early to take an active interest in the cause of common- 
school education in this town — at or about the time when Horace Maun was 
secretary of the Board of Education and rendered such distinguished serv- 
ices not only to Massachusetts but to the country. Mr. Daggett was a 
member of the school committee in town for fully fifteen years, and during 
the greater part of that time was its chairman. He labored earnestly and 
conscientiously in this direction, because he fully comprehended the impor- 
tance of free and general education to the highest success of a republican 
form of government. He lived long enough to see marvelous improvements 
in this direction throughout the entire land, and witnessed with great satis- 
faction the fulfillment of many of his wishes for advancement in the public 
schools of his own town. He was for many years a leading man in his 
parish, that of the Second Precinct, and for a number of years the chairman 
of its committee — this latter at a time when an unusual amount of respon- 
sibility fell upon the committee, both financially and in other directions. 

On June 18, 1840, he was married in Sutton, this State, to Miss Nancy 
McClellan Boomer, a daughter of Rev. Job B. Boomer, then a resident of 
that town, where she was born, September 29, 1819. They had seven chil- 
dren, five of whom died in infancy or at an early age. The two surviving 
are John Mayhew Daggett, a resident of Marianna, Ark., and Amelia Maxcy 
Daggett (Mrs. George St. John Sheffield) , now a resident of Attleborough. 
Up to the time of his marriage Mr. Daggett resided with his family at the old 
homestead, and "continued to do so for perhaps a year thereafter. He then 
removed to the village, and for a few years lived in the two-tenement house 
which stood, until within a comparatively recent date, between "the long 
block " and the residence of the late William M. Fisher, on North Main 
Street, and which now stands directly back of that site, having been moved 
to make place for Crandall's Block. The estate of Mr. A. A. Richardson, 
the founder of the school fund, came into his hands to settle, and about 
1844 a farm on the "old post road," a mile from the village, being a por- 
tion of this estate, was put up by him, as executor, for sale at public auction. 
Bidding was by no means brisk, and to make a beginning in that direction 
Mr. Daggett himself made an offer, but with neither desire nor intention 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 17 

to purchase. Not another bidding voice was raised, and the farm was con- 
sequently "struck off" to him. He therefore took up his residence there, 
and also removed his office from the village. 

He occupied the place for about thirty years, becoming deeply attached to 
it, and he spoke of those years as the happiest of his life. There six of his 
seven children were born, and there four of them died. The freedom and 
independence of life on a farm were very agreeable to him, and he took much 
pleasure in superintending such work as he carried on upon his place, so far 
as the time not occupied by his professional duties permitted. He was 
greatly interested in fruit-growing, and took special satisfaction each year 
in watching the growth of his vegetable garden. During his long residence 
he made many changes and improvements, particularly in the house, which 
was a pleasant and comfortable home, and both he and his wife were 
always delighted to greet the many guests who crossed their threshold. 
Under their reign the house was a most hospitable one. In our homely but 
expressive New England phrase, " the latchstring was always out." Rela- 
tives, friends, and acquaintances were cordially welcomed, and in that sincere 
and hearty way which made them feel perfectly at home ; young people made 
merry as they willed beneath the venerable roof, or about the entire place, 
and many large social gatherings of young and old together have been held 
within the time-honored walls of their cheerful dwelling. During a score or 
more of years this house vied with the Hoi mans' in its pleasing, kindly hospi- 
tality, and there was a lifelong intimacy between the heads of the two house- 
holds. In former days the agreeable duty of entertaining lecturers from 
abroad devolved upon Mr. Daggett more frequently perhaps than upon any- 
one else, and in this way he added to his long list of acquaintances among 
prominent people. His cultured mind and courteous manners eminently fitted 
him to assume the prominent social position in town which he held for many 
years. Clergymen were especially welcomed in this family, and whenever 
the village church was without a settled pastor those who came to supply 
the pulpit were often guests at this old farmhouse fireside, and various 
pleasant friendships were thus formed. 

In 1850 Mr. Daggett was again called upon to represent his town in the 
Legislature, and this time in the Senate. He was appointed a member of 
the Valuation Board, whose session occupied about four months of that year, 
at the State House. In 1852 he was appointed " Register of Probate and 
Insolvency for Bristol County," by Governor Clifford, and twice afterwards 
elected by the people to the same office for terms of four years each, thus 
continuing in the office for eleven years. This necessitated his traveling 
back and forth to Taunton nearly every day for that length of time, and, 
notwithstanding the distance of his house from the depot, the difficulty of 
driving over bad roads and through severe storms, the delays relating to 
business in town or home work, and, most of all, the many inconveniences 



18 BIOGBAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 

attending bis lameness, he never lost a train. Once or twice he was assisted 
in getting on the cars just starting, and once or twice, seeing his carriage 
near, the engineer obligingly delayed starting his engine for a few seconds ; 
but so exact was he that he was almost always very punctual. He was as 
conscientious in the position of register as in every other which he occupied, 
and careful and exact in the work of recording. He very rarely remained 
away from Taunton an entire day for his own rest or pleasure, and if busi- 
ness required his presence elsewhere for a time, the preceding days, or 
those following, were made longer, so that his every duty in the office there 
was strictly performed. Though he carried on various kinds of work, and 
though that in his profession was often both wearisome and exhausting phys- 
icallv and mentally, the regular rest of a summer vacation time never came 
to him, and he but infrequently left home for more than a day for any pur- 
pose other than the better accomplishment of work in which he might be 
engaged. He could labor hard and uninterruptedly for many years, preserv- 
ing health of body and mind to a good old age, partly, no doubt, because his 
lines were cast in a country town, and not in the midst of the all-absorbing 
activity of a great city, and partly because his generation had not fortu- 
nately reached the extreme of the rush and hurry of the present time, when it 
would seem that " every man's baud is against his neighbor," and competi- 
tion in all occupations, professional or otherwise, makes the gaining of a 
livelihood a fight on the part of each and every man against the world. 

During the civil war Mr. Daggett took a very active part in the patriotic 
work of the town. Precluded both by age and physical inability from per- 
sonal service in the army, he nevertheless worked devotedly and unceasingly 
in every other way that was possible. His voice and pen were busy, and 
he «ave freely, so far as he was able, toward forwarding every movement 
requiring money to accomplish its purpose. He was one of the leaders in 
all the many war meetings held, and foremost in all patriotic assemblies. 
He was continually appointed chairman of such meetings ; he drafted resolu- 
tions, prepared and delivered numerous speeches, and faithfully performed the 
varied and onerous duties of a prominent and loyal citizen in the noble work 
done by Attleborough during those years of difficulty and danger to the gov- 
ernment and the country. In 1866 he again represented the town in the 
Legislature, this time in the lower branch, and with this service his public 
political career ceased. 

Some ten or twelve years before his death he removed again to the village 
of Attleborough and opened an office in his residence there, on Bank Street. 
He continued to practise his profession literally until the hand of death was 
upon him, for he did not wholly lay aside the harness of work until the very 
last day of his life. Had Mr. Daggett done no more work than that of 
which an outline has been given, his life would have been a busy and indus- 
trious one ; but beyond the performance of his many public and professional 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 19 

duties he found time for varied and extensive literary and historical 
research. He was a thorough and devoted antiquarian, and he embraced 
with avidity every opportunity for obtaining facts relating to the early history 
not only of his native town and its inhabitants, but of other towns in the 
State. Indeed, every historical fact bearing upon the early history of New 
England and of its inhabitants, even before they left their native shores, was 
full of interest to him, and he was so careful and exact in verifying all 
items that came to his notice that he became reliable authority on such mat- 
ters. His fondness for research of this nature commenced with his early 
youth, possibly, indeed during the years of his childhood, for at the family 
fireside he must then have listened to many tales of the days of the Revolu- 
tion, in which his grandfather took so conspicuous a part, or to stories of 
Indian adventure and attack, made the more impressive from the fact that a 
sort of mongrel remnant of some savage tribe once lived on his homestead 
farm. 

Having occasion, some time in 1830, to prepare a lecture to be delivered 
before the Attleborough Lyceum, — when he was about twenty-five, — he 
chose for his theme the early history of his town. This developed so 
decided an interest in that subject that he was induced to enlarge upon the 
contents of his address and prepare it for publication in book form. Four 
years later he published his "Sketch of the History of Attleborough," of 
which the following pages are an enlargement and continuation. He never 
wholly relinquished inquiries in the line of this publication, but followed up 
every clew he obtained which promised further information upon the subject, 
corresponding with people in almost every part of this country, and even to 
some extent in England. In the course of years great store of interesting 
matter was collected, and many rare and valuable books, manuscripts, and 
papers came into his possession. For a long period he cherished the idea of 
publishing another and more complete edition of his early "Sketch," and 
quite a number of years before his death he began regular and continuous 
work in the carrying out of this plan. Most unfortunately he was unable to 
accomplish his purpose, for death called him from his labors ere this ever- 
increasing task was completed. Meanwhile he prepared a lengthy sketch of 
the town history, chiefly copied from his own publication, for the "History 
of Bristol County," and by his suggestions and advice rendered valuable aid 
to the compiler of that work. He prepared other local historical sketches, 
and frequently gave material assistance to persons engaged in similar occupa- 
tions elsewhere. 

After the death of Dr. Samuel B. Parris, a young man of rare intellectual 
abilities and attainments and a physician of great promise, who settled in 
this town, Mr. Daggett made a collection of his writings, which were quite 
numerous. From these he made selections which he published, together with 
a memoir of their author, which he wrote. This little book was entitled 



20 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 

"Parris' Remains." Mr. Daggett also wrote for some years in the editorial 
line while in charge of a newspaper, and also during his earlier years many 
short poems, displaying in that direction some considerable talent. A num- 
ber of these appeared as special contributions to the Dedham Patriot, the 
paper he at one time edited. None of these were found, but among his 
papers a copy of the <>1<1 Colon;/ Memorial, dated October 17, 1829, was dis- 
covered, in which the following poem appeared : — 

[For the Memorial.} 

Maid of the dark eye and raven locks, 

Meet me alone where waters glide. 
Whose gentle stream rolls ceaseless on, 

And roam with me its grassy side. 

Meet me beneath the shady grove, 

Where stranger's foot may never tread ; 
A spot which kindred hearts may love — 

When spring its robe of green has spread. 

Meet me beneath the moon's pale beam ; 

( raze on its soft and vestal light, 
Whose pensive, lingering smile might seem 

To woo the cold embrace of night. 

Meet me beneath the evening skies, 

When stars are glowing brightly there, 
As if a thousand heavenly eyes 

Were smiling o'er a scene so fair. 

Yes, — far away from human haunts, — 

No curtained halls our vows shall hear. 
But the pure heaven's bright expanse, 

And the sweet moon's list'ning ear. 

None but the shades of the lone grove, 

And where the riv'let steals its way, 
Where the spirits of nature rove, 

And breathe their wild but sweetest lay. 

'T is tit that love so deep as ours 

Be told in scenes where nature dwells. 
Mid blooming vales and shady bowe'-s. 
Mid Muses' haunts and fairy spells. 

Oh! by that stream which ceaseless flows, 

That grove which spring revives forever — 
That moon which constant wanes and grows — 

I '11 vow that I will love thee ever! 

In 1831. the fifty-fifth anniversary of American Independence was cele- 
brated in town, and this reference may possibly recall that special occa- 
sion to the remembrance of a few people still living. The public exercises 
were held in the Second Congregational Church, and the program states 
that Rev. Mr. Ferguson offered the prayer, Dr. Phineas Savery read the 
Declaration of Independence, and the writer of this book delivered the 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 21 

oration. Several appropriate pieces were sung and the following ode, com- 
posed for the occasion by the writer (Mr. Daggett) , was also sung : — 

Hail ! welcome clay of Freedom's birth. 

The day of glory to the free ! 
We'll praise our fathers' deeds of worth, 

While grateful hearts shall welcome thee. 

Oh, let our thanks arise to those 

Who for our country bled or died ; 
Who met on battlefields our foes, 

And, glorious, triumphed o'er their pride. 

Let praise ascend in noblest strains 

To those who stood on Bunker's height, 
Who bled on Trenton's gory plains. 

Or died in Monmouth's fatal tight. 

And now to those who nobly bleed 

In distant lands for Freedom's right, 
Oh, grant, kind heaven, the victor's meed, 

And round them spread fair Freedom's light. 

Rejoice, ye sons of Liberty! 

The nations spurn the tyrants' chains; 
Behold the banners of the free 

On Gallia's hills and Belgium's plains. 

Again the sons of Poland rise, 

Behold their ancient banners fly ! 
They've nobly sworn, by earth and skies, 

They'll " freemen live or freemen die.'' 

Our fathers' God, accept our lay. 

For all our nation's blessings given. 
While here, on Freedom's hallowed day, 

We raise our joyful songs to heaven ! 

Mr. Daggett was, during the course of his life, frequently called upon to 
prepare and deliver addresses before various organizations, and upon occa- 
sions of public celebration, both at home and abroad. The position of toast- 
master was one he filled admirably, and one which for many years he was 
oftener called upon to occupy than any person in town. He was always 
happy in the selection of matter, and acceptable in his manner of presenting 
toasts, and especially apt in his responses to those of others, for he was 
quick and witty, and his large fund of general information made him an 
interesting speaker no matter what the subject migbt be. He was a very 
extensive reader, and the amount of time he always found to devote to this 
pleasurable occupation was remarkable considering how much he was obliged 
to employ in the other interests of his life. His favorite studies while in 
college were belles-lettres and the classics, and he always to some extent 
kept up his Greek, of which language he was particularly fond. His tastes, 
therefore, led him naturally to prefer historical and poetical works, and in 
the former line he had perhaps read as much as any man in his generation. 



22 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 

This did not prevent his informing himself intelligently upon scientific and 
practical matters, and upon the varied questions and interests of the day. 
He read rapidly, but was able to digest and retain what he read, and thus his 
mind became stored with a great amount of entertaining and useful knowl- 
edge, which he was able to impart agreeably to those who conversed with 
him. He was always a favorite in society, both with old and young, for he 
had the happy faculty of adapting himself for the time being to the ages or 
attainments of those persons with whom he might accidentally be thrown. 
He enjoyed, perhaps more than all else, conversing with guests at his own 
fireside, and after advancing years compelled him in large measure to relin- 
quish public duties and outside society he was especially gratified when 
friends and neighbors "dropped in " after the pleasant country fashion for 
a social chat. One of his near neighbors during the latter years of his life 
used often to say: tk I blame myself much that I do not for my own sake 
oftener spend an hour in Mr. Daggett's company, for his conversation on 
every subject is very entertaining, and I always learn from him something 
new and interesting." 

Mr. Daggett lived a life of marked temperance, not in eating and drinking 
alone, but in all things ; and in that way only, with his impaired vitality, did 
he continue to maintain the uniform good health which euabled him to accom- 
plish so much work with so much ease. He was extremely regular and 
methodical in many of his ways. One thing which shows this was his habit 
of stepping out on the piazza of his house every morning at a few minutes 
past seven°o'clock to look at the thermometer. He used to say laughingly 
that he could not tell anything about the weather, or whether he himself was 
cold or warm, until he had consulted that little instrument of advice. Be 
the weather or the season what it might, he always put on a hat — usually a 
tall one of somewhat ancient style and by no means in the highest state of 
preservation — to perform this ceremony. For years, neighbors " across the 
wav" witnessed this daily occurrence from their breakfast table, always sure, 
as it recurred, of the exact hour. For a long time after his death they found 
themselves again and again, at the accustomed hour, looking over the street 
for the familiar form, and among the many little things which went to make 
up a pleasant daily intercourse between the two families they missed this 
act with its oft-given friendly nod of greeting to themselves most of all. 

Mr. Daggett never used tobacco in any form. He had one experience 
with the weed, which he occasionally related, and which in its effects was 
similar to the earlier one with profanity. When quite a lad his father upon 
one occasion sent him to bring the regular supply to one of the paupers then 
at the farm. It occurred to him that what seemed enjoyable to an old man 
might be equally so to a younger, and he tried a generous mouthful. The 
severe and very disagreeable attack of illness which speedily followed effec- 
tually cured him of any desire to repeat the experiment, and he never 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 23 

attempted to smoke. He was a firm believer in the real temperance cause. 
He did not in any way set himself up as a reformer in this direction, but he 
was a thoroughly consistent temperance man. He frankly acknowledged he 
had a fondness for the taste of wines and liquors, and that their moderate 
use would give him pleasure and produce beneficial results ; but realizing the 
possibility of danger to many from even moderate indulgence, he habitually 
abstained from the use of all intoxicants. The highest motive — that of 
principle — guided him in this as in other things. He had, however, very 
little to say about his principles — he never preached about them, never 
yielded to that mistaken sense of duty which prompts dictation to others, but 
contented himself with simply practising what he believed to be right, and 
he was a shining example of the truth of the saying that " a life of modera- 
tion in all things is the highest type of life," and one whose influence for 
good must be widely felt. 

He was a very reserved man in some respects, and he rarely gave utterance 
to the most profound feelings of his nature. On the subject of personal 
religion, therefore, he did not often speak, though that he felt deeply there 
can be no doubt. His life was guided by the highest principles of morality 
and rectitude. He was always a constant attendant upon public worship, 
and an attentive listener to the preachers whom he heard, thus setting a good 
example to many who professed more than he did. This regularity in attend- 
ing divine service was broken up only during the very last part of his life, 
for when he became unable without extreme physical exertion to walk from 
his house to the centre of the village, a thoughtful friend called Sabbath 
after Sabbath at his door with a carriage and took him to and from the 
meetinghouse. He contributed freely as much as, and sometimes more than, 
he could afford toward the support of the church which he attended — the 
Second Congregational — and toward religious and other charitable objects, 
but he never became a church member. None the less was his the life of 
a good man, and one of his pastors has said: "I consider him one of the 
Christians outside of the church." 

The study of law in itself, and its practice in certain branches, was agree- 
able to Mr. Daggett, and in these directions he was successful. His imputa- 
tion as a professional man was spotless and he well merited the high compli- 
ment paid him by a fellow alumnus upon a certain commencement anniver- 
sary. This gentleman said in his after-dinner speech that among her lawyer 
sons Brown had one of whom she had just cause to be unusually proud, for, 
said he, " He is an honest lawyer, and he never told a lie." He was consid- 
ered an excellent consulting lawyer, and his discretion and probity were 
unquestioned. He never acted in criminal cases, and accepted only such as 
seemed to him to have right and justice to recommend them. He ranked 
among the best of lawyers, because he could rise above the question of per- 
sonal aggrandizement and emoluments and consider primarily the advantage 



24 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 

of his clients. It was always his advice to people, whenever such a course 
was possible, to settle cases by arbitration and to avoid litigation. By his 
o-ood judgment and wise and conciliatory counsel he often accomplished the 
settlement of cases in this friendly manner, when the majority of lawyers 
perhaps could not have done so, thus saving the contending parties much time 
and money and infinite worry and trouble. The confidence reposed in his 
unprejudiced judgment was so strong that he was more than once consulted 
by both parties to contests. He seemed capable of comprehending all sides 
of questions connected with his profession, and to form unbiased opinions, 
and he could, therefore, give good advice to both parties without betraying 
the confidences of either side. In this manner, no doubt, he effected many 
settlements in the manner mentioned — by arbitration. 

Those cases which involved questions of ancient law, and the necessity 
for research among old records, always gave him great pleasure to work up 
and try, and his preparations w r ere made with nicety and exactness. One 
case of this kind is recalled, the gaining of which gave him peculiar satisfac- 
tion. It involved the question of a public right-of-way in a footpath cross- 
ing a certain field near the Falls village, and the opposing council was a 
lifelong and intimate friend. Mr. Daggett took the ground that time and 
precedent had established the public's right to the use of the path, and that 
the owner of the field had no right to close it. The opposing friends had 
lengthy discussions upon this matter in Mr. Daggett's office, but, needless to 
sav to any who knew the two gentlemen, neither could convince the other 
that he was wrong. In due time the case came to trial. Mr. Daggett's 
proof of his opinion was based largely upon the fact that the old laws of 
Massachusetts recognized the establishment of such paths or " lanes," and 
he cited the names of several such still open and used by the public in the 
citv of Boston. He clinched his arguments by quoting several paragraphs 
from two different books published some time previously by his opponent, in 
which he — their author — was shown to have recognized the same kind of 
public rights which Mr. Daggett then sought to establish. He thus con- 
demned his opponent out of his own mouth, and won the case. This was a 
kind of triumph he thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed, and he did a good 
deal of quiet chuckling over his success in this instance, because his adver- 
sary was both a clever man and lawyer. 

What may be termed the strictly professional part of his profession was in 
harmonv with Mr. Daggett's tastes, but the purely business portion was 
somewhat irksome to him. The keeping of accounts and the presenting of 
bills were matters very easily put off, and indeed very frequently forgotten 
altoo-ether. His list of " charity clients," including those who paid only in 
" blessings," was always a long one, while among those who were willing and 
desirous to pay for services rendered there were many whom he insisted 
upon calling "neighbors" and "friends," for whom as such prices were 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 25 

reduced. The consequences to his income are easily calculated ; but it was 
inborn in his nature to dislike the process of accepting remuneration for 
work he did, and equally in his nature to take great pleasure in using his time 
and talents and the results of his experience and research for the benefit or 
the gratification of others. More than this, he frequently took financial risks 
in order to assist friends or clients, and through the failure of some of these 
to meet their obligations he suffered severe and irretrievable losses, thus 
becoming unable to meet some of his own obligations during the later period 
of his life. All such losses he bore without bitter complaints against those 
through whose misfortune or carelessness they came upon him, though he 
felt none the less keenly their consequences both to himself and others, as 
occasional expressions made to those who knew him best clearly showed. 
All the many trials of his life he met with the calmness and dignity possible 
only to those who possess strong and earnest characters. From a strictly 
business point of view, actions like some of his may seem worthy of nothing 
but condemnation, but, as they often have for their underlying motive the 
generous desire only to render needed assistance to fellow creatures in trouble, 
they, on the other hand, deserve the highest commendation. Every truly 
unselfish act — no matter what the immediate or apparent result may be — 
must in some degree benefit its doer and him for whom it is done ; and we 
feel sure that the higher records will bear testimony to the purity of purpose 
prompting many such deeds in the life of him of whom we write, and that 
" verily, he shall have his reward." 

Of a modest and retiring disposition, Mr. Daggett never pushed himself 
forward, but left to others the task of finding out his merits. Indeed he never 
seemed to fully appreciate his own talents and acquirements, or adequately to 
value his professional services. He did not seek office, but if elected to places 
of public trust, he was certain to ki do with his might what his hands found to 
do," in the best interests of his constituents. He was equally conscientious in 
the performance of the ordinary duties of a private citizen. In politics he 
was a whig, later a republican, and a stanch adherent to the true precepts 
of those parties. He often took a leading part in political meetings, and 
frequently prepared the resolves which the}' had occasion to adopt. The rights 
of citizeuship in our great American Republic were valuable in his eyes, and 
their exercise always an important matter. He deemed it every man's duty 
to vote upon questions before the public, whether party issues were great or 
small, and he himself was always to be found at town-meetings, whether the 
part he played there was a prominent one or simply that of casting his ballot. 
He never willingly omitted this duty, and he never laid it aside, for friends,, 
knowing his feelings on this subject, arranged for his speedy and comfortable 
conveyance to and from the polling places during the years of his old age. 

For upwards of a quarter of a century he was a member of the New Eng- 
land Genealogical Historical Society. In 1854 the Old Colony Historical 



26 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 

Society was formed in Taunton, and he was one of its constituent members. 
The first president was Nathaniel Morton, Esq. His death occurred two years 
later, and Mr. Daggett was chosen chairman of the committee appointed to 
prepare a suitable series of resolutions thereupon, and at the society's meet- 
ing, held April 14, 1850, when these resolutions were presented for approval, 
he was chosen president. He retained the office until his death, a period 
of almost thirty years, though during the latter part of the time his increasing 
years and somewhat enfeebled physical condition prevented his regular attend- 
ance upon meetings. 

It was allotted to Mr. and Mrs. Daggett to have almost a half-century of 
married life. On June 18, 1880, the anniversary of their wedding, quite a 
number of neighbors and friends gathered at their pleasant home to offer 
congratulations upon the occasion. Our town poet — a valued friend of the 
family — brought her good wishes in rhyme, and it seems appropriate to give 
here her pretty description of the forty years of life's journey these two had 
traveled together, and Mr. Daggett's reply rendered iu verse — the last he 

wrote : — 

The angel, in form a woman, 
Hath bidden me "Write," 
And the spirit of Love, unbidden. 
3Iy thoughts indite. 

We lift the veil of forty years, 

Pass in review its hopes and fears ; 

Turn back along the train of thought 

And see the changes time hath wrought. 

Ere railroads with their iron band 

Had run and crost all o'er the land ; 

Ere telegraph with magic wire 

Had utilized the lightning's tire; 

Ere cable run on ocean's floor. 

Or telephone from door to door ; 

When '• Weekly" the newspaper came. 

With news that seemed nor old nor tame; 

When neighbors' girls went out to help, 

And Bridget, like the foreign kelp, 

Still clung to her own native shores, 

Nor yet had tended Yankee doors; v 

When matrons of an afternoon. 

Went out to tea, and tongues kept tune, 

From three o'clock till waning light, 

To knitting-needles sharp and bright. 

And no one in the town had seen 

A knitting or sewing machine; 

They wore a dress of cambric neat, 

Apron of silk, with fold or " pleat '" : 

And muslin caps; no wonder then 

They seemed so old to children's ken. 

Then Saturday was baking day 

( Not with gas stove, like child at play) ; 



BIOGBAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOE. 27 

The gaping oven opens wide, 

— The bread-trough standing close beside — 

The bread and pudding each in turn. 

(Meanwhile, in shady porch the churn. 

Full of rich cream, awaiting stands. 

No Oleo then the taste to cheat, 

Made up of what we won't repeat, 

But butter golden, rich and rare, 

The skillful hands with pride prepare.) 

The oven 's ready : beat the cake ; 

The pies of golden pumpkin make ; 

The custard too of milk and cream, 

Not milk shook up by jarring team. 

Father to clear the oven comes. 

Wake visions of our early homes. 

Let not the homely mem'ries sleep; 

The toils and pleasures sacred keep. 

The mother of our host ! to-day, 

Her name shall mingle with our lay, 

The beauty of her womanhood; 

Her common sense, uncommon good. 

To her he owes the gentle grace, 

That smiles so calmly in his face; 

Refinement of the heart and air 

That makes him welcome everywhere 

As Attleborough's noble son ; 

Her honored, loved historian. 

I will not, really cannot say 
(For that was just before my day) 
If all the maidens fair in town, 
Looked with approval or a frown, 
When this young squire went just outside 
To choose a young and blooming bride. 
But this I know, that grafted fruit 
Is oft more choice than native shoot. 
She came to cheer and share his life ; 
These many years a loving wife. 
Changes that come to all have come ; 
Sunshine and darkness filled the home. 
Not everything the heart could wish 
Drops into the uplifted dish. 
Sometimes the cup with joy o'erflows; 
By little graves, seems full of woes, 
But the good God. high over all. 
Notes e'en the tiny sparrow's fall — 
And says : " Fear not, whate'er betide, 
Thy Saviour still is at thy side." 

The years have brought the frost of age, 

The kind deeds still her hands engage. 

We see her deck the blushing bride, 

And stand the sufferer's couch beside; 

Refraining from no work of good 

We think, " She hath done what she could." 



28 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 

May the old love, that 'a always new, 
Attend you all your journey through: 
Children be spared to <'lo.se your eyes, 
And days yet dawn of glad surprise; 
With sunsets brighter than the morn; 
With faith and hope in Christ newborn; 
And golden wedding days be given. 
If not on earth, above in heaven. 



From this long stage of life we turn our eyes 

Back o'er the flight of years, to other days. 
Where Fancy's light illumes the morning skies. 

And ever-blooming Spring its charms displays. 

In vain we look for those, in youth's bright day, 

Who trod the path with us when life began. 
But dropped their burdens on the weary way. 

Where many a stone now marks life's shorten'd span. 

They've gained a happier clime and fairer shore, 

But left us here our lonely way to wend ; 
We '11 patient tread the path they trod before, 

And meet them when we reach our journey's end. 

We '11 cheerful walk our life's allotted span, 

For oft its setting sun will shine as bright. 
In age, while traveling down life's smooth decline. 

As when, in youth, it sheds its morning light. 

We leave the Past behind and look around, 

O'er coming years — whate'er our lot maybe. 
When other forty years have run their round. 

May all of you be here again to see ! 

On the tenth of February, 1880, there was a gathering of friends at Mr. 
Daggett's residence to congratulate him on attaining bis eightieth birthday — 
which proved to be his last. At this time a number of his fellow citizens 
united in presenting him with a substantial proof of their good wishes in the 
form of a handsome purse of money. 

Throughout his life Mr. Daggett enjoyed for the most part uniform good 
health, occasional attacks of a rheumatic nature being the only interrup- 
tions ; and this continued until the very last year lie lived. In the autumn 
of 1884 he took what he called a very severe cold, from which he did not 
rally for months ; indeed he never fully recovered, for this illness proved to 
be " the beginning of the end." In the spring and early summer of 1885 
the very severe and dangerous illness of his wife caused him great anxiety, 
and just when this had begun in some measure to be relieved he was thrown 
from a carriage and narrowly escaped with his life. The outward injuries 
were apparently slight, and he recuperated with wonderful rapidity consid- 
ering his advanced age ; but the internal shock he sustained produced an 
unfavorable effect upon his weakening system, and from that he never 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 29 

recovered. As the autumn again advanced the "cold," as he insisted upon 
calling it, again attacked him and he suffered at times considerably from 
pain ; but more and continuously from inability to breathe with any degree 
of ease or comfort. During this time he passed many sleepless nights, 
walking; from room to room, resting now and again perhaps for a few 
moments in his chair or ou some couch, and going repeatedly to the door to 
gain an instant's relief from inhaling the fresh outer air. Even after weeks 
of this experience his vitality was so great that it was thought he would live 
on for some time, but that probably he could not survive the entire winter. 
The end therefore came much sooner than was expected, and very suddenly. 
Weary and weak as he had long been, he never wholly gave up work, for 
only twenty-four hours before he died he walked slowly and painfully from 
his sitting-room to his office and tried to attend to the wants of a client. 
The hand of death was even then laid heavily upon him, but his quiet, uncom- 
plaining fortitude prevented this from being realized by those about him. He 
attempted to do what was asked of him, but his, until then, ever-willing 
hands refused to perform their wonted offices. He probably realized himself 
the meaning of this failure, but he made no sign. With his usual gentle 
courtesy he apologized for his inability to serve the person in waiting, and 
with the old familiar phrase begged him to " call again in a few days" when 
he should probably be better of his ailment and could attend to the business 
required. 

His last day of life was comparatively free from suffering and can be 
recalled without painful sorrow by those who were with him at the time. In 
the early evening of Sunday, December 13, 1885, at the age of eighty years, 
ten months and three days, he passed away — quiet and peaceful in his 
death as he had ever been in his life. He died of no special disease, but 
because his physical powers were worn out, because the work allotted him to 
do on earth was, in the eyes of the Supreme Ruler, finished. For a year or 
two previous to his death a slight imperfection in his hearing was at times 
noticeable, but his eyesight always remained wholly unimpaired. In this 
way he was remarkable, for he never wore glasses, and was always able to 
read fine print with ease and to write readily by lamplight — the one a habit 
formed for pleasure, the other a custom he had been obliged to adopt and 
follow constantly, a great deal of his writing, both professional and literary, 
having been done after nightfall. He retained all his mental faculties to an 
unusual degree, for there was never the slightest diminution in this regard 
apparent. His mind was perfectly clear to the very last, for he conversed 
rationally and distinctly in a manner to show his comprehension of himself 
and his surroundings frequently during his last hours, and spoke in the same 
clear and sensible way only a few moments before his decease. His friends 
were happily spared the grief of witnessing the decay of his bright intellect, 
for he had no days of feeble, helpless " second childhood," either physi- 



30 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 

cally or mentally, and the pleasures of the life he loved — the life of real 
companionship with books and pen — were never denied to him, but were 
enjoyed and appreciated with the eager zest of his earlier years even to the 
very end. 

Mrs. Daggett survived her husband only six months. She died at the 
residence of Miss Susan Thacher on Bank Street, June 22, 188G, after a 
lone and extremely painful illness which had severely shattered her body, 
and to some extent her mind ; but could never quench her brave and cheer- 
ful spirit. She was buried by the side of her husband and children in the 
"Old Kirk Yard." With the death of these two one of Attleborough's 
pleasantest homes for nearly fifty years was broken up, though cherished 
memories of it and of them will long remain. 

Mr. Daggett had been president of the trustees of the Richardson school 
fund since the first board was elected; a period of more than forty years. 
At a meeting of this board of Trustees held December 16, 1885, the follow- 
ing, among several other resolutions, was unanimously adopted: '■'Resolved, 
That we mourn the removal of a wise and faithful President of this corpo- 
ration, and the loss to this community of a citizen whose public spirit and 
whose courteous and honorable character have won the respect and regard 
of all." 

On January 22, 1886, the annual meeting of the Old Colony Historical 
Society was held at Taunton. In the course of his address, reviewing the 
year just past, the vice-president, Rev. S. Hopkins Emory, in speakiug of 
Mr. Daggett, said: "I cannot refrain from expressing my deep sense of 
personal bereavement, and the exceeding great value of the deceased to the 
Old Colony Historical Society as a member and an officer. His industry in 
historical research, his untarnished reputation in his profession as a lawyer 
and in social life made his name a tower of strength, a credit and a comfort 
to us. We have abundant reason to mourn his loss." A memorial of Mr. 
Daggett prepared by the Society's historiographer, Judge Fuller, was read 
at this meeting, and after the election of officers his successor as president, 
Mr. Emory, proposed the following action upon his death, which the 
society adopted: " Whereas, The Hon. John Daggett, second President of 
the Old Colony Historical Society, who had served it in that capacity nearly 
thirty years, has recently been called away by death. This is to record our 
appreciation, as a society, of the high moral character of the deceased — 
those admirable qualities of mind and heart which so endeared him to bis 
friends and brought such honor to this society over which he so long presided. 
In his profession as a lawyer, in all the offices of responsibility and trust 
which he was called to fill, his reputation was unsullied. Ever courteous, 
polite, and kind, he was deservedly popular. With a natural aptitude for 
historical research, he was eminently successful in gathering rich stores of 
facts concerning his own town in particular, and the Old Colony generally ; 



BIOQBAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOB. 31 

so that, although dead, he will yet live as the historian of Attleborough and 
the long-time President of the Historical Society, of which he was an 
original member." 

The librarian of the society, in writing of him and referring to their long 
and pleasant acquaintance of over sixty years, says : "No man living ever 
held my esteem and regard so warmly as John Daggett. We elected and 
reelected him our President year after year, and never was an opposing vote 
given to supersede him while living. I say this that it may be known in 
what estimation he was held and how he was appreciated by his Taunton 
friends and members of the society." The same writer, Mr. J. W. D. Hall, 
in an obituary notice printed in a Taunton paper, further says : " He has 
also been several years preparing a more elaborate history of that flourishing 
town (Attleborough), its ancient and modern enterprises and industries that 
have grown up to annual millions, which he leaves in manuscript. He has 
also devoted some of his leisure time to the investigation of the Old Colony 
and North Purchase settlements in connection with the original lines of the 
ancient town of Rehoboth, and was one of the most thoroughly posted anti- 
quarians. His genial kindliness, courtesy, and integrity of character, as a 
counselor and friend — always ready to say a kind word, never a hard one — 
secured for him the title of ' honest John Daggett,' which he wore with 
modest grace and merit from his college days, during these sixty years, to the 
time when ' death claimed a shining mark.' He has passed away, but hi& 
lifelong deeds of kindness will live after him, and his memory as the Chris- 
tian gentleman will ever be cherished." 

A Mr. Everett, of East Princeton, this State, a descendant of Attleborough 
people who emigrated to that town in 1764, wrote thus in a communication 
dated December 27, 1885, which he sent to the Advocate: "I formed the 
acquaintance of Mr. Daggett, in the House of Representatives in Boston, in 
the winter of 1836. I was more interested in Mr. Daggett, not alone from 
his representing Old Attleborough in the Legislature, but from the fact that 
we were two of the four youngest members of the House of Representatives, 
and were in age from twenty-eight to thirty. Julius Rockwell, now Judge of 
the Superior Court of our State, and the talented statesman and keen 
debater, and Robert Rantoul, Jr., were the other two young members- 
referred to. Mr. Daggett never made speeches — certainly never to exhibit 
egotistically any pride of oratory. He was an influential member of any 
committee upon which he was placed. He was always on duty, carefully 
examining every bill or resolve presented, and never giving his approval to 
any act or measure that was not approved by his judgment for the good of 
the State. As a friend he was always social, agreeable, and confiding. He 
was eminently a true Christian gentleman. But his life work is done, and he 
has passed over the river to the immortal shores of the better land, and has- 
had accorded to him the ' Welcome, good and faithful servant.'" This inter- 



32 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 

esting article closes with these words : ' l Well ! Attleborough of one hun- 
dred and twenty years ago was purely a farming town ; but now various 
industries of this teeming age eclipse too much the honest farmer's toil and 
produce. Rut anyway may blessings rest on old Attleborough evermore" — a 
sentiment which would have met with a truly heartfelt response from the lips 
of him whose death occasioned the writing of the reminiscences, some of 
which have been quoted, could he but have read it. 

A townsman writes of him as " one of the oldest and perhaps best known 
citizens of Attleborough." (And it is perhaps needless to say that his repu- 
tation was not confined to his native town.) kt But for him the history of 
the town would probably have been a blank to this day. When we remember 
that Mr. Daggett had been fifty -five years a practising lawyer and that he 
retained his activity until the very last, going from his room to his office to 
meet a client the day before his death, we may form some conception of the 
amount of valuable work he had in its aggregate accomplished. He saw the 
town of Attleborough increase its population more than tenfold, and his 
native village grow from a church, a tavern, and three dwellings to its 
present flourishing condition. He was a man of active mind, careful and 
shrewd in his profession, a well-read antiquarian and historian, and kept 
thoroughly up with the political and social movements of his time. In his 
family he was kind and courteous, and much attached to those bound to him 
in the ties of kin. His manners were learned in the time when children were 
taught politeness and courtesy was not a lost art. He carried into his con- 
verse with every one a dignity yet pleasantness of demeanor which is seldom 
met in the younger generation. He will be missed throughout the wide circle 
of friends and acquaintances which his fourscore years of life had gathered 
about him. He goes to his rest full of years and of deeds." 

Another townsman writes : " Although in his later years he has been com- 
pelled to lead a more quiet life, for many years he was prominent in public 
affairs and since his retirement has exercised a steady influence, being 
frequently- sought for counsel and information, not only on matters directly 
connected with his profession, but upon literary and historical subjects, upon 
which he was an acknowledged authority. For over half a century he con- 
tinued his legal practice, reduced of course in amount in his later years. He 
was particular about having only cases which he thought were founded on 
justice, and identified himself heartily with his client's interests. In many 
ways he was helpful to those in need of legal services, and ever seemed more 
anxious to be of service than to win a financial gain. As a public servant 
he was careful, faithful, honorable, serviceable, and respected, recognized as 
an equal among experienced legislators and officials. His greatest taste was 
for antiquarian researches and historical information. He probably knew 
more about Attleborough people and their connections all over the country than 
any other person. With nice literary tastes and possessing a large library, 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOB. 33 

he was well read, not only in standard literature, but in all the events, 
literary, social, and political, of the present time. He was a pleasant cou- 
verser, and ever ready to give to others, in a most gracious way, the results 
of his long experience. His character was pure, his bearing dignified, his 
manners courtly, his disposition kind. Retiring in his manners, for one so 
useful in a public way, he was a very approachable man, seeking no honors, 
shirking no responsibilities. He realized in its fullest sense the word gentle- 
man. A good, well-balanced, honorable, useful life was rounded w r ith a 
sleep." 

An old lawyer friend speaks of him as a better lawyer than advocate, 
saying that while he prepared his cases well and thoroughly, he disturbed 
himself over the closing of the same to the jury, and therefore almost 
always had Mr. Clifford or Mr. Read, or some other of their special class, 
make the closing arguments for him. The same friend says again: "He 
was interested in and thoroughly read in Probate Law. He was not a 
man of great force or executive ability, but as counselor he was thorough 
and reliable. He enjoyed the esteem and confidence of all who were brought 
in contact with him as a man or lawyer. Frankness, and not duplicity, was 
his leading characteristic." 

In the necrology of Brown University for the year 1885-86 may be found 
the following words relating to Mr. Daggett: ' k His legal and general knowl- 
edge and his good judgment, together with his public spirit and integrity and 
fidelity, won for him the confidence and the suffrages of his townsmen, and 
also ensured him success in the different places of trust which he filled. He 
also found time for literary and historical studies. His interest in inquiries 
and studies pertaining to the objects of these societies (the Old Colony 
Historical and New England Genealogical Society) induced him to write and 
publish the history of his native town of Attleborough, a task which he so 
worthily discharged as to win for him, with the respect and love of his 
townsmen, the name and influence of an authority in all that pertained to the 
annals of their town. Yet apart from that good service he was widely 
known and esteemed in Attleborough, and a popular man throughout the 
State." 

Mr. Daggett was to the last days of his life a loyal son of his Alma 
Mater. To the last he preserved a fresh and active interest in all that per- 
tained to the welfare and progress of the university, and he especially 
delighted when within its loved borders to talk over with his classmates and 
fellow students, as they gathered there from year to year, the well remem- 
bered and deeply cherished experiences of their college life. 

Mr. Daggett's funeral occurred December 17, 1885. A very beautiful 
and touching service for the invalid wife was conducted at his residence by 
Rev. Mr. Barton. The members of the bar in town bore him on his final 
earthly journey, and a number of prominent citizens of his native village, 



34 BIOGRAPHICAL sketch of the authob. 

and old friends and representative men from all parts of the town attended 
him as bearers, or as a special mark of respect. It was fitting that his last 
resting-place this side the grave should be in the edifice of that church whose 
history he had followed with so much interest, for whose welfare he long and 
faithfully had labored, and whose wonted place within its walls had during 
more than threescore years and ten so seldom been vacant. Many friends 
from town and from abroad gathered there and followed him as he passed up 
its familiar aisle for the last time. Appropriate music was rendered and his 
favorite hymn, "Rock of Ages," Avas remembered. The discourse was 
delivered by Mr. Barton, and an outline of it follows. 

" The leading facts about him we mourn have already been made public. 
His life covered an important period of the nation's history, and of the his- 
tory of the world. He was born, 1805, died 1885, a brief statement; but 
how much happened between those dates, and how well he improved those 
years ! The year of his birth Lord Nelson defeated the combined fleets of 
France and Spain at Trafalgar ; in that year France became an empire. 
Our own country had about six millions of people. How great a change 
there is from the time one fellow-citizen made his entrance into the world, to 
the time of his exit ! What a contrast is his native town at his departure to 
what it was at his birth ! This village in 1805 had a church, tavern, and 
three dwellings. For many years he wrought faithfully, was most active, 
respected, honored. He had an active mind, varied attainments, was public 
spirited, well informed on all public questions, and it is not strange that 
he was so serviceable to this town and to different generations. The profes- 
sion of law seems to demand more real brain work than any other, though 
different in kind. Our most important temporal matters depend upon the 
work of the profession of which he was a wise, an honored, and an active 
member. His character was so real, so open, so well known, there seems 
little need to enlarge upon it to those familiar with him. Let us see how his 
life touched our own. In talking with him and finding the purity and lofti- 
ness of his motives, one was remiuded of the text. ' Whatsoever things are 
true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever 
things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report,' for he seemed to 
move in harmony with these ideas. Always and easily a gentleman, he was 
never in too much haste to exchange civilities graciously and gracefully. 
His mind and heart were set upon the history of his native town." The 
speaker dwelt at large upon the value of this history, " to the student, to 
the patriotic, to all," and the patience, accuracy, and diligence which had 
been put into the work were highly commended. The discourse was closed 
with these words: " He was busily engaged in compiling facts for a larger 
and more complete history, but he is gone without accomplishing it. Oh, 
the facts which perished when this man died ! Oh, the threads which ended 
when he passed away ! Who will take up the work where he left it and com- 
plete the monument he was erecting?" 



BIOGBAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. 35 

A long-time and honored friend, and the president of his loved institution, 
Dr. E. G. Robinson, of Brown University, then paid a most beautiful tribute 
to the life and character of Mr. Daggett, in words something like these: 
" Death, come when it may, and as often as it may, never fails to fill the 
mind with awe. For a [long] valued spirit entering upon the untried and 
unknown, we cannot grieve as for one smitten in early manhood, or in the 
midst of mature years. He was a shock of corn fully ripened and ready for 
the harvest. Not a self-seeker, not obtrusive, content with himself and the 
realities of his life, strikingly in contrast with the present men and times, 
never seeking favor, possessed of a good reputation, he was a man of far 
more ability than was always recognized. He really had a perfectly stain- 
less character ; he was a product of Christian civilization, a real man [a 
single-minded man], gentle to an excessive degree, modest, but real. Is 
there any higher plane ? He was self-sacrificing, content to be simply faith- 
ful to his duty, honest in heart, purpose, and deed. He never sought office ; 
it was thrust upon him. Many, nearly all, with whom he was associated in 
the law have passed away ; they were men of ability and wide reputation. 
He was the last but one of his [college] class. He did not practice law 
chiefly for gain, but he performed much gratuitous service. He knew more 
about the old families of the town and their descendants than any other 
man in the State or country, and has preserved material for some one to com- 
plete and publish. He never allowed himself to be ruffled by men, he never 
ruffled any one else. Can the influence of such a man be anything but good? 
Pure, kind, faithful, helpful, gentle, he wrought his lifework and now he has 
fallen on sleep." 

A townsman says : " At the completion of the services, one of the town's 
greatest men was laid at rest in the old kirkyard in the rear of the church." 
By the strong, kind hands of friends he was carried to that sacred spot, and 
by them gently and tenderly lowered into his grave. He lies in the place of 
his expressed desire, near his mother, in the soil he loved so well, surrounded 
by many members of his own family, and with many of his kindred near. 
May he rest there undisturbed till the last sound of time shall usher in eternity ! 
Such in brief was the life of John Daggett, such his death, and such a few 
of the honest, heartfelt expressions of commendation of his character and 
career. No man ever loved his native town with a deeper, warmer, more 
faithful and stedfast love than he, no man was ever more zealous in her cause 
or worked in her interests with a nobler, more generous fidelity than he. 
He has given tangible and enduring proof of the reality and earnestness of 
his affection by the careful collection and preservation of many of the facts 
to be found in this book, and the name to which the work entitles him — one 
he highly prized, and the one by which he will be best known and longest 
remembered, is the name — 

THE HISTORIAN OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 



INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRST EDITION. 



This little work is designed principally for the citizens of this town. The subject is not 
presumed to be of sufficient interest to attract the particular attention of strangers. I have, 
therefore, entered into details and local descriptions which will not be interesting to readers in 
general, but only to those who are connected with the scene by association or locality. 

The work originated in a Lecture delivered before the Lyceum in Attleborough in 1830, 
which was prepared without the most distant idea of publication. The subject, though an old 
one, being entirely new to the hearers, excited much interest. At the earnest request of many 
of the most respectable citizens of the town, I concluded to prepare it for publication, to be 
included in a mere pamphlet of about sixty pages. In compliance with what seemed the 
general wish, proposals were accordingly issued, to ascertain if sufficient encouragement would 
be given to justify the undertaking. But in the prosecution of my researches new materials 
were found, and the work multiplied upon my hands, until it has extended to more than 
double its original size. 

When the author attempted to prepare even a brief lecture on the subject and began to make 
inquiries accordingly, he was told that it was in vain — that no materials existed from which a 
sketch could be formed, particularly ill relation to our early history. The attempt indeed was 
at first discouraging. The field was new and unexplored. There was no light " to lead my 
blind way" through the dark labyrinths of the past. Little or nothing was contained in other 
works to which I could refer for aid. The spot had almost escaped the prying curiosity of 
the antiquarian. I found, however, after diligent aud laborious research, facts enough to make 
up the present volume. 

The materials which are here embodied have been derived mostly from original sources. I 
have gathered " here a little, and there a little."' Tradition has supplied a part; for some facts 
I am indebted to the recollections of the aged ; others I have industriously gleaned from a mass 
of voluminous and almost illegible records and other manuscripts. I have left nothing 
unsearched which might throw light on the early history of the town. 

The object of this work is not mere amusement, but the preservation of facts. I have 
therefore selected not merely what might be interesting at the present time, but what might 
be valuable for future reference. Hence some may think that it is too minute in the relation 
of circumstances; but others, knowing the true objects of such a work, will be rather inclined 
to complain that it is not minute enough. Minuteness and detail are, in fact, the principal 
merit of local histories. Such works will furnish materials for more general history. This is 
the design ; or at least, one great benefit to be derived from them is the collection and pres- 
ervation of facts for a more full and perfect history of the country. Many items which have 
been collected together in these pages, however unimportant now, will be curiosities to future 
generations. They will become more interesting, as time throws its thickening shadows over 
the actors and events of the past. 

I have seized the present moment and gathered what could be obtained from tradition, and 
thus arrested what was rapidly passing into the gulf of oblivion. I have beeu particularly 
minute in describing the transactions connected with the Revolution. Those who lived in 
that age — who saw, and acted in, the great scenes which then transpired, and who alone can 
give us correct and circumstantial accounts of that period, will in a very few years more have 
passed from the stage of life; and thus interesting aud important facts will be irrecoverably 
lost to us and to posterity, unless now rescued and embodied in a durable form. The present 
is the only time to obtain minute and circumstantial accounts of the Revolution. Even now, 
since the commencement of this work, several, from whom I have obtained facts in relation to 
that period, have descended to the silence of the grave. It is hoped, that every opportunity 



38 INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRST EDITION. 

will bo improved, to collect information from those who were personally engaged in the scenes 
of the Revolution, ere they shall disappear from the stage of life. It is useless to disguise that 
the labor and expense of collecting the material- and preparing the work, brief and imperfect 
as it is. have far exceeded my expectations. Indeed, no one, until he has tried the experiment, 
can fully appreciate the labor and patience and perseverance which are requisite in connecting 
insulated facts and supplying broken links in the chain, and the perplexity which is caused in 
reconciling apparent contradictions and removing doubts. I have, however, no expectation of 
receiving an adequate compensation for the time and expense bestowed upon the work ; but the 
consciousness of having redeemed from undeserved neglect the names of our worthy fore- 
fathers, and rescued from oblivion many tacts in the history of my native town which would 
otherwise have been irrecoverably lost, will be. if not a sufficient reward, at least a consolation. 

Such a work, 1 am aware, is of no great consequence to any but those who are connected 
with the town. But it takes many little rills to make up the great current of history. All 
these things tend to throw light on the interesting subject of our early history ; and in this 
view every historical fact, however minute or unimportant in itself, is valuable and worthy of 
preservation. And it may be truly said that he has not labored in vain who has added one 
new truth to what is already known, or elucidated one dark spot in his country's history. 

In the extracts which have been made from ancient records I have retained the orignal dates 
and the titles which were bestowed in accordance with the customs of former times. Even the 
most inferior titles then conferred some distinction. In the earliest records it is not uncommon 
to find " Corporal and Sergeant" such-a-one. Ensign, Lieutenant, and Captain were invariably 
applied to those who could claim the honor. Even the title of Mr., which is now without dis- 
tinction, on account of its indiscriminate application, was once esteemed an honor to which 
but few could aspire! 

I have labored to be accurate, but some errors have doubtless escaped the closest attention. 
If any should be observed, it will be esteemed a favor if those who have the means will 
communicate the correction. 

Attleborough, January. 1834. 



fT^O search the records of the past, 
Recall the scenes of early days, 
Was his, whose memory will last 

Beyond the poet's lays. 
But with the task yet incomplete. 

The purpose unfulfilled, 
A messenger, that comes for all, 

His mortal pulses stilled. 

His mantle falling rests on one 

Endowed with youth and power 
To bring the work her father left 

Down to the present hour. 
Upon this page of History 

With gratitude we look 
And bless the art of magic skill 

That saves it in a book. 



HISTORY 



OF 



ATTLEBOROUGH. 



A SKETCH 



OF THE 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH 



CHAPTER I. 



Settlement of Rehoboth. — Purchase of the Tract Called Rehoboth 
North Purchase. — Proceedings of the Proprietors. — Captain 
Thomas Willett, etc. 

IN 1643 a company was formed at Weymouth, Mass., consisting of Rev. 
Samuel Newman and a large portion of his congregation, for the pur- 
pose of establishing a new settlement in this vicinity. They purchased a 
large tract of land of the Sachem of Pokanoket, including wiiat is now 
Rehoboth, Seekonk, Pawtucket, East Providence, and a part of Swansea, 
then known by the name of Wannamoisett ; and in the spring of 1644 
removed to a place then called by the Indians Seacunke, and commenced 
their settlement around the Great Plain. This was the Rehoboth Purchase. 
It was purchased of Massasoit, and one inducement in the selection of this 
particular tract by the settlers of Rehoboth may probably have been the fact 
that it included a large, level plain clear of wood and ready for cultivation. 
Here the inhabitants continued with many additions to their number as a 
distinct and independent settlement until June 4, 1645, when they were 
found to be within the limits and were adopted into the jurisdiction of 
Plymouth Colony, to whose territory this tract belonged, and were incorpor- 
ated as a township by the scriptural name of Rehoboth. 

Here was then principally a wilderness with no other settlement in the 
immediate vicinity, the nearest being the then new settlement at Cohannet, 
Taunton, distant about twelve miles. The Rehoboth plantation prospered 
and continued to receive accessions from new emigrants and also from the 
settlements near Plymouth, from Duxbury, Marshfield, and Scituate, some 
from Boston, Dorchester, Roxbury, Hingham, Dednam, and some more 
emigrants from Weymouth, the former residence of the original settlers. 
These people were almost entirely from Massachusetts Colony, who landed at 
Boston in 1630 and subsequently, and the location of Rehoboth was deemed 
favorable, as it was situated on the borders of the Narragansett Bay. 



44 A SKETCH OF THE 

The principal men of this settlement were a substantial and intelligent 
class of people, and seem to have been above the average, possessing in a 
marked degree the characteristics required in pioneers. Their first minister 
seems to have been especially qualified for the position he occupied. Most 
of the first generation of ministers in the New England colonies were learned 
men, educated in the universities in England, at first ministers of the 
Established Church, who, from non-conformity, were obliged to flee from 
religious persecution at home and to seek an asylum in the American wilder- 
ness. Many of them were eminently practical men, fitted by their varied 
experience in life to be the advisers, the guides, or the pioneers' of their 
flocks in these early settlements. Such was Samuel Newman, who led his 
people into the rough and hardy soil of Rehoboth, where he remained in the 
laborious and faithful discharge of his duties as pastor of the first church for 
a period of twenty years until his death. He was the son of Richard New- 
man, and was born in Banbury, Oxfordshire, in 1602, of a family "more 
eminent and more ancient than most in the realm of England," and was 
baptized by a clergyman of that parish, May 24, 1602. He was educated at 
Cambridge, England, having entered Trinity College there, March 3, 1619. 
He preached in several places after, leaving the University, and emigrated to 
this country about 1636. He was a short time at Dorchester, then removed 
to Weymouth, and finally to Rehoboth. He died July 5, 1663, and the 
manner of his death was somewhat peculiar, as he had a certain premonition 
of it, and stated that it would occur. He was apparently in good health, but 
suddenly expired on the day named. He was buried in the old burying- 
ground at Seekonk. His dust has there mingled with his mother earth, but 
no monument marks the spot. A man of so much usefulness aud distinction 
in his day and generation should not be suffered to remain without even the 
ordinary memorials of the dead — such as mark the last resting-places of 
the most humble tenants of the grave. We often neglect the living aud 
honor the dead ; but we sometimes honor the living and forget the dead. 

Mr. Newman was especially remarkable as being the author of a Concord- 
ance of the Bible, a voluminous work, a most laborious one to accomplish, 
and which shows him to have been a very learned man. The first edition 
was published in London in 1643, about the time of his removal to Rehoboth. 
While there he revised the work, making many additions and improvements. 
The second edition was published at the same place in 1650, and a third in 
1658. It was a work of great utility, not only in itself, but as laying the 
foundation for subsequent works of a similar character. It was published 
about one hundred years earlier than the since famous Cruden's Concordance. 
In 1662, a short time before Newman's death, an edition of this work some- 
what altered and improved was published by the learned scholars of Cam- 
bridge University, Eugland, at the University Press, which was afterwards 
known to the public as the " Cambridge Concordance," thus robbing the 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 45 

real author of the reputation which belonged to him, though iu the preface 
the editor acknowledges that it is founded on Newman's work, and his plan 
is adopted. 1 

It is related of the author, that while pursuing this work at Rehoboth he 
was obliged from the scarcity of materials for lighting in that infant settle- 
ment to use pine knots for the purpose. It is justly a matter of no little 
satisfaction to us that the author of such a monument of learning and indus- 
try should have completed it while he was an inhabitant of the Old Colony. 

As many of the pioneers of Rehoboth or their immediate descendants were 
the pioneers in establishing our town, we go back together in large measure 
to original founders. We can claim a common interest in this eminent 
scholar as one of her pioneers, and we deem this short sketch of his life 
appropriate to the history of Attleborough. 

During the first seventeen years after the settlement of Rehoboth there was 
remaining a large tract of land belonging to the Indians, lying directly on the 
north of the town and between its north line and the south Massachusetts 
Bay line, containing an area sufficient for two large townships. This region 
was then the domain of the " good Massasoit," the fast friend of the Eng- 
lish. Pocanoket, or Pawkunnawket, is the name that was applied to the 
tribal dominion of Massasoit, whose personal tribe was the Wampanoags. 
His general authority extended over various other tribes in Plymouth Colony, 
and his dominion descended through Wamsutta to Pometacom, King Philip. 
It is believed by historians that the tribe of Massasoit contained a numerous 
population shortly before the landing of the Pilgrims. In 1612 it was said to 
have numbered four thousand warriors, but about that time, or a little later, 
it had been greatly reduced in numbers by the terrible and fatal pestilence 
which swept away so many of the natives. Baylies says this plague almost 
depopulated the New England coast. The Pokanokets suffered the most, 
and on the arrival of the Plymouth settlers in 1620 their warriors numbered 
only sixty. The territory included in the Rehoboth North Purchase was 
probably inhabited by the Wampanoags (or Pocassetts). 

" Once Pawkunnawket's warriors stood 
Thick as the columns of the wood; 
On shores and isles unconquered men 
Called Massasoit father then." 

How long in the ages of the past this fair domain had been in possession 
of the natives the records of time have never revealed. But their hour had 
now come ; it was destined to pass from their hands to another and higher 
race. They were doomed to extinction. According to the inevitable law 



1 A copy of this edition came into the possession of the author, and was promised by him to the 
people of Rehoboth. Since his death, in fulfillment of this promise, it has been presented to them, 
and is now in the historical collection in Goff Memorial Hall. — Editor. 



46 A SKETCH OF THE 

of Providence, if brought in conflict, the inferior must yield to the superior 
race. After Philip's War, a feeble and spiritless remnant lingered around 
their former abodes, in a degraded condition, for a few years, and then van- 
ished forever. 

" Of all their tribes, the heirs of want, 
A feeble few our land may haunt; 
The gloomy ghosts of dead renown 
Awhile from sire to son go down; 
And in their spectral visits say. 
That here the red man once had sway." 

About 1660 our forefathers began to feel "straitened," and wanted an 
enlargement, having only an area of about fifty thousand acres, and ten 
inhabitants to a mile. In 1661, therefore, Captain Thomas Willett, who was 
a skilful negotiator, and on intimate, friendly terms with the Indians, was 
employed by certain inhabitants of Rehoboth to make a purchase of a new 
tract of land in their behalf, having been first authorized and empowered by 
the court for that purpose. He accordingly purchased of Wamsutta (or 
Wamsetta) a certain tract of land situated north of the town of Rehoboth, 
which was called the Rehoboth North Purchase. Wamsutta was the then 
reigning Sachem of Pokanoket. He was the oldest son of Massasoit, and 
was originally called Mooanam, then Wamsutta, and finally, after the death 
of his father, according to Indian custom, his name was changed and he 
took that of Alexander. He died in the summer of 1662, about a year after 
the date of this purchase. 1 

The manner of acquiring title to land in this colony was by purchase from 
an Indian chief or sachem. The proprietorship appeared to be not in the 
tribe but in the sachem, and individual settlers were not permitted to make 
purchases on their own account. This was designed for the protection of 
the Indians against the greed of speculators or private rapacity. When 
lands were desired for settlement a company was formed of a fixed, speci- 
fied, certain number of shares, and a committee appointed with the consent 
of the government to negotiate with the sachem for the purchase of a tract 
of land, generally of a territory sufficient for a township. When the pur- 
chase was made, the chief gave a deed in his own name, which was after- 
wards confirmed by a deed from the government to the purchasers or proprie- 
tors. A meeting was called of the shareholders, who organized by choosing 
a clerk who was to register the proceedings of the company, a committee of 
three or more, and one or more surveyors of lands, and from time to time 
they ordered a dividend or division of their common lands, of so many acres 
to a share. A proprietor would then or at any time apply to the committee 
and one of the surveyors, who would proceed to lay out or assign to him a 



i Wamsutta's wife was named Namumpum. See Drake's Indian Biography. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 47 

certain number of acres on his share by metes and bounds ; and he would 
make a return of the lay out to the clerk, who recorded the same on his 
books. This constituted the shareholder's individual title to his lands. 
These divisions were ordered from time to time till the whole common and 
undivided lands were exhausted. In this way the original, private titles to 
all the lands in the Rehoboth North Purchase were obtained. In ancient 
Rehoboth the inhabitants voted that " the recording of any man's land in 
the town Book shall be to him and his heirs sufficient assurance forever." ' 
This made the title valid. A stranger or non-proprietor might purchase of a 
shareholder a whole or any part of a share, or a right to lay out and have 
assigned to him a certain number of acres in any particular division. 

This purchase from Wamsutta was bounded west by Pawtucket River, now 
the Blackstone ; north by the Massachusetts Colony, or the Bay Line (so 
called) ; east by territory which was afterwards the Taunton North Purchase, 
now Mansfield, Norton, and Easton ; and south by the ancient Rehoboth, now 
Rehoboth, Seekoiik, Pawtucket, and East Providence. This purchase included 
Attleborough, Cumberland, Rhode Island, and a tract of a mile and a half 
in width extending east and west, and a part of Wrentham and Foxborough. 
This mile and a half tract was given to Rehoboth as an enlargement by the 
agents of the court, who were appointed to convey the North Purchase to 
the proprietors, and afterwards, in 1710, restored to Attleborough by the 
Legislature of Massachusetts. 

In those early days there was much looseness of expression in the legal 
proceedings. By some phraseology used the reader would suppose that the 
North Purchase was a part of the town of Rehoboth. It was never merged 
in that town, or included within its chartered limits. It was from the begin- 
ning intended for an independent township. On this point a misapprehen- 
sion prevails, and there is some confusion and uncertainty in the first pro- 
ceedings on the part of Rehoboth concerning the title to the North Purchase, 
such as was common in those days. The clerk of the town, in making his 
first records, regarded the purchase as made by the town as a corporation, 
but such was not in reality the case. It was made by shareholders, owning 
in different proportions, but generally one share each, and it soon assumed its 
true shape, by becoming an organization of "Proprietors of the Purchase." 
While it originated among the people of Rehoboth, and as the territory lay 
on the north of that town was called Rehoboth North Purchase, the share- 
holders did not include all the people of that town, but only a portion of 
them, with besides a number of non-residents, some of them from Wanna- 
moisett (Swansea). 

Settlers soon located on the North Purchase, but they were without the 
safeguard of the law. At first these inhabitants were not sufficient in 



1 Baylies, vol. ii, p. 199. 



48 



A SKETCH OF THE 



numbers for an incorporation. They were therefore brought within the legal 
jurisdiction of Rehoboth by being temporarily annexed to it ; or, as expressed 
by the order of the government, " included in the Constablerick of Rehoboth, 
till they should become sufficient for a township," and this temporary annexa- 
tion was for municipal purposes and privileges. 

A close examination of the records and history of the plantation shows 
that Attleborough, or the Rehoboth North Purchase, was an independent pur- 
chase, and in its boundaries always kept distinct, but, having for a time no 
special name for itself, it would naturally be called Rehoboth. The vote of 
the town of Rehoboth regarding the North Purchase annexation was: "To 
bring the inhabitants thereof into some lawful jurisdiction for their safety." 
This rather carelessly expressed vote meant they were to be subject to the 
town government of Rehoboth, and entitled to its benefits and privileges. 
Under this peculiar arrangement, its settlers voted in that town, and one of 
its inhabitants was once elected a representative. Other instances of a simi- 
lar arrangement have occurred in the civil polit}' of the Old Colony, 

The following copy of the Indian deed is taken from the Old Colony 
records : — 

A DEED APPOINTED TO BE RECORDED. 

Know all men, that I Wamsetta, alias Alexander, chief Sachem of Pokanokett, for divers 
good causes and valuable considerations me thereunto moving, have bargained and sold unto 
Captain Thomas Willett of Wannamoisett all those tracts of land situate and being from the 
bounds of Rehoboth ranging upon Pawtuckett River unto a place called Waweypounshag, the 
place where one Blackstone now sojourneth, and so ranging along to the said river unto a 
place called Messanegtacaneh, and from this upon a straight line crossing through the woods 
unto the uttermost bounds of a place called Mamantapett, or Wading River, and from the said 
River one mile and a half upon an east line, and from thence upon a south line unto the bounds 
of the town of Rehoboth: To have and to hold unto him the said Captain Willett and his 
associates, their heirs and assigns forever; reserving only a competent portion of land for 
some of the natives at Mishanegitacouett for to plant and sojourn upon, as the said Wamsetta 
alias Alexander and the said Thomas Willett jointly together shall see meet; and the rest of 
all the land aforementioned, with all the woods, waters, meadows, and all emoluments whatso- 
ever to remain unto the said Thomas Willett and his associates, their heirs and assigns forever. 
Witness my hand and seal the eighth day of April in the year 1661. 

The mark of 



Signed, sealed, and delivered 
in presence of 
John Brown, Jr., 
Jonathan Bosworth, 
John Sassaman^ 1 the Interpreter. 



A X A 

Wamsitta alias Alexander, 
his seal [L. S.] . 



April 10, 1666. Witnesseth these Presents, that Captain Thomas Willett above said hath 
and doth hereby resign, deliver, and make over all and singular the lands above mentioned, 
purchased of Wamsitta alias Alexander, chief Sachem of Pocanokett, according unto the 
bounds above expressed, with all and singular the benefits, privileges, and immunities there- 



1 John Sassaman, member of Indian Church at Natick, a school teacher. See Baylies. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 49 

unto appertaining, unto Mr. Thomas Prence, Major Josias Winslow, Capt. Thomas South- 
worth, and Mr. Constant Southwortta, in the behalf of the Colony of Xew Plymouth. In 
witness whereof he doth hereunto set his hand and seal. 
Signed, sealed, and delivered Thomas Willett [Seal] . 

in presence of 

Daniel Smith, 

Nicholas Peck. 

For the better protection of the Indians and to prevent controversies and 
confusion of titles, the Government of Plymouth prohibited by law any 
person to purchase of them without the assent and positive confirmation of 
the government. This was first enacted by Statute in June, 1643, providing 
that no person should purchase, rent, or hire any lands, herbage, wood, or 
timber of any of the natives in any place within this jurisdiction under heavy 
penalty. 1 

The following is the Grant or Deed - of the Government : — 

Know all men by these presents, that we Thomas Prence, Josias Winslow, Thomas 
Southworth, and Constant Southworth by order of the General Court of New Plymouth, and 
in the name and behalf of the said Colony of Plymouth, have and by these presents do bargain, 
sell, alien, grant and confer, and make over unto the proprietors of the town of Rehoboth, 
(viz.) unto all that hold there, from a fifty pound estate and upwards, according to their first 
agreement, all and singular the lands lying and being on the north side of that town of 
Rehoboth bounded as followeth, (viz.) by a River commonly called Pawtucket river, on the 
west, and up the said River unto the Massachusetts Line, and on the northerly side by the said 
Line until it cross the old road towards the Bay, where the marked tree stands aud heap of 
stones, ami thence a mile and a half east, and from thence by a direct line to the northeast 
corner of the present bounds of the town of Rehoboth. anil so back again home unto the 
said Line between the governments; with all the meadows, woods, waters, and all benefits, 
emoluments, privileges, and immunities, thereunto appertaining and belonging, to have aud to 
hold to them and to their heirs forever: Excepting that we reserve within this tract a farm 
formerly granted unto Major Josias Winslow, and a farm granted unto Capt. Thomas 
Willett, and two hundred acres of land unto Mr. James Brown about Snake Hill, and ten 
acres of meadow thereabouts; and the meadow called Bhu-kstone's Meadow, the west plain 
and the south neck the quantity of two hundred acres, and the fifty acres granted to Roger 
Amadown, with four acres of meadow next adjoining, three acres to Nicholas Ide, aud half an 
acre of meadow unto George Robinson : All the residue of the lands above mentioned we do 
hereby firmly make over unto the above said purchasers and their heirs forever, and do hereby 
acknowledge ourselves to be fully paid and satisfied for the same, and do exonerate, acquit aud 
discharge them and every of them for and concerning the premises. 

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals, this tenth of April 1666. 
Signed, sealed and delivered in presence of 

Isaac Howland, Thomas Prince, [l.s.] 

The mark X of Josias Winslow, [l.s.] 

John Parris, Thomas Southworth, [l.s.] 

The mark X of Constant Southworth, [l.s.] 

John Rocket, 5 

This tract was purchased, as the reader perceives, in behalf of the proprie- 
tors, by Captain Willett, of Wamsetta, the eldest son of Massasoit, Sachem, 



1 Plymouth Col. Laws, p. "4; also, ib. p. 289, sect. 5. 2 The original is among the records of the 
Prop's of R. N. Purchase. 3 Perhaps son of Richard, of Braiutree, born December 1, 1641. Joseph 
Rocket married Mary Wilmarth, January 5, 1680. Rehoboth. 



50 A SKETCH OF THE 

April 8, 1661. Captain Willett held this title in his own name until April 
10, 1666, on which day he conveyed it to certain men of Plymouth, the rep- 
resentatives of the goverment of that colony ; and on the same day it was 
confirmed or conveyed by them to certain inhabitants of Rehoboth, and 
others, such as held £50 estates and upwards. The purchasers, as has been 
stated, were not limited to the inhabitants of that town, but included resi- 
dents of Swansea (Wannamoisett) and other places, and new purchasers 
from time to time. They constituted a separate and distinct body or com- 
pany of purchasers; they chose a proprietor's clerk, surveyors, and commit- 
tees to divide the lands. They soon held separate meetings, kept separate 
books and records of their own, containing their proceedings and divisions 
of land. Captain Willett himself, who heads the list of proprietors, lived in 
Swansea; Mr. Myles was of the same place; Joanna Ide was of New Nor- 
rich, and William Allen of Prudense. Some of the original purchasers sold 
their shares, and upon the death of any of them his heirs became proprie- 
tors. Thus new T shareholders were constantly being added to or substituted 
for the original ones, so that the proprietorship mostly came eventually into 
the hands of those who settled here. In 1672 a full and correct list of 
proprietors was made, there being seventy-nine and a half shares and eighty- 
two proprietors. 

Before the signing and sealing of the above-mentioned deed it was also 
agreed according unto a clause in the Indian deed when these lands were 
purchased by Captain Willett that some meet proportion of lands about 
Sinnichiconet, such as the said Captain Willett and the Indian Sachem shall 
agree upon, should be set out for the use of the Indians. 

Note on the back of the same deed : — 

This Deed is recorded according to order by me Nathaniel Morton. Secretary to the Court 
of New Plymouth. 

The Dividend of Lands enrolled, 
Folio 217. 

The following order relating to this subject was passed by the Court of 
New Plymouth. 

New Plymouth, October 2nd, 1665. 

Whereas the Court, having formerly impowered Capt. Thomas "Willett to purchase of the 
Indians certain Tracts of lands on the North of Rehoboth towards the Bay Line, the which he 
hath done, and is out of purse some considerable sum of money for the same, this Court have 
appointed the Honored Governor, the Major Winslow, Capt. Southworth, and Mr. Constant 
Southworth, to treat with Capt. Willett concerning the said purchase, and have impowered 
the above named Committee to take notice of what hath been purchased by him, and what 
Deeds he hath, and what his disbursments have been for the same; and have also impowered 
them to settle upon him such a proportion of the said lands a> may appear to be equal, upon 
any grant to him ; and to accommodate the town of Rehoboth respecting an enlargement of 
their town, as the Court have promised; and to take such course concerning the remainder as 
he may be reimbursed of his just due and those lands may be settled by the Court. 

Extracted from and compared with the Records of said Court. 

Per. Samuel Sprague, Clerk. 



~^^^»!*si: 




1. Nine Men's Misery, Cumberland, R. I. 2. Gravestones of Captain Thomas Willett, 
in what is now East Providence, R. I. 3. Monument erected to William Blackstone by 
descendants, stands in the yard of Aim and Hope Mill, Lonsdale, R. I. 



HIST OB Y OF ATTLEBOROIK+H. 51 



CAPTAIN THOMAS WILLETT. 

Some notice of Captain Thomas Willett, who stands at the head of our 
list of proprietors and whose life deserves to be better known to the present 
generation, will not be deemed inappropriate. His history does not exclu- 
sively belong to this town, but as he took so active and important a part in 
the original purchase and settlement of this and the neighboring towns, a 
brief sketch of his life seems to be demanded by the interest which our 
citizens must feel in his character. But little is known of him previous to 
his emigration to this country. He was a merchant in his native country, 
and probably in his business travels had become acquainted with the Pilgrims 
in Leyden, was a sympathizer in their religious views, and had resided with 
them in Holland for some time prior to their exile to America. Here he had 
an opportunity to acquire a good knowledge of the manners, customs, and 
language of the Dutch — a knowledge which was destined to prove very 
useful in later years in a far distant land. He was one of the last of the 
Leyden company, and came here probably about 1630, a very young man at 
the time of his arrival — perhaps twenty-one. One authority states that he 
came in 1629, being then in his twentieth year ; others suppose he was about 
twenty-four years of age when he arrived at Plymouth, where he at first 
resided. He was au intelligent and well-educated man and soon became 
useful and distinguished in the colony. He was admitted freeman of Ply- 
mouth Colony, July 1, 1633, and six acres of land were granted him in 
Plymouth. He resided there quite a number of years and acquired au influ- 
ence and highly respectable standing among the colonists. He soon took an 
active and prominent interest in the survey and settlement of other portions 
of the colony and in the purchase of lands from the aboriginal owners. He 
took much interest in the Indian race, cultivating acquaintance and friendship 
with them. They became thoroughly attached to him and had great confi- 
dence in him, calling him in some of their deeds * l our loving friend Capt. 
Thomas Willett." 

Soon after his arrival in 1630, though, as already observed, a young man, 
he was sent by the company of Plymouth, who had established a trading- 
house at Kennebeck, to superintend their business as agent. While he was 
residing there Governor Winthrop relates of him the following curious anec- 
dote : " At Kinnebeck, the Indians wanting food, and there being store in the 
Plymouth trading house, they conspired to kill the English there for their 
provision ; and some Indians coming into the house, Mr. Willett, the master 
of the house, being reading the Bible, his countenance was more solemn than 
at other times, so as he did not look cheerfully upon them, as he was wont to 
do ; whereupon they went out and told their fellows, that their purpose 
was discovered. They asked them how it could be. The others told 
them that thev knew it bv Mr. Willett's countenance, and that he had 



52 A SKETCH OF THE 

discovered it by a book that he was reading. Whereupon they gave over 
their design." ' 

In 1647 he became successor — probably the immediate — of the famous 
Miles Stand ish, the Pilgrim warrior in the command of the military company 
at Plymouth. March 7, 1647, "The Military Company of New Plymouth, 
having according to order proposed unto the Court two men for every special 
office of their band, the Court do allow and approve of Capt. Thomas 
Willett, for Captain, Mr. Thomas South worth, for Lieutenant, Mr. William 
Bradford, for Ensign." 2 He was in 1651 elected an assistant of the 
Governor, and was annually continued in that office till 1665, when other 
duties obliged him to decline, and James Brown, of Swansea, was chosen his 
successor. At this time he was selected by the Plymouth Court, agreeably to 
the request of His Majesty's Commissioners, to attend them at New York 
(which had just been surrendered by the Dutch), for the purpose of assisting 
them in organizing the new government. It is mentioned by Davis in a note 
to his edition of Morton's Memorial that " Col. Nichols, (one of the Com- 
missioners,) in a letter to Gov. Prince, written from New York, the spring 
after the reduction of the Dutch settlements, requests that Capt. Willett 
may have such a dispensation from his official engagements in Plymouth 
Colony, as to be at liberty to assist in modelling and reducing the affairs in 
this settlement into good English. He remarks that Mr. Willett was more 
acquainted with the manners and customs of the Dutch than any gentleman 
in the country, and that his conversation was very acceptable to them." 
Captain Willett executed his duties there to the entire satisfaction of all 
concerned ; his services were so highly appreciated and he rendered himself 
so popular with the people, that after the organization of the government he 
was chosen the first " English Mayor of the City of New York." He was 
elected to the same office a second time. " But," as Mr. Baylies, the his- 
torian of Plymouth Colony, has justly remarked, " even this first of city 
distinctions conferred by that proud metropolis did not impart more real 
honor to his character than the address and good feeling manifested by him 
in effecting the peaceable settlement of the humble town of Swansea." The 
Dutch had so much confidence in his integrity that he was selected by them 
the umpire to determine the controverted boundary between New York and 
the New Haven Colony. He was also for a number of years one of the 
commissioners or delegates of the United Colonies. 

Soon after the settlement of Rehoboth, Captain Willett removed to Wauna- 
moisett, a part of what is now the town of Swansea, where he resided during 
most of the remainder of his life. A grant of a quarter part of that town- 
ship (Swansea) was made to him and others. With him was associated Mr. 
Myles, the first Baptist minister in New England, and .they two are justly 



1 Winthrop's Jour., 1, 322. - Old Col. Iiec. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 53 

rewarded as the founders of Swansea. The manner in which they conducted 
the settlement of that plantation was just and honorable and reflects much 
credit on the character of both. Captain Willett always cultivated a friendly 
intercourse with the Indians wherever he was, aud everywhere gained their 
confidence aud good will. Hence he was generally employed by the colony 
in the purchase of lands from the native chiefs, and besides being the 
original purchaser of the Rehoboth North Purchase, he was that also of 
the Taunton North Purchase, aud many other tracts of land in the vicinity. 
He was on particularly friendly terms with Alexander, and his brother the 
famous King Philip, his home being near Mount Hope, the dwelling place of 
the latter. 

The following order relating to him was passed by the Plymouth Court : — 

March 1665-6. In reference to an order of Court bearing date the third day of October 
1605. wherein our Honored Governor Major Winslow, Capt. Southworth, and Mr. Constant 
Southworth were appointed to be a committee iu reference to a certain tract of land purchased 
by Capt. Willett on the north side of Rehoboth, which said order empowereth the said Com- 
mittee to dispose and settle a proportion of the said lands on the said Capt. Willett as they shall 
think meet; and the Court do therefore settle and confirm unto him four or five hundred acres 
of the said lands, to be laid out for him on the Easterly side or end of the said lands, to him 
and his heirs forever. 

This grant or farm in this town, at High Squisset, was laid out to him and 
recorded in the " Rehoboth North Purchase Books." It lies on both sides of 
the Seven Mile River, beginning near Newell's tavern and has always borne 
the name of " Willett's farm." It was a tract of five hundred acres, and 
with certain meadows and out lots amounted to about six hundred acres, and 
was o-iven to him as an acknowledgment of his services to the proprietors. 
It seems to have passed into the hands of his son, Captain Andrew Willett, 
who sold it some time after his father's death to John Wilkinson the 1st, 
of Attleborough. In 1720 it was divided into two parts between Captain 
Samuel Tyler and Joyce Newell, widow of Jacob Newell. This farm was 
originally laid out with great regularity — in parallel lines — and its subse- 
quent divisions have been preserved in good shape. 

Captain Willett married Mary Brown, daughter of Mr. Johu Brown the 
1st, at Plymouth, 6th July, 1636, by whom he had several children : Thomas ; 
Hester, b. 6th July, 1647 ; Rebecca, d. 2d April, 1652 ; James, b. November 
24, 1640 ; Andrew ; Samuel; Hezekiah, who died 26th July, 1651 ; Hezekiah 
2d, b. 16th November, 1652; Sarah; Martha, etc. His sou James married 
Eliza, daughter of Lieutenant Peter Hunt, of Rehoboth, 17th April, 1673, 
and continued to live on the paternal estate. Hezekiah 2d married his 
cousin Anna Brown, daughter of Mr. John Brown, 2d, of Rehoboth, 7th 
January, 1675, and was killed soon after by the Indians in Philip's War. John 
Saffln, who had resided in Scituate and Swansea, married Martha Willett. 
They lived in Boston — where in 1686 he was Speaker of the Assembly of 



54 



A SKETCH OF THE 



Massachusetts — and in Bristol, R. I. Samuel Hooker, 1 of Farmington. 
Conn., married Mary; Sarah married an Eliot, and it is said another daugh- 
ter married one of the family of the Rev. John Wilson, of Boston, " the Holy 
Wilson of Cotton Mather's eulogies " ; and Hester or Esther married the 
Rev. Josiah Flint, of Dorchester. 

Captain Willett has numerous descendants residing iu various parts of the 
country, several of whom have become distinguished in history. His grand- 
son, Francis, was a prominent man in Rhode Island ; another descendant, 
his great-orandsou, of the family of Samuel was Colonel Marinus Willett, 
who lived in the State of New York, was a distinguished officer in the Revo- 
lutionary War — and he had also been mayor of New York City. 2 

After a residence of a few years in New York, Captain Willett returned to 
his seat in Swansea, where, after a life of varied and distinguished useful- 
ness he died the 4th of August, 1674, at the age of sixty-three. The "Old 
Colony Records " give the date as the 3d of August, but I have chosen to 
relv on the inscription upon his gravestone. He was buried iu an ancient 
burying-ground, at the head of Bullock's Cove, in what is now Seekonk, 
where a rough stone is erected to his memory containing a brief and rudely 
carved inscription which reads as follows : — 



HEAD STONE. 



FOOT STONE. 











1674 


Here 


lyes 


y e Body 


of y e 


wor 11 


Thomas 


Willett 


efq 


who died 


Avgvft y 


e ^th 


in y e 64 tb 


year of 


his 


age anno 



WHo WAS THE 

FIRST MAYOR 

oF NEW YORK 

&. TWICE DID 

SVSTAIN Y T PLACE 



1 Baylies' Memoirs of Plymouth Colony. 

2 Memoirs of his life have been published by his sou, William M. Willett. Colouel Willett had 
another sou, Dr. Marinus Willett, who was one of the founders of the American Tract Society, 
and his daughter, Miss Anne Willett, has been prominent for her generous and personal interest in 
the Evangelical Orphan Asylum for Girls in the city of Florence, Italy, being its Directress. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 55 

His wife Mary died about 1669, and is buried by his side. 1 Thus the first 
English Mayor of the first commercial metropolis in America lies buried ou 
a lonely and barren heath in the humble town of Seekonk, at a place seldom 
visited by the footsteps of man — with naught but the rudest monument to 
mark the spot. 

The following extracts are taken from an account of the Willett family, 
found in the Providence Journal of January 24. 1873. One writer says of 
Captain Willett : — 

He was conversant in the fur and Indian trade of the whole coast of Kennebec to Hudson's 
River, became very opulent, and settled on a plantation in Swanzey, now Barrington, where 
remains his grave, six miles below Providence. Being an intelligent and respectable person, he 
went as a counsellor on board of beloved Colonel Nicholl's fleet, at the reduction of Manha- 
does, 1664, and was by him appointed Mayor of the new conquered city. He owned houses in 
New York and Albany. The Dutch resuming the government, he afterwards returned to his 
settlement and died in Barrington. 

The following "epitaph on my worshipful father-in-law," was written by 
John Baffin : — 

Here lies Grave Willett, whose good name 

Did Mount upon the wings of Fame; 

Who unto Place did not Intrude, 

(A Star of the first Magnitude.) 

lint 's prudence, pietie and zeale. 

For God, in Church and Commonweal 1, 

His reall worth, and Generous Spirit, 

Which constantly he did Inherit, 

His hospitality and love, 

And courteous carriage, like a Dove, 

Did so Exccll, that all might See 

He had attain'd to the First Three. 

Now he 'a hence gone to his long home. 

And taken from the 111 to come — 

Liv'd here Desir'd; lamented Dy'd; 

[s with his Saviour. Glorified. 

The will of Captain Thomas Willett is a very long document, drawn up 
with minute particularity. It contains legacies to the "overseers" of the 
instrument, and to the churches of the neighboring towns. Some old serv- 
ants are also remembered. He then devises his extensive estates in New 
Plymouth, Swanzey, and Rehoboth to his sons, James, Hezekiah, Andrew, and 
Samuel, and his Narragansett lands to his grandchildren ; but Thomas, son 
of John and Martha Saffin, is to inherit a double portion. As early as July 4, 



1 Following are the inscriptions on her gravestones : Headstone — " 1S69. Here lyeth ye body of the 
virtuous Mary Willett, wife to Thomas Willett, who died January ye S about ye illeg th year of her 
age, anno." Footstoue — " Daughter to the woi-n John Brown, Deceased." Captain Willett's head- 
stone is some six or seven inches thick, about eighteeu inches wide, and stands perhaps two and a 
half feet high, and is in a very good state of preservation, but the little cemetery is still a barren and 
neglected spot. It is now in what is called East Providence. For these facts, and the above copy of 
Captain Willett's inscriptions, I am indebted to Mr. Charles H. Wheeler, of this town, who has 
recently visited this place of historic interest.— Editor. 



56 A SKETCH OF THE 

1G59, certain lands in ancient Namcook, afterwards part of the "King's 
Province," but generally known as Boston Neck, and situated near the 
present Narragansett Ferry, had been purchased of three sachems by Willett 
and others. This small part of the Willett property, reserved by its owner 
as a suitable portion for his grandchildren, is still held by his descendants, 
while all the other estates have long since been divided and alienated. A 
singular provision of the will was that if any one of his sons (the daughters 
were all married but one), should marry without the consent of a majority of 
the five executors, he would by that act forfeit all claims to his inheritance. 
The Willett farm (where he resided), was the original seat of the great 
sachem, Miantinomi, and a large bowlder on the farm is still known as " Mian- 
tinomi's Rock." On one portion of this farm the celebrated Colonel Whale 
or Whalley, styled one of King Charles' regicide judges, resided for a time. 1 

The following introduction is entered in the first book of the records of the 
Rehoboth North Purchase : — 

" Whereas, in the year one thousand six hundred sixty and six, a purchase 
of lands was made by the Inhabitants of Rehoboth and the neighborhood of 
Aunimosett : — the said lands situate on the North side of the Towne of 
Rehoboth — of Mr. Thomas Prince, Esquire, Major Josiah Winslow, Captain 
Thomas Southworth Agents of the Government of New Plymouth, the 
bounds of the said lands fully appearing by a Deed of sale made by the 
aforesaid gentlemen, to the purchasers thereof, bearing date the tenth of April 
1666, which deed hath been inrolled at the Court of New Plymouth according 
to order of Court. The bounds of the said lands are as followeth, (viz.) by 
a river called Pawtucket river, on the West, and up the said river unto the 
Massachusetts line ; and on the Northerly side, by the same line, until it cross 
the ould Roade towards the Bay, where the marked tree stands, and a heape 
of stones ; and thence a mile and halfe East, and from thence by a direct line 
to the North East corner of the present bounds of the towne of Rehoboth. and 
soe back againe home to the said line between the Governments — Excepting 
there was reserved out of the said tract of laud a farm granted before to 
Major Josiah Winslow, a farm granted to Captain Thomas Willett, and two 
hundred acres of land to Mr. James Browne about Snake-hill, and ten acres 
of Meadow thereabouts ; and the Meadow called Blackstone's Meadow the 
Westplaine; 2 and the South neck the quantity of two hundred acres; and 
fifty acres granted to Roger Ammidown with four acres of meadow ; and 



1 The larger portion of this sketch is as the author prepared it. The extracts from the Journal 
were added by the editor. One or two discrepancies are thus explained. 

2 April IS, 1666. Agreement between the town and Captain Willett as to the location of his lands 
in the North Purchase. See record in Bliss' Rehoboth, p. 61. The lands reserved to Captain Willett 
in his deed to the R. N. P. were assigned to him on the records and came into the hands of his son, 
Andrew Willett. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 



57 



three acres of Meadow to Nicholas Ide ; and half an acre to George Robinson ; 
also some Meete proportion of lands for the Indians at Sinnichiteconett ; for 
the use of the said Indians. All the rest of the said lands within the said 
tract as before bounded, to be equally divided to the purchasers thereof 
according to their said proportions, (there being Seventy Nine whole shares 
and a half) being joint purchasers ; and the said purchasers have fully dis- 
charged and paid the purchase thereof according to their several proportions." 

'•Mem. That the clause in the former page 'to be equally divided to 
the purchasers thereof hath reference to the before expressed date (viz.) 
one thousand Six hundred and Sixty and Six. 

" The names of the Purchasers with their Rights to the said Lands before 
mentioned are those {no man contradicting) that are here expressed in the 
following List." 



Capt. Thomas Willett (one share, John Wil- 
kinson's). 
Mr. Stephen Paine, Sen., 2 shs. (one that was 

his own and one that was appointed for 

John Martin). 
Mr. Noah Newman, 1 sh. 
Lieut. Peter Hunt, 1 sh. 
Mr. James Browne, 1 sh. 
Samuel Newman, 1 sh. 
John Allen, Sen., 1 sh. 
John Woodcock, H sh. 
Thomas Estabrooke's h sh. (bought of Roger 

Amidowne). 
Thomas Wilhiiot. 2 shs. (one he bought of 

Jo. Carpenter and one of his own). 
Sampson Mason, 1 sh. 
Anthoney Perry, 1 sh. 
John Butterworth, 1 sh. (this sold to Daniel 

Jenkes, excepting the meadow). 
Philip Walker, 1 sh. 
John Ormsby. 1 sh. 
Richard Martin, 1 sh. 
Stephen Paine, Jun., 1 sh. 
Rober Joans, 1 sh. 1 
Obadiah Bowen, 1 sh. 
John Pecke, 1 sh. 
James Redeway. 1 sh. 
Samuel Carpenter, 1 sh. 
John Titus, 2 sh. (one that he' bought of his 

mother-in-law, Abigail Carpenter, and one 

that was his own). 
Mr. John Myles, 1 sh. 
William Carpenter, 1 sh. 
Joseph Pecke, 1 sh. 
Thomas Cooper, Jun., 1 sh. 
Ensign Henery Smith, 1 sh. 



John Reade, Sen., 1 sh. 

John Reade, Jun., 1 sh. 

Nicholas Pecke, 1 sh. 

Elizabeth Hannah and Lydia Winchester, 1 sh. 

This sould to Dan'l Shepardsou. 
Daniel Smith, 1 sh. 
Jonathan Bliss. 1 sh. 
Rice Leonard, 1 sh. 
William Saben, 1 sh. 
John Perrin, Sen., 1 sh. 
George Kendricke, 1 sh. 
George Robinson, 1 sh. 
John Doggett, 1 sh. 
John Fitch, 1 sh. 
Richard Bowen, Jun.. 1 sh. 
Elizabeth Bullucke, 1 sh. 
John Miller, Jun., 1 sh. 
Robert Fuller, 1 sh. 
Robert AVheaton, 1 sh. 
Ester Hall, 1 sh. 
John Miller, Sen., 1 sh. 
Jaret Ingraham, 1 sh. 
John Kingsley, 1 sh. 
Gilbert Brookes, 1 sh. 
Thomas Reade, 1 sh. 
Thomas Grant, h sh. 
Jonathan Fuller, 1 sh. 

James Gibson, 1 sh. (bought of Samuel Saben). 
Samuel Luther, 1 sh. (This share so-ld to Mr. 

Phillip Squire.) . 
Nicholas Tanner, 1 sh. 
John Allen, Jun., 1 sh. 
Preserved Abell, 1 sh. 
Francis Stephens, 1 sh. 
Nicholas Ide, 1 sh. 
Richard Whittaker, 1 sh. 



1 Robert Jones intended, but spelled as above on the record. 



58 -I SKETCH OF THE 

Thomas Cooper, Sen., l sh. Nathaniel Pecke, l sh. 

Samuel Pecke, 1 sh. [srael Pecke, 1 sh. 

William Buckland, 1 sh. Jonah Palmer, 1 sh. 

Joseph Buckland, 1 sh. Robert Miller. 1 sh. 

Benjamin Buckland, 1 sh. Nathaniel Paine. 1 sh. (iof it he bought 

John Lovell, 1 sh. of Richard Bowen, Sen., and the other 

Joanna Ide, ol New Norwich, half e a share. of Jeremiah Wheaton.) 

Thomas Ormsby, \ sh., bought of Richard Eldad Kinsley, 1 sh. 

Bowen, Sen. The aforesaid List and the preface to it was 

John Savage, h sh. universally agreed upon at a Meeting of the 

Jacob Ormsby, \ sh. (that was his mother's). Purchasers, May -jsth, 1(172. to be entered into 

John Policy, l sh. (that he had of his father, the Booke of Records for the North Purchased 

Jon. Bosworth.) Lands. This attested to by me, 

William Allen, of Prudense, 1 sh. lie bought William Carpenter, Jr., Clerke. 

of Nathaniel Paine. 

This list of proprietors, 1 as the reader perceives, was made in 1672. by a 
committee chosen for that purpose. 

The first division of lands in the North Purchase was made June 22, 1658. 
This division was confined exclusively to meadow land. It was made before 
the lands were purchased, and was evidently intended for the immediate use 
of the cattle of the inhabitants. It appears by the following extracts from 
the town records of Rehoboth that the Court had made a grant of the 
meadows in the North Purchase to the inhabitants of that town, before the 
resl of the lands were granted, and this division was therefore an authorized 
one. 

February 23, 1657. At a town meeting lawfully warned it was voted, 
i4 that all the Meadows lying on the North side of the town, which were 
given and granted to the Town by the Court, shall be laid out according to 
person and estate." 

" At the same time those men whose names are here subscribed have 
promised to go to see what meadows they can find on the North side of our 
Town, that they may notify our town, to their best judgment, what quantity 
there may be of it, and this they do freely on their own charge. Wm. Car- 
penter Senior will go 3 days on his own charge, and if he go any more he 
is to be paid for it. Wm. Sabin. 1 day; Lieut. Hunt, 2 days; Joseph Peck, 
1 day; John Peck, 1 day; Henry Smith, 1 day; Wm. Buckliu. 2 days; 
Robert Fuller, 1 day ; John Read, 1 day ; Thomas Cooper Junior, 1 day : 
Francis Stephens, 1 day." 

At the same time those men whose names are here subscribed are accepted 
of the freemen of the town to take up their freedom ; namely, Joseph Peck, 
John Peck, Henry Smith, Robert Fuller, John Fitch, Steven Paine, Jonathan 
r.liss.. Wm. P>ucklin, Rice Leonard. Several of these persons afterwards- 
removed to Attleborough. 

June 22, 1658. It was voted, "that all the meadow that lies upon the 



1 Many of the shareholders removed to Attleborough; others sold to persons from other places. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 59 

North side of the town, that hath been visited by certain men according to 
the town's order, shall be lotted out, according to person and estate." 

" 14 of the 9th month, 1661. Lieut. Hunt, and Wm, Sabin were chosen 
to confer with Mr. Willett to know what he hath done about the North side 
of the town in the behalf of the town." 

"The 28 of the 5 mo. 1662. It was voted that John Woodcock (after- 
wards of Attleborough) should have two rods of land to build a small house 
on for himself and his family to be in on the Lord's day in some convenient 
place near the meetinghouse, and Goodman Paine and Lieut. Hunt were 
chosen to see where the most convenient place might be for it." 

" 1658, June 22d. At a town meeting lawfully warned, Lots were drawn 
for the meadows that lie on the North side of the town, according to person 
and estate." 

April 18, 1666. It was voted by the town "that the late purchasers of 
land upon the north side of our town shall bear forty shillings in a rate 
of 5£ and so proportionable in all other public charges." 

It was also voted that there should be a three-railed fence set up and 
maintained between the late purchased laud on the north side of the town to 
be set up on all the end of the plain from Goodman Buckland's lands to the 
Mill river, " and every man that is interested in the said purchased Lands to 
bear an equal proportion in the aforesaid fence according to their proportion 
of Lands." 

It was also voted " to make choice of a Committee for the settling and 
stating of the late purchased Lands on the north side of our towm, viz: 
whether such, as at present seem questionable, are true proprietors of the 
aforesaid lands ; — and the Committee chosen were Capt. Willett with the 
townsmen and those that stand engaged for the payment of the aforesaid 
purchased Lands." The committee reported April 23, 1666. 

It was also voted by the town " that Mr. Goodman Martin shall enjoy a 
spot of fresh meadow that lies on the north side of the town lying at the end 
of the Great Plain, during his life and his wife's, and at their decease to 
return to the town." 

At the same time it was agreed between the town and Captain Willett, 
" that for the forty acres of meadow that he is to have to his farm, on the 
north side of the town, he is by agreement made with the town to have 
High Squisset and Low Squisset. and the bounds of the said Squisset's 
meadows to be according to the sight of the Surveyors the day that they laid 
out his farm, that is, Henry Smith and William Carpenter; and he is also to 
have a piece of meadow at the Seven Mile River near unto the going out at 
the highway, and six acres of meadow at the Ten Mile River, and what there 
wants of the six acres in quality is to be made up in quantity — the said six 
acres of meadow on the Ten Mile River lies by the old highway as we go into 
the Bav." 



60 A SKETCH OF THE 

"April 23d, 1666. The Committee that was chosen by the town April 
18th 1666, at a town meeting, for the stating and settling of the late pur- 
chased lands, upon the North side of our town, the aforesaid committee 
being met together this twenty third of April, we see cause that there shall 
be seventy six whole shares and equal purchasers in the aforesaid Lands, and 
six persons that have half shares, which we see cause to add to the seventy 
six whole shares, so that the whole number of shares amounts to seventy nine 
shares." 

May 19, 1666. At a town meeting lawfully warned, the town concluded 
to have a meeting upon the last Tuesday in June, " to consider of the 
meadows on the north side of the town, how they may be disposed of for 
this present year; it is therefore agreed by this town, that no man shall mow 
a load or a part of a load of grass, before the town hath disposed of them, 
upon the penalty of twenty shillings the load or part of a load." 

October 16, 1666. At a town meeting it was concluded that the pur- 
chased lands on the north side of the town " shall be divided between this 
and the first of May next ensuing." It was also voted by the town, " that 
no person shall fall any trees upon the aforesaid lauds on the north side of 
our town before the said lands be divided, upon the penalty of ten shillings 
for every tree so fallen." The same day John Doggett, John Woodcock, 
and John Titus were chosen by the town "to see what timber trees are 
fallen on the late purchased lands on the north side of our town, and they 
shall have the forfeiture for their paius, and the trees to those that the land 
shall fall to." 

June 22, 1667. At a town meeting it was voted by the town that the 
meadows lying on the north side of the town " shall be for this present year, 
as they were the last year." 

April 10, 1668. "The town chose a Committee to go and view the 
meadows that are in the North Purchase and to acre them out, to divide them 
into three score and eighteen parts and a half, and to mark and bound out 
each part and put in such swamps as in their prudence they think meet, to 
be laid out in the said division — provided they do it equally as they can. 
The said committee are Anthony Perry, Philip Walker, Thomas Wilmot, 1 
Nicholas Ide ; to be paid by the whole company of purchasers." 

May 13, 1668. The town made an agreement with Goodman Allen " that 
he is to have the twenty acres of Meadow that is laid out by Ensign Smith 
at Sinecheticonet, and the Meadow called the Parson's Meadow, and all that 
is within his farm, for his thirty acres of meadow that he purchased of Major 
Winslow — and also for his full share of meadow on the North Purchase." 
It was also voted " that the rates upon the North side of the town be lowered, 
and part taken off, that is to say, whereas the lands upon the North Purchase 



1 Now Wilmarth. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 61 

paid 40 shillings of 5 pounds in all rates, that now the said lauds shall pay 
20 shillings in 5 pounds until the town see cause to alter it." 

May 26, 1668. It was voted that John Woodcock "shall have the 
meadow upon the Ten Mile River between Capt. Willett's meadow and his 
own Meadow, and another piece that the townsmen shall appoint him that 
were chosen by the town to acre the meadows in the North Purchase, for two 
shares of meadow on the N. Purchase." 

The 26th of May, 1668, lots were drawn for the meadows 1 in the North 
Purchase. 

The first division of general lands was granted by the proprietors at a 
meeting held February 9, 1668. Lots were drawn for this division March 
18, 1668-69. The previous divisions had been confined to meadow land. 

"At a town meeting lawfully warned February 9th 1668, it was voted 
that there should be Fifty acres of upland laid out on the north side of the 
town to every share, speedily ; and the rest to be laid out with as much cou- 
veniency as may be." This was the first general division, and the number of 
proprietors was eighty-two. In 1685 it was eighty-three, and at another divi- 
sion, November 7, 1699, the number had increased to one hundred and thirty- 
three. It was voted that there should be a committee chosen " to view where 
there is good land for the laying out of a division of lands on the north pur- 
chase," and that the aforesaid fifty acres to a share should be forthwith laid 
out, and then lots should be drawn by the aforesaid purchasers according to 
the agreement. 

At a town meeting lawfully warned the 18th of March, 1668-69, ''it was 
voted that there should be fifty acres of land laid out to a share on the North 
purchased lands." 

It was also provided that the purchasers should draw lots for their choice ; 
and that each one should choose his lands successively according to his turn, 
and give notice to the next in turn ; and that if any neglected or refused to 
make choice and lay out his land in his turn, for the space of three days 
after notice was given him, he should wait until all others had made choice 
in regular order. 

At this meeting a committee of eight were chosen, any two of whom 
might act, to see that these rights should not be laid out so as to inter- 
fere with highways, previous divisions of meadows, or other lotments. This 
committee were William Sabin, Nicholas Peck, Samuel Newman, James 
Reddeway, Thomas Willmot, Samuel Peck, Lieutenant Hunt. Joseph Buck- 
land. Nine purchasers entered a protest against the manner of laying out 
the lands by choosing ; namely, Captain Willett, Mr. Myles, William Sabin, 
Mr. Brown, Deacon Cooper, John Miller, Sen., John Pereu, Sen., George 
Kendricke, William Carpenter. 



1 Granted by the Court previous to the purchase. 



62 



A SKETCH OF THE 



"The Names 1 of those that drew for a Divisiou on the North Purchase, 
18th March, 1668-9." 



John Titus 

Joseph Buckland 

John Onnsby 

Children's Lands - 

Nath'l Paine 

Goody Hide 

Rice Leonard 

John Allin. Jim. 

Nicholas Peck 

[chabod Miller, Jun. 

Robert Wheaton 

John Doggett 

Deacon Cooper 

Phillip Walker 

Tho. Read 

Joseph Pe«k 

John Read. Sen. 

Jonathan Blis* 

Roger Amidowne 

Stephen Paine, Jun. 

Thomas and Jacob Onnsby 

Richard Bullock 

Daniel Smith 

John Kingslcv 

Obadiah Bowing 

John Peren. Sen. 



Robert Joanes 
Will. Buckland 
James Gillson 
Israil Peck 
A nth. Perry 
Eldad Kingsley 
Tho. Cooper. Jun. 
Mr.Myles 
Richard Bemis, Jr. 
John Fitch 
Joseph Carpenter 
Preserved Abel 
John Woodcock 
John Allen, Sen. 
Xich. Ide 
Capt. Willet 
James Reddeway 
Sam. Newman 
Stephen Paine, Sen. 
Joua. Palmer 
Robert Miller 
Tho. Willmot 
Gilbert Brooks 
Wid. Carpenter 
Left. Hunt 
Jaret Engraham 
Francis Stephens 



John Read. Jun. 
Mr. Newman 
Rich. Martin 
John Butterworth 
George Kendrick 
John Lowell 
Thomas Grant 
Mr. Brown 
Nath. Peck 
George Robinson 
Jonathan Fuller 
Jonathan Bosworth 
Sam. Peck 
Robert Fuller 
Nath. Paine, Jr. 
Richard Whittaker 
Sam. Carpenter 
Edward Hall 
Nicholas Tanner 
John Savage 
Will. Saben 
Will. Carpenter 
Sampson Mason 
John Peck 
Ben. Buckland 
Hen. Smith 
Sam. Luther 



Complaints were often made that the lands in the North Purchase were 
rated or assessed too high. There is the following record on this subject : — 

At a meeting of proprietors of the North Purchase the 26th of August, 
1670, it was voted, " that the townsmen should choose three men to discuss 
and also to end any difference with such persons as are chosen by the com- 
plainers of the provisions of the Rates." The time set to meet was " this 
day s'en'nit at the meeting house ; and if not ended to attend the next Court 
at Plymouth to defend and answer such complaints as are made against the 
rating of these lands." 

A mile and a half on the south side of this town was granted to Rehoboth, 
by order of Court, June, 1668. 3 

June, 1668. ''This Court have ordered that a tract of land containing a 
mile and a half lying on the North side of the town of Rehoboth is allowed 
to be the proper right of the said township. And for such lauds as are lying 



^ee List of Proprietors in 1707, September 16, N. P. Records, vol. 2, p. 3. See List April 14, 
1735, vol.2, p. 133. 

-Children of Alexander Winchester, deceased. 

3 It was restored to Attleborough in 1710. If it — the North Purchase — belonged to, and was a part 
of Rehoboth, why did that town ask for an enlargement of a mile and a half from that territory when 
the whole tract belonged to it? 



HISTORY OF AT TLE BOROUGH. 63 

betwixt the Bay line and it is to be accounted within the Constablerick of 
Eehoboth, until the Court shall order it otherwise. And that such farms as 
lyeth within the said liberties shall be responsible in point of rating at the 
Colony's disposal." — Old Col. Rec. 

There is the following vote concerning this tract in Rehoboth Records : — 

November 8, 1670. At a town meeting lawfully warned it was voted that 
the line should be forthwith run between the North Purchase and the mile and 
a half given to the town for enlargement. 

The committee were " Lieut. Hunt and Ensign Smith, Nicholas Peck and 
Will. Carpenter." 

Committees were also chosen to see that no timber on the north side should 
be •' fallen or drawn away." Great difficulty was experienced in preventing 
the loss of timber on the undivided lands. 

December 26, 1670. It was voted that there should be a town meeting 
" this day fortnight about ten of the clock in the morning," and that there 
should be a committee chosen " to draw up such propositions as they think will 
be most expedient for the settling of the differences on the north side of the 
town concerning those lands, considering that all the purchasers of the land 
have not yet given them, Mr. Brown engaging to give notice to all the pro- 
prietors of those lands that dwell at Swansea ; and that these propositions be 
tendered at the said town meeting, that, if it were the will of God, there 
might be a unanimous agreement. The committee chosen were Lieut. Hunt, 
Ensign Smith, Nathaniel Paine, Nicholas Peck and Anthony Perry." 

November 23, 1670. A committee was chosen to meet the treasurer of 
Taunton to settle the bounds between the North Purchase and Taunton 
North Purchase. Committee were " Ensign Smith, Wm. Sabin, Win. 
Carpenter." 

At a meeting of the proprietors, May 28, 1672, it was voted " that for 
the comfortable and peaceable settlement of the lands and meadows on the 
North side of the town ; — whereas there has been great dissatisfaction in 
respect of the unequal division of meadows ; — and, forasmuch as there was 
a Committee chosen in the year 1688 for the bounding of the meadows 
betwixt the Tens; — there shall be a new committee added to them, to make 
diligent search and take a deliberate view of the meadows and swamps within 
all the several Tens, with power to add to those Tens which needed amend- 
ment, and bound them all ; and also to redress any grievance which any par- 
ticular person suffers. This order is not to take place till after six months." 
It was provided that the said committee should ' l bound all the Tens before 
any more upland lots are laid out, if they do it within two mouths." 

At a meeting of purchasers, February 18, 1684, it was voted that there 
should be a divisiou of fifty acres to a share in the North Purchase ; William 
Carpenter was chosen surveyor to lay it out. Voted that there should be a 
meeting of the purchasers to draw lots for said division " the last Tuesday 



G4 A SKETCH OF THE 

of June next ensuing." Accordingly, at a meeting held June 29, 1685, lots 
■were drawn for said fifty acres of upland among eighty-three persons. 

At a proprietors' meeting, October 31, 1690, it was voted that there should 
be two divisions of lands in the North Purchase forthwith laid out to the said 
proprietors according to their rights in said lands, that is, fifty acres to a 
whole share in both divisions ; namely, twenty-five acres to the first division. 
and twenty-five acres to the second division; "and he that is first in the 
first division .shall be last in the second division," and so on. 

At their next meeting, November 7, 1699, the proprietors drew lots for the 
new division. They had increased at this time to one hundred and thirty- 
three in number. 

In the year 1694 the inhabitants of the North Purchase were incorporated 
into a township by an Act of the General Court of Massachusetts. 

Previous to this time, as has been stated, the North Purchase was within 
the jurisdiction, but not within the chartered limits, of Rehoboth. It was 
annexed to that town, for a temporary and special purpose. If it had been 
a part of the town, there was no need of annexation. The inhabitants were 
subjected to the municipal authority, and had for the time all the rights of 
freemen of that town. It was properly a plantation of Rehoboth. It was 
ordered by Plymouth Court to be within the jurisdiction of that town until 
it should be incorporated. July 5, 1671. "The Court have ordered that 
the North Purchase (so called) shall lie unto the town of Rehoboth, until 
it comes to be a township ; and in the meantime to bear the seventh part 
of all the rates that shall be levied for the public charges of that town ; 
and when the said Purchase shall become a Township by itself, then the said 
township of Rehoboth to be eased in their rates." — Old Col. Bee. 

An act raising £4,841 10s. for the whole province was passed October 27, 
1694-95, and Attleborough was assessed £12. It was common to provide for 
the government of these outlying settlements by annexing them to some 
town having a municipal government or legal status. 1 



1 In 1661 Plymouth Court ordered that Rehoboth jurisdiction extend over or "unto Sowamsett." 
See Bliss' Rehoboth, p. 52. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOEOUGH. 65 



CHAPTER II. 



BLACKSTONE. 



THE first white inhabitant within the original limits of the town was the 
celebrated William Blackstone, a man of many peculiarities and a 
singular history. He was also the first settler and sole progenitor of Shun-. 
mut, now the site of the great city of Boston. There were two or three indi- 
viduals at a distance, on Maverick and Thompson's islands in the harbor, 
apparently having no connection with him. 1 Everything relating to the 
unique life of this eccentric though amiable man must be interesting not only 
to the people of this town, but to all who feel an interest in the ancient 
history of the colonies. 

He came to this country from England soon after the Pilgrim Fathers, as 
early as 1625-26, and settled first at Boston, called by the Indians Shawmui, 
meaning a spring of water. Here he commenced his solitary life, built his 
house, cultivated his lands, and planted his orchard, where the first apples 
in Massachusetts were grown. He had undoubtedly occupied the peninsula 
several years, and alone, prior to the arrival of C^overnor Winthrop's Com- 
pany in 1630. They at first located themselves at Charlestown, but finding 
the water bad, and " liking that plain neck that was then called Blackstoue's 
Neck," they soon removed by invitation to the peninsula, where they found 
a good spring of water. 

Mr. Blackstone had been in England a clergymau of the Established 
Church, and was a well-educated man ; he graduated at Emmanuel College, 
Cambridge University, receiving his degree A.B. in 1617, and A.M. in 1621. 
What the special occasion of his leaving his native country and coming here 
was, is not wholly known. It is thought by some that he had some connec- 
tion with Sir Ferdinand Gorges- in his enterprise. None have traced him 
to his birthplace or any home in his native country, for the name is not 



1 One Waif ord, lived at Charlestown; Maverick, on what is now East Boston; Thompson, on the 
island still bearing his name; and Blackstone, at Shawmut, are supposed to have held their lands 
under Gorges' patent, and thought to have been the pioneers of a projected plantation. See a pamphlet 
entitled " Blackstone, Boston's First Inhabitant," published in Boston, in 1S77. 

2 In 1623 a patent was issued to Robert Gorges, son of Sir Ferdinand Gorges, including ten miles on 
Massachusetts Bay, thirty inland, and some islands, ami it is now said that ISlackstone received 
a right from him, and that he may have come to this country in 1623, with the colonists whom Gorges 
sent out in that year to establish a plantation at Weymouth. Subsequently Sir Ferdinand Gorges 
persuaded his son to give up his patent, and in 1629 another was issued to Winthrop, who arrived in 
1630, as stated above. See pamphlet above quoted. 



66 A SKETCH OF THE 

a very common one in England. 1 He lived, however, in an age of religious 
bigotry, intolerance, and persecution, and, ' ; not being able," as he said, " to 
endure the power of the Lords Bishops," he left his native land and sought 
an asylum in the wilds of America, where he might enjoy his own opinions 
unmolested. 

The peninsula, as we have seen, was called " Blackstone's Xeck," and as 
first oceupant of the place he claimed the whole as his property. After 
residing a few years with the new settlers of Shan-mat, he found there was 
the same intolerant and overbearing spirit among those new associates. 
They attempted to eject him from his lands under pretence that they were 
entitled to them by a grant from the English king. Mr. Blackstone declined 
to have his rights taken from him even by a sceptered hand, saying in his 
independent and characteristic way, " The King asserteth sovereignty of this 
New England because John and Sebastian Cabot sailed along the coast with- 
out even lauding at any place ; and if the quality of sovereignty can subsist 
upon the substratum of mere inspection, surely the quality of property can 
subsist upon that of actual occupancy, which is the foundation of my claim." 
Becoming thus very naturally " discontented with the power of the Lords 
Brethren," he felt compelled to seek another retreat. His claim was recog- 
nized by the new settlers, but to how just an extent it is difficult to deter- 
mine. At one time they decided to set off fifty acres for him " near to his 
house in Boston, to enjoy forever," but this seems not to have been a satis- 
factory offer, and finally they purchased the relinquishment of his title, 
reserving for him his garden and house lot and pasture about six acres in 
all. According to Prince's Chronicles, his cottage stood "on the south side 
of Charles river mouth, on a point of land called Blackstone's Point," and 
near a spring.- Mr. Blackstone must have been a man of substance, for 



1 But I have found the following memoranda in one of the ancient local histories of England : John 
Blaxton, Vicar of Osmington, in Dorset, 1621. In 1650, Mr. John Blaxton incumbent, and had been 
so twenty-eight years. He was the author of the following work, published in 1634: "The English 
Usurer, or Usury condemned, by the most leai-ned and famous Divines of the Church of England. 
Collected by John Blaxton, Preacher of God's Word at Osmington, in Dorsetshire." "London: 
Printed by John Norton, and are to be sold by Francis Bowman in Oxford. 1634." In 1650-52 " John 
Blaxton the Vicar, had an augmentation out of Lord Peters' impropriation here." There was 
a Samuel Blaxton, June 5, 1662. Hutchin's Dorsetshire, vol. i, p. 432. These were cotemporaries of 
our Blackstone. What connection, if any, did they bear to him? There was a John Blaxton in the 
time of Elizabeth, and one Marmaduke Blaxton was admitted A.M. at Queen's College, and in 1625 
" he was a dignitary in the Church of Durham." One John Blackstone, a member of Parliament, 
seems to have taken an active interest in the early plantations of this State. He was a member of 
the "Council" which issued patents, and as such, "joined in a power to William Blackstone to 
deliver seisin under one of its patents." It is not positively known if relationship between these 
two existed, but it may with foundation be so conjectured. See pamphlet before quoted. 

- li i- now the accepted fact that Winthrop's Company acknowledged Blackstone's claim, under the 
Gorges patent, to the territory subsequently granted to them, and so purchased his right to the 
territory to which lie had invited them in their sore distress, when fatal sickness assailed them at 
Charlestown. Blackstone was admitted a freeman in 1631 ; in 1633 the fifty acres of land was set off 
to him near bis house, and in 1634 " he released all except six acres in a general release of the whole 
peninsula." This fifty acres, his " park and pasture," mentioned in the deposition of Odlyn as 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. 67 

in 1628 his share of a levy made to defray the expenses of "the campaign 
against Morton at Merry Mount " was twelve shillings, a large sum for those 
days, and though the smallest of the several levies made, was more than 
a third of that of the whole town of Salem. 

With the purchase money for his lands he bought a " stock of cows," 
which he carried with him when he removed to his new settlement on the 
Pawtucket River. Instead of contending with his neighbors he fled from 
their society and persecutions. It was in 1G34 that he sold his right and 
title in the peninsula to the inhabitants of Boston, each one paying him six 
shillings, and some of them more. 

The following document, quoted in Shaw's History of Boston, gives some 

of the particulars of this purchase : — 

The deposition of John Odlyn, aged about 82 years; Robert AY alker, aged about 7S years: 
Francis Hudson, aged about 06 years; and William Lytherland, aged 76 years. These 
deponents being antient dwellers and inhabitants of the town of Boston, from the time of the 
first planting thereof, do joiutly testify and depose, that in or about the year of our Lord six- 
teen hundred and thirty four, the then present inhabitants of said town, (of whom the Hon. 
John Winthrop, Esq. Governor of the Colony, was chiefe), did treate and agree with Mr. 
William Blackstone for the purchase of his estate and right in any lands lying within the said 
neck of land, called Boston, and for said purchase agreed that every householder should pay 
six shillings, which was accordingly collected — none paying less, some considerably more; 
and the said sum was paid to Mr. Blackstone, to his full content. Reserving unto himself 
about six acres of laud on the point, commonly called Blackstone's Point, on part whereof his 
then dwelling-house stood. After which purchase, the town laid out a place for a Training 
Field, which ever since, and now is used for that purpose, and for the feeding of cattle : 
Walker and Lytherland further testify, that Mr. Blackstone bought a stock of cowes with th 
money he received, and removed near Providence, where he lived till the day of his death. 
Sworn to the 10th of June, 1684, before S. Bradstreet, Governor, and Samuel Sewall, Assistant. 

Mr. Blackstone received £30 for his right to the peninsula as appears 
by the following record: The "10th day of the 9 mo. 1634." Voted that 
a rate be made, namely : " a rate for £30 to Mr. Blackstone." 

Reckoning March l the first month, this assessment was made in November. 
The purchase of course was made previous to this date, and Blackstone, in all 
probability, removed early in the subsequent spring. We can hardly con- 
ceive the difficulties of such a journey at that time. No highways opened a 
passage for him, and the Indian paths led in varying directions. No sign- 
posts pointed a guiding finger for the traveler ; he must find his way unaided, 
and, more than that, guide his wayward cattle and transport his household 
goods. How this was done we cannot tell, but it was in some way successfully 
accomplished. 



having; been made into a " training field," was without doubt Boston's beautiful Common. His 
orchard was close by, and his house probably stood on the site "bounded by Beacon, Walnut, and 
Spruce Streets." Beyond the deposition of Odlyn, one of Anne Pollard, the first of Winthrop's 
colonists to leap ashore, which was taken in 1711, confirms the boundaries of Blackstone's property, 
as do his deed to Richard Pepys of six acres, and various deeds and wills relating to the same for 
a hundred years after his departure to Attleborough. 

!The year, according to Old Style, commenced March 25, Pope Gregory's correction of 1582 not 
being adopted by the English Parliament until 1751, more than a century later than this date. 



68 A SKETCH OF THE 

It is said that he resided in Shaiomut about ten years, and the authority 
may be relied on as quite accurate. One Lechford, an Englishman, who 
visited America in 1637, and published his writings in London in 1641, says: 
•• ( >ne Master Blaxton, a minister went from Boston, having lived there n'nn' 
or ten years, he lives neere Master Williams, but is far from his opinions." 
In 1635, then, he removed about thirty-five miles to another retreat still 
farther in the wilderness. This place l was on the banks of the Pawtucket 
River — which now bears his name — and on the east side of the river, his 
lands adjoining it. It was within the ancient limits of Attleborough, in that 
part called the Gore, mur Cumberland, R. I. Writers have seemed to mis- 
understand the facts with regard to his residence. Blackstone never lived in 
Rhode Island. After his removal from Boston, he located, lived, and died 
within the territory of Plymouth, or Old Colony. The boundaries are differ- 
ent from what the}' were when he lived and died. Cumberland was not set 
off to Rhode Island till 1 747, more than one hundred and ten years after he 
located himself in the Rehoboth North Purchase. It was seventy years after his 
death before the change in the line between the two States. The Pawtucket 
River was then the boundary between the Colonies, and Blackstone was this 
side the river, and the territory which he occupied and cultivated, and which 
contains his grave, was in Massachusetts. 2 Some historians forget the dis- 
cretionary powers of the Royal Commissioners and their arbitrary proceedings 
under their u Commissions by order of the King in Council." 

This time, 1635, was about ten years before the settlement of Rehoboth, 
and a few years before that of Provideuce, for it was in 1636 that Roger 
Williams came to Seekonk, which place he was obliged to leave, going from 
there to the place which was later Providence. Here in this secluded forest 
Blackstone found a congenial home amid the solemn silence of nature. Here 
he rebuilt a house, replanted orchard and garden, surrounding them with a 
park for his daily walk, and here he laid out his fields for cultivation. Here 
he could indulge his love for meditation, enjoy the companionship of nature 
and his much loved animals, with his books and studies to charm the loneliest 
hours. Here in this quiet spot, this peaceful solitude on the banks of a 
gently flowing river, he lived the remaining forty years of his life, and here 
for more than two hundred years he has slept in the more peaceful, more pro- 
found silence of the grave. 

His dwelling-house, which he called " Study Hall," was a few rods from the 
banks of the river, near the hill which ascended by a gentle slope, and his 



1 It was included in the R. X. P., embraced by the boundaries of this town when it was incorporated 
and so remained for more than a century. 

2 This territory was called the " Attleborough Gore," because the tract which was afterwards named 
Cumberland commenced at a point on the east shore of Pawtucket River (now the Blackstone), and 
ran a due north line to the Massachusetts Colony line, cutting or dividing Attleborough into two 
nearly equal parts, making Cumberland in the form of a fan or gore —a triangle, with its south point 
on the river— spreading on the Bay line about seven miles. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 69 

orchard was just east of the hill. This eminence he called " Study Hill," a 
name it long retained. The place is about three miles above Pawtucket, in 
the present town of Lonsdale, where the late Colonel Simon Whipple resided. 
The Indian name of the place was Wawepoonseag , the place of nets or snares, 
waive meaning a goose. This name is mentioned in the kt Plymouth 
Records " in describing the boundaries of the North Purchase, in 1661 : " From 
Rehoboth, ranging upon Pawtucket River, to a place called by the natives 
Wawepoonseag, 1 where our Blackstoue now sojourneth." His title to the 
lands which he occupied was respected by the Plymouth government. Accord- 
ing to the " Old Colony Records," on " March 5th, 167J, Mr. Stephen Paine, 
Sen. of Rehoboth, and Mr. Nicholas Tanner were appointed by the Court to 
see Mr. Blackstone's land laid forth according to the grant." After his 
death the government ordered them recorded to him. 

For many years Mr. Blackstone must have lived in complete isolation and 
seclusion, for his abode was far from human habitations or the haunts of his 
fellow-men. Stray Indians may have occasionally visited him in their hunt- 
ing and fishing excursions, but beyond such infrequent visits he was probably 
companionless. He certainly tested thoroughly the advantages, if such there 
be, of a solitary life ; but at last, possibly because of approaching age, but more 
probably because he was true to the instincts of our nature and the dictates 
of the human heart, he decided that " it is not good for man to be alone," 
and " he sighed for some one to enjoy the solitude with him." What soft per- 
suasions he whispered into the ear of Sarah Stevenson which induced her to 
forsake the society of relatives and friends in Boston to become the constant 
companion of the sage of the wilderness, history has not revealed ; but ancient 
records have told us that they were married, July 4, 1659, "• by John 
Endicott, Governor." Blackstone's lonely dwelling was thus enlivened by 
the presence of woman, and one son was the fruit of the union. The life, if 
retired and so far from such markets as the towns then afforded, was not of 
necessity unvaried or frugal. Milk and meat were obtained from the herds, 
fish from the river, game from the forest, and these, with the fruits and vege- 
tables raised on the fields, afforded abundant food. 

Mrs. Blackstone was the widow of John Stevenson, of Boston, who had by 
her at least three children : Onesimus, born 26th 10th mo. 1643 ; John, born 
7th mo. 1645; (baptized 28th September, 1645) ; James, born October 1st, 
1653. The second son, John Stevenson, lived with his mother after her mar- 
riage with Mr. Blackstone, and after their decease continued at the same place 
during the remainder of his life. Mrs. Blackstone died in June, 1673. The 
following; is found in the Rehoboth Records: "Mrs. Sarah Blackstone, 



1 It is supposed by a writer in the Mass. Hist. Coll. to be properly the name of a brook, now called 
Abbott's Run, which enters the river not far from the site of Study Hall. It is said by tradition that 
Mr. Blackstone had a servant whose name was Abbott, to whom he gave the land on this "run" 
now bearing that name. 



70 A SKETCH OF THE 

the wife of Mr. William Blaxton, was buried about the middle of Juue 1673." 
Many of the ancient records mention the day of the burial, but not that of 
the death of persons. 

Mr. Blackstone survived his wife only about two years, and died May 26, 
1675, a few weeks before the commencement of the great Indian War, thus 
having escaped witnessing the horrors of that awful period and the complete 
destruction which awaited his " fair domain." He was always on good terms 
with the Indians. Miantonimo, the nephew of Canouchet king of the Narra- 
gansetts, Ocamsequin, Massasoit king of the Wampenoags, Canouchet, and 
King Philip were his friends, and through his instrumentality and influence 
hostilities may have been averted. He was of the "age of fourscore," at 
his death, and the record on the Rehoboth book of his burial is l - Mr. 
William Blaxton buried the 28th of May. 1675." 

The name has been written in several ways, but Blaxton was the form he 
chose. As written now it has become so fixed upon the records of the 
country that it would be inexpedient to change it, and the modern orthography 
is the more agreeable of the two. Blackstone had lived in New England 
about fifty years, ten at Shawmut and forty at this place, and was quite 
advanced in years. A brief notice of his death is furnished by his friend, 
Roger Williams. At the date of June 13. 1675. he says: "About a fort- 
night since your old acquaintance, Mr. Blackstone, departed this life in the 
fourscore year of his age. Four days before his death he had a great pain 
in his breast and back and bowels ; afterwards, he said he was well, had no 
pain, and should live, but he grew fainter, and yielded up his breath without a 
groan." ] Thus died this patriarch of the wilderness. 

Around him was still the wilderness when death snatched him from the 
sylvan retreat which he loved ; but, though the footsteps of men were fast 
approaching, how would he be astonished to behold the region around it — 
the place which he once thought secure from the haunt of men, now swarm- 
ing with an industrious and thriving population ! How would he grieve 
to find the stream, whose placid waters as the}- flowed by his dwelling he 
delighted to contemplate, now interrupted by numerous water-works, and the 
silence which then reigned around him now disturbed by the buzz of thou- 
sands of spindles ! To what ignoble purposes is his classic stream now 
devoted ! What a contrast ! It is a change which the peace-loving spirit of 
Blackstone could not endure. Did he seek for solitude to-day, he must drive 
his herd for many a weary mile, beyond the " Great Lakes," over the 
' Father of Waters," never resting until he reached the wilds of the Rocky 
Mountains, or some quiet corner of the great plains of the far West. 

Mr. Blackstone left a considerable property, as may be seen from the fol- 
lowing inventory, taken May 28, 1675. " This was taken but two days 



1 4th, Mass. Hist. Coll. 6-299. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. 71 

after his death," says Bliss, iu his History of Rehoboth, " and was a common 
practice, owing to the condition of the times.'' 

REAL ESTATE NOT PRIZED. 

Sixty acres of land, and two shares in meadows in Providence. The west plain, the south 
neck, and land about the house and orchard, amounting to two hundred acres, and the meadow 
called Blackstone's Meadow. 

The following is the personal property : — 

LIBRARY. 

3 Bibles, 10s. ; 6 English books in folios, £2 £2 10s. 

3 Latin books, iu folio, 15s. ; 3 do., large quarto, £2 2 15s. 

15 small quarto, £1 17s. 6d.; 14 small do., 14s 2 lis. 6d. 

30 large octavo, £4; 25 small do., £1 5s 5 5s. 

22 duodecimo 1 13 s> 

53 small do., of little value 13 S# 

10 paper books 5 S- 

15 12s. 6d. 
Remainder personal 40 lis. 

Total personal £ 5 r, 3 S . 6d. 

"This estate (the movables) was destroyed and carried away by the 
natives," says a marginal note on the Plymouth Colony Records. This library 
contained one hundred and eighty-four volumes, certainly a lar^e library 
to be in the possession of a private gentleman of that day in the wilds of 
America. The historian will always painfully regret the destruction of those 
"paper books," which were probably manuscripts, and must have contained 
the meditations of this solitary thinker, and might have revealed the mys- 
teries of his strange residence in the New World. What a treasure was lost 
by the fire-brand of the savage ! How interesting we should find a mere cata- 
logue of those volumes — the associates of his retirement, the joy and solace 
of his long life ! We know his was a mind and spirit which could not brook 
the tyranny of men ; but what other causes than those known, if anv, con- 
tributed to his removal to this country will probably always be a profound 
secret. We can hardly imagine what strong influence there was which could 
have moved him to forsake his home and all his kindred without the hope of 
meeting them again; what could have induced such a man, with his tastes 
and pursuits, to leave the halls of learning and the cultivated society of old 
England, to become a hermit in New England. 

He was by no means a misanthrope, but a man of natural benevolence, 
who took this mode of indulging his love for solitude and securing the unre- 
strained enjoyment of his own sentiments and tastes. He did not shun man 
because he hated him, but because he loved solitude more than society. He 
was fond of study and contemplation, and here he could enjoy both. His 
independent and original mind and character held nothing in common with 
the dogmatical and persecuting spirit of the age, and he determined to escape 



72 .1 SKETCH OF THE 

its presence and influence and avoid the theological controversies of the day. 
He was not idle, though alone. He cultivated his garden and reared his 
orchard with his own hands. He is said to have been devoted to his books, 
and though meditative in his habits, yet cheerful in his disposition. Though 
for so long a time a hermit, he was certainly not morose or disagreeable, and 
enjoyed intercourse with his kind if it could be peaceable. 

He frequently visited Roger Williams, the father of Rhode Island, being 
•only about six miles away from him, and it is said he was also a visitor at 
times at Richard Smith's fine old mansion, which is "•still at Wickford on the 
Narragansett shore, which was also a favorite resort of Roger Williams." It 
is understood by all antiquarians that he preached for Mr. Williams — to his 
audience and people. They differed on certain theological points, but both 
being decided " tolerationists," they "agreed to disagree," and so harmo- 
nized, their relations being of the most intimate and friendly kind. One says 
of Mr. Blackstone : "Though a non-conformist, and detesting prelacy, his 
canonical coat, which he continued to wear here, shows he was still attached 
to the English Church, and regarded himself as a teacher of its tenets." 
In Johnson's Wonder Working Providence, the writer speaks of him as 
"retaining no simbole of his former profession but a Canonicall Coate." 
The Episcopal Church very naturally claimed him as its son ; though while 
here it is to be presumed he w T as not within its fold, as Episcopalians could 
hardly have been numerous enough at that time in his vicinity to have 
formed an exclusive audience, and there seems no reason to doubt his having 
joined with that of his friend, preaching there and in the neighboring towns. 
It has been thought by some that he settled in the " Gore" with the special 
design of either planting or extending the Church of England ; but there 
seems to be no proof to substantiate such an idea, while there is strong evi- 
dence that the same motives and experiences which partially, at least, induced 
him to leave England induced him to emigrate again after reaching these 
shores. 

Among other anecdotes, it is related of Blackstone that he tamed a 
bull, it is said of cream color, which he used to ride on his journeys to Bos- 
ton, Providence, and elsewhere to visit friends ; but this cannot be considered 
a proof of eccentricity. In order not to misjudge the character of the early 
settlers, we must consider the circumstances in which they were placed. 
Among isolated settlers of that period it was a common practice to train 
such animals to carry burdens of all kinds — a practice not entirely extinct 
at the present time. If there were horses in the settlements at that age, 
they were rare, and would have been of little use or value, for there were no 
carriage roads, no carriages. It excited no curiosity to see a person riding 
such an animal, and many instances of a similar nature are known. A well- 
known instance is at the time of the wedding of John Alden and Priscilla Mul- 
lins. " On proceeding to the nuptials," it is said, " he covered his bull with a 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 73 

handsome piece of broadcloth, and rode on his back ; but on the return he 
seated his bride upon the animal, and walked by her side, leading the bull by 
a rope fixed in his nose ring." 

Mr. Blackstone " was also remarkable," says Mr. Baylies, 1 " for his love 
of children." When he visited Providence, he carried apples from his 
orchard to give to children — the first they had ever seen, 2 and the first prob- 
ably ever raised in what is now Rhode Island. At a centennial celebration 
once held in Boston. under the direction of the Massachusetts Historical 
Society, a present of apples was sent to their table from Cumberland, said to 
have grown on the trees which grew from the sprouts of those in Blackstone's 
orchard. Some of the trees planted by his own hands were living a hundred 
and forty years after they were set out. In 1646 there was an apple named 
after him. In Historical Records, vol. 2, p. 332: "Aug. 12, 1646, Black- 
stone's apples gathered " ; perhaps propagated from apples which he had origi- 
nated at Shawmut. Some writer says " he had the first of that kind called 
yellow sweetings that were ever in the world, perhaps, the richest and sweet- 
est apples of the whole kind." He was also said to be fond of roses, which 
he grew at least in Shawmut. In 1836 three apple trees were standing in the 
meadow near the site of Study Hall, and two of them bore apples. 

The quiet of Study Hall was unbroken for many years ; but after a while 
ts lonely dweller heard the distant footsteps of the nearer coming of the 
approaching multitude. He suffered some encroachment from pioneer set- 
tlers. His situation at the "Wading Place" on the Pawtucket River was a 
pleasant one, and attracted the cupidity of men. John Allen laid claim to 
some part of the "West Plaine," which Blackstone himself claimed as his 
own, and occupied as a part of his territory on which he had settled. Allen 
had probably laid out and enclosed a part of the occupation of Blackstone, 
and the pulling up of his fence, etc., was to test the claim of Blackstone to 
the title. Allen did not appear, probably not recognizing the jurisdiction of 
the Court. 

The following is a record of the complaint from the Old Colony Records, 
B. 7, p. 155 : — 

John Allen Sen. of Swansey, complains vs. Mr. William Blackstone, in an action of the case. 
to the damage of £20, for molesting him in his just rights, by spoyling of his grass, pulling up 
of his fence, and destroying of his hay, upon his laud which be had of the County, lying on the 
westerly side of the Western Plaine. from the said William Blackstone, which was done in the 
latter end of Xovember, in the year 1667 — The Jury fined for the plf. six pounds damage, and 
the costs of the suite. 

Judgment was granted to the plf. according to the Verdict. 

Blackstone, when he settled down at Wawepoonseag, on emigration from 



1 Memoirs of Plymouth Colony — which Is a work of great interest, embodying a large amount of 
.historical information on the Old Colony. 
- Cullender's Discourse. 



74 A SKETCH OF THE 

Shawmut, supposed he was within the limits of the Massachusetts Colony — 
thouo-h on stating the boundaries it fell within the jurisdiction of Plymouth. 
Such claimants disturbed him, and he complained to the government of Mas- 
sachusetts that the inhabitants of Plymouth Colony were interfering with 
his rights, and petitioned for protection against intruders. The difficulty, 
whatever it was, was soon adjusted, for we hear of no further complaint or 
interference, and the Plymouth Colony treated him with the utmost courtesy 
and regard to his rights. They recognized his title to these lands he had 
occupied, and divided them all among his heirs. 

Rlackstone had occupied more than thirty years before the Rehoboth 
settlers purchased the Indian title to the Attleborough Gore in which he 
lived, and this was about ten years previous to the settlement. It is reason- 
able to suppose that he satisfied the Indians for his claim to his premises, as 
that region was a frequent resort of the natives for fishing and hunting, and 
was on the Indian path to the crossing of the Pawtucket or wading place of 
the river. They appeared to be on friendly terms with him. 

Just how soon settlers began to approach his seat and intrude upon his 
solitude is not positively known, but after the establishment of Seacunke the 
inhabitants of that place occasionally passed this way to Providence, cross- 
ing the river nearBlackstone's house. At a meeting held December, 1650, it 
was voted " to have a convenient way four rods wide to be made by Edward 
Smith, to be for the town's use, or any that shall have occasion to pass 
from town to Providence, or to Mr. Blackstone's." The old Mendon road 
also passed here, as at this place was the then only passable crossing of the 
river. Previous to his death lands were laid out adjoining his estate, as the 
names of several appear on the records. John Fitch and John Fitch, Jr., 
had lands near and the former's grave is mentioned with other names, includ- 
ing the - 1 Parson's Meadow." 

The history of the stern realities of the old colonial times has now and 
again a spicing of romance. It was long believed that Blackstoue had an only 
daughter who was borne away from the abodes of society, — educated by her 
father alone, — who had grown up in communion with nature and was graced 
with the simplicity of nature's charms, a child of the forest and the field, a 
flower of the wilderness ; and it was supposed she married John Stevenson. 
This statement is erroneously made in the Massachusetts Historical Collec- 
tion. This was a too tempting subject for the novelist. In a fictitious work 
in two volumes published many years ago and called " Humors of Utopia," 
a daughter of Blackstoue was one of the principal characters. It seems 
almost sacrilege to lay violent hands on such a picture. But in this matter- 
of-fact world " the gay frost-work of fancy " must often be dissolved by the 
light of truth. She had no existence except in imagination. In the old records 
John Stevenson is called the son-in-law of Blackstoue instead of stepson, and 
that is the only foundation for the supposition regarding his daughter. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 75 

Mr. Blackstoue left one son, John Blaekstone, who, it is supposed, ;t set- 
tled finally somewhere near New Haven." Of him history says little or 
nothing, but by diligent research I have ascertained a few particulars. He 
was a minor when his father died, and had guardians appointed by the court. 
On Old Colony Records for June 1, 1G75, is the following: "Lieut. Hunt, 
Ensign Smith and Mr. Daniel Smith are appointed and authorized by the 
Court to take some present care of the estate of Mr. William Blaekstone 
deceased, and of his son now left by him ; and to see that the next Court he 
do propose a man to the Court to be his guardian ; which in case he do 
neglect, the Court will then see cause to make choice of one for him." 
October 27, 1675, " Mr. Nathaniel Paine and Mr. Daniel Smith are appointed 
and approved by the Court, to be guardians unto John Blaekstone, the son 
of Mr. William Blaekstone deceased." Same records. 

He lived on his inheritance till 1692, when he sold his lands to David 

Whipple. 

Deed 1 

To all to whom this deed of sale shall come, John Blaxton of Rehoboth in the Co. of 
Bristol], formerly in the Colony of New Plymouth— but now of Mass. in New England, 

Shoemaker, sendeth Greetg. for a valuable of this County in hand, and paid to him by 

David "Whipple, husbandman, inhabitant of the town of Providence in the Narragansett Bay 

in New England, sells &c,his house and lands, (that is to say) his mansion house and on 

the east side of the River, called Pawtucket River, and lying and being within the precincts of 
Rehoboth aforesaid, 150 a. and is situated on the Plaine c. d the West Plaine, b. d to the 
northward the land of Isaac Allen, to the southward the laud of John Stephenson, to the w. d 
Pawtucket Rr. to the E. d part of it to the land of John Stephenson, and part of it to the high- 
way, and part of it the Undivided land, with 20 a. allowed for a highway, &c. &c. the latter 
b. d Southward by a small run of water and 2 a. on the westirly side of the Country highway 
next the house. 
Dated Sept. 10, 1692 Ack'd Oct. 26, 1692 John Blaxton (+) 

Witnessed by Tho. Oliver, ) Before John Easton Gov. 

Anthony Sprague ) By Win. Carpenter Town Clerk. Rec'd Dec. 7, 1692. 

Soon after this sale John Blaekstone removed to Providence, and for a 
while contented himself with the humble occupation of a shoemaker. There 
it is probable he married his wife Katherine, as there is no record of his 
marriage in this town. He continued to reside there until 1718 when he 
returned to Attleborough, and, with his wife, was legally warned out of town. 
For what cause does not appear, but may be conjectured. He had probabl} 7 
squandered his property, for tradition says he inherited but a small share of 
his father's prudence, and this was a precautionary measure on the part of 
the town against future liability for support — a customary proceeding in 
those days. In Bliss' History of Rehoboth one John Blaekstone appears 
as a non-resident proprietor of that town in 1689. How this property was 



i The original deeds, with John Blackstone's signature, are still in existence. They were in the 
possession of Mr. John Whipple, of Cumberland, R. I., but are now in possession of the R. I. 
Hist. So. 



76 A SKETCH OF THE 

disposed of does not appear, but doubtless it was wasted in the same manner 
as the rest of his inheritance. He is presumed to be the person mentioned 
in the records, as no other of that name has been known in this part of the 
country. 

It was o-enerally supposed by historians that the family was extinct, and 
that the blood of Blackstone " runs not in the viens of a single human 
being." Recent research, however, has led to the belief that the son 
removed to Branford, Conn., and settled on a neck of land not far from New 
Haven, where several families of that name have lived for many years. As 
John Blackstone disappeared from Attleborough, it is probable that he 
removed and settled there. It has been said there was a family in that vicin- 
itv of that name, who lived in seclusion for many years — an additional 
proof of the probable truth of the supposition as to the family. A John 
Blackstone, supposed to be the grandson of William, died, and was buried 
there January 3, 1785. 

This supposition of the author is pretty thoroughly substantiated. There 
are a number of Blackstone's descendants living in Connecticut, and in the 
State of New York, some of whom have been prominent men. One of 
Branford has been a member of both branches of his State Legislature, and 
his son has been mayor of Norwich, Conn., and is a leading man in that city. 
The John Blackstone who died January 3, 1785, was « aged 85 years, eleven 
months, and 15 days." He could not, as the figures show, have been the 
son of William Blackstone, and must therefore have been grandson. The 
grandson of this John thus writes of him: "When he came to Branford, 
he was entirely destitute of property of any kind ; and tradition says, that 
he left his father's home in England in consequence of difficulty with his 
parents about property, and that his father and mother were very partial to 
a brother-in-law of his." This tradition, though doubtless attached to the 
wrong person, yet proves quite clearly the fact that the Branford Blackstones 
are direct descendants of William. As we have seen, the first John squan- 
dered his property, and seems to have been a rather worthless fellow. His 
step-brother, Stevenson, was, on the contrary, thrifty and industrious, and 
devoted to his parents. Very probably there was trouble in the family or a 
"difficulty" on his part over this fact, as one cause of the son's leaving 
home. The son of such a man as he proved to be would naturally be desti- 
tute of money until he had made it for himself, and the fact that the John of 
Branford was poor is but another proof that he was really the grandson 
of our first settler. Tradition cannot always be relied upon for exactness, 
therefore it is not strange that facts relating to father and grandfather had 
all been fixed upon the grandson. The latter, however, seems to have inher- 
ited the thrift of his grandfather, for he became a successful man. 

Soon after arriving at Branford he went to sea, following that occupation 
for a number of vears. He became master and owner of a vessel, and 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 77 

carried on a trade with the "West Indies, and finally owned several vessels which 
he lost during the French War. He subsequently became a farmer at Bran- 
ford, and the proprietor of a large landed estate which has been handed 
down from father to son for four or five generations. 1 It is scarcely possible 
that two distinct families of the same name could have settled in the same 
town at about the same date, both possessing such similar traditions, and 
doubt as to the identity of the Branford Blackstones can now scarcely 
obtain. 

John Stevenson, as has been stated, came with his mother when she mar- 
ried Mr. Blackstone. He was then about fourteen years old, and he lived 
with them till their death. He came into possession of a part of his step- 
father's (" father-in-law's ") estate, as appears by the following order of 
Plymouth Court, passed June 10, 1675, about two weeks after Blackstone's 
decease : — 

Whereas the Court is informed that one whose name is John Stevenson, son-in-law to Mr. 
William Blackstone, late deceased, was very helpful to his father and mother in their life- 
time, without whom they could not have subsisted as to a good help and instrument thereof, 
and he is now left in a low and mean condition, and never was in any measure recompensed for 
his good service aforesaid, aud if, (as it is said at least) his father-in-law engaged to his mother 
at his marriage with her, that he should be considered with a competency of land out of the 
said Blackstone's land then lived on, which hath never yet been performed; and forasmuch as 
the personal estate of the said William Blackstone is so small aud inconsiderable, that he the 
said Stephenson cannot be relieved out of it; this Court, therefore, in consideration of the 
premises, do order and dispose fifty acres of land unto the said John Stevenson, out of the 
lands of the said William Blackstone, and five acres of meadow to be laid out unto him by 
Ensign Henry Smith, and Mr. Daniel Smith and Mr. Nathaniel Paine, according as they shall 
think meet, so as it may be most commodious to him or as little prejudiced to the Estate of 
Mr. William Blackstone as may be. By order of the Court for the jurisdiction of New Ply- 
mouth. — Old Col. Bee. 

The bounds of this grant are recorded in the Records of the North Pur- 
chase, Book 1, p. 47. Extracts are made for the gratification of those who 
may wish to know the situation of his lands : — 

Imp. Fifty acres of upland lying upon Pawtucket River, most of it upon the South Neck, 
being part of that land that was left for Mr. William Blackstone and granted by the Court to 
John Stevenson : bounded to the eastward the land of John Fitch aud the Common ; westerly, 
Pawtucket River, and Southerly; to the northward, the laud of John Blackstone; it being 106 
rods long. 

The five-acre lot of meadow mentioned in the grant is also recorded as 
laid out by the commissioners : — 

1st. Two acres of meadow adjoining to the said lauds lying in two pieces; one piece 
within the former tract of laud, and the other by the river side upon the Southernmost end 
of it. 

2d. Three acres of fresh meadow lying at the uortheast corner of the meadow commonly 
known by the name of Blackstone's Great Meadow,- from a white oak tree marked, and so 



1 See a pamphlet called " The Blackstone Family," etc., published in Norwich, Conn., in 1857, by a 
descendant, Lorenzo Blackstone, formerly mayor of that city. 

2 Often called in the records " The Parson's Meadow." 



78 A SKETCH OF THE 

through the breadth of the meadow to the Run, the Run bounding it to the northards; west- 
ward, the meadow of John Blackstone: eastward, the swamp; southward, the upland. 

There is another tract which he probably purchased : — 

Fifty acres of upland, more or less, bounded east the land of Ensign Nich. Peck and Rob. 
Miller; north, the land of Sam. Carpenter: west, a highway four rods wide (between John 
Blackstone's laud and this lot) and a little piece of common land: south, coming near John 
Fitch's grave. 1 to the Common. 

There is to be taken out of this lot a highway 2 rods wide next to Sam. Carpenter's land to 
meet with the highway at the east end of the said Carpenter's lot. 

Likewise 10 acres of land, allowed to John Stevenson by the king's jury, for land for 
highways, taken out of his land, lying on the southerly side of Abbott's Ruu, etc. 

Another record of land commences thus : — 

Likewise two acres of land that I took up adjoining to my own land, at the southerly end of 
it. which T had in exchange with my brother John Blackstone, etc. 

To gratify the curious, the boundaries of John Blackstone's lands are 
added, by which the precise location of his father's estate may be ascertained : 

Imp. A hundred and fifty acres of upland, swamp, and meadow ground, more or less, 
containing the West Plain (commonly so called) and land adjacent; bounded, to the north- 
ward, the land of Isaac Allen; to the southward, the land of John Stevenson; to the west- 
ward. Pawtucket river; to the eastward, the land of John Stevenson, the highway, and the 
undivided land; there running a country highway through it to Pawtucket river, being four 
rods wide. 

Likewise a parcel of fresh meadow commonly known by the name of Blackstone's 
Meadow, being eight acres, bounded to the eastward, the meadow of John Stevenson, &c. 

Likewise twenty acres (laid out to John Blackstone, granted to him by the king's jury for 
a way taken through his farm to Pattucket River.) running 76 rods X. W. and by W. and 42 
rods S. W. and by S. bounded round by the undivided land; this tract lying near the new road 
to Dedham. 

Likewise two acres of land be it more or less, which he had upon exchange with his 
brother John Stevensou, lying adjoining to his farm, being bounded to the Highway easterly, 
and his own farm westerly, and southerly by a small run of water; this land lies on the 
westerly side of the Country Highway next the House; and in consideration of it John Ste- 
venson had two acres of what John Blackstone was to have allowed by the King's Jury for 
the highway through his land to Providence, and John Stevenson had this two acres at the 
Southerly end of his first fifty acre lot. — Records li. IV. Purchase, Book 1, page 153. 

Stevenson acquired a taste for solitary life by living with Blackstone, and 
resided here (it is believed alone) till his death. There is no evidence of his 
ever having been married. His time was devoted to the cultivation of his 
lands and the pleasures of hunting. He died September 16, 1695. His 
brother, James Stevenson, of Spriugfield, was appointed his administrator, 
who returned an inventory October 11, 1695, from which it appears that his 
whole estate was valued at £57 5s. 2d. " His house, lands, and meadows 
1 50. His gun, cutlass, and cartoueh box 10, 18, 0," etc. 



1 John Fitch owned a half share in R. N. P. Laid out early two fil'ty-acre lots. He was on a com- 
mittee in Rehoboth, February 23, 1657. See R. N. P. llec, vol. 1, p. 45. " John Fitch was a volunteer 
at ' Pierce's tight' in the spring of 1676, captured by the Indians and tortured at ' Nine Men's Misery * 
at Camp Swamp near Blackstone's homestead." 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOEOUGH. 79 

This is all the account which I can find of the first settler within the bounds 
of the North Purchase. But his name will be preserved in perpetual remem- 
brance, for it is inseparably attached to that noble river which flows past the 
site of his ancient and solitary dwelling. His name is also transferred to 
works of art and has been assumed by towns and banks, factories, and the 
streets of our cities. He has become a prominent historic character in the 
colonization of New England, and a striking figure on the canvas of its 
history, with just enough mystery about his life to attract and interest the 
reader. 

The valley of the Blackstone has become celebrated as a manufacturing 
district, and contributes by the advantages of its water power to the wealth 
and industry of New England. Hardly could Blackstone — the lover of 
undisturbed solitude — have dreamed when he forsook the peninsula of Boston 
and built his lonely dwelling on the banks of this placid stream, that his 
peaceful retreat would be so soon the scene of industry and the abode of 
a numerous population, and its silence broken by the busy works of art ! 
Were his spirit permitted to revisit the scene of his former enjoyments, he 
would be obliged to penetrate a new wilderness, to form a new garden, and 
plant a new orchard and to seek in a more distant region a spot congenial to 
his taste. 

Everything in relation to Blackstone is interesting to the public ; I have, 
therefore, been minute in this description. It could never have occurred to 
him who, to avoid the notice of men, sought the shades of solitude, that 
future ages would take so deep an interest in his history, that he would be 
an object of minute research to the antiquarian, and that every circumstance 
connected with his life which could be rescued from the hand of oblivion 
would be sought out with so much avidity. 

The place which he chose for his residence was a truly beautiful and 
romantic spot, such as a recluse and a lover of nature would select. The 
place where his house stood was a small hill the surface of which would make 
an acre or more ; on the east was a gradual ascent, but on the west it rose 
abruptly from the river to the height of sixty or seventy feet ; there the 
Blackstone wound gracefully at its base, forming a slight curve at a short 
distauee south of the hill. The margin of the river was formerly three rods 
at least west from the hill, but the river has since then enlarged its channel 
at this place, and it finally washed the very base of the hill, as if attracted 
to the spot by a grateful remembrance of him who first sought its banks and 
loved its stream and whose honored name it now bears. 

The summit of the hill commanded a fine view of the ''valley of the 
Blackstone," to the distance of more than a mile on the south. On the east 
was a delightful and fertile valley consisting of a few acres which opened to 
the south on the borders of the meadow, and was bounded on the east and 
northeast by a gentle eminence, on the top of which ran the " Meudon road," 



80 A SKETCH OF THE 

so often mentioned in the ancient land records. This valley was cultivated 
by the hands of Blackstone ; here was his orchard, where the author has seen 
the stumps of apple trees, cut down within his remembrance, which were said 
to have grown from the sprouts of the first trees planted by the hermit. His 
well, too, was long pointed out at the southern border of this valley and long 
after it was filled up with moss and weeds the pure water still bubbled up 
from its fountains. His grave was also designated, though with less certainty, 
in the orchard, about two rods east from the foot of the hill and north of the 
well. The " flat stone which it is said marked his grave," finally became 
invisible, either from removal or from being buried under the surface. 

One Alexander, 1 who was drowned in the river, was buried, it is said, by 
the side of Mr. Blackstone. Is it not probable that his wife was also buried 
at the same place? 

The spot on which he lived once again returned to its original state of 
nature. Sixty years ago a heavy growth of timber trees was cut from this 
hill and a few years later its surface was thickly covered with young and 
thrifty wood. Oaks of a hundred years had grown on the garden of Black- 
stone. 

Some few years since an interesting paper- on Blackstone was read in 
Boston, and the results of recent investigation, as then shown, have thrown 
considerable new light upon the possible parentage and birthplace of our first 
inhabitant, and the conjectures seem both reasonable and probable. This 
pamphlet, and others from which facts have been given, never met the eyes 
of the author of this work, and those of the editor only, as it were, by chance 
in a foreign land thousands of miles distant from the scenes of Blackstone's 
homes in the Old Bay State. This accounts for the somewhat irregular 
appearance of these facts in this chapter, which was previously nearly com- 
pleted by the author himself, and for the apparent discrepancies they cause 
with some of his statements. 

It was formerly conjectured that there might be relationship between our 
Blackstone and the celebrated law commentator Sir William Blackstone ; but 
the descendants of both have so far been unable to find any connecting link. 
According to Mr. Amory, until within recent years tk the only promising clew 
to the parentage and birthplace of our first inhabitant (Boston) is a power, 
in 1653, of Sarah Blackstone (Suffolk Deeds), to collect money advanced, 
in which she is described as of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and which mentions the 
name of Stevenson, that of the first husband of Blackstone's wife." Later 
investigations have opened other clews to a possible solution of this question, 
and whether true or not they are possessed of much interest. 



1 Supposed to be the Thomas Alexander, mentioned by Savage In Gen. Diet., vol. 1, p. 26, as son of 
Nathaniel. How lie came here, and why, is unknown. 

- "William Blackstone," read before the Bostonian Society, November 9, 1880, by Thomas Coffin 
Amory and published in 1S86. He was the author of the pamphlet before quoted. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 81 

Mr. Amory, on good authority, makes our William Blaekstoue " a near 
kinsman of John Blakiston, the friend of Cromwell, and one of the regicides 
who died just before the Restoration. Some of the regicides' desceudauts 
settled in Maryland, and a branch is believed to be there now." Mr. Amory 
further says : " It seems reasonable to assume that all of the name descend 
from the well-known stem in the palatinate of Durham, the earliest of whom 
mentioned — Hugh — was proprietor of Blakiston, about six miles from the 
episcopal city, as early as 1341." " Few families of private gentry," says 
Surtees in his History of Durham, "have spread more widely or flourished 
fairer than Blackstone ; but all its branches have perished, like the original 
stock. One family alone remains which can trace its blood, without heredi- 
tary possessions " — an uncertain kinship being claimed by a few others in 
the south of England. 

The house of Blakiston was one of great wealth and honors, and, according 
to the history above referred to, reached the height of its prosperity during 
the middle of the sixteenth century, under one John — probably the one men- 
tioned elsewhere as of the time of Queen Elizabeth. He had fifteen children, 
for all of whom he was able to make liberal provision. His eldest son was 
Sir William, born in 1553, and married to Alice Claxton in 1581. They had 
nine children, and all of the six sons were living in 1C24. William was the 
name of the fifth son, and he, it is supposed, is the same who subsequently 
became our first settler. Through this Sir William and the son who inherited 
the title, " the last sweepings of the great Blackiston estates " seem to have 
been conveyed away, both father and son being somewhat wild and reckless in 
character and life. Alice Claxton, however, brought to her husband a fine 
estate, and upon it, in "the house at Wynyard " they seem to have lived 
most of the time after their marriage, and here, probably, their children were 
born. This estate is described as being very beautiful, and the house as 
" one of the most convenient and handsome in the district." 

To again quote Mr. Amory : " Knights and beneficed clergymen abounded 
in the family and if, as suggested, our William was the son of Alice Claxton, 
his declining, in the impoverished condition of the family, after having 
obtained a collegiate education, to conform to the ecclesiastical requisitions 
and be beneficed himself, may explain the tradition in the Connecticut line 
that their first American ancestor left home from some misunderstanding with 
his parents." 

The name of Blackstone has been variously spelled : Blakiston, Blakeston, 
and Blackstone being the most common ; but he himself adopted Blaxton, as 
found both by his signatures on receiving his degrees at Emmanuel College — 
called the Puritan College because many of our eminent divines graduated 
there — and also upon his deed to David Whipple. This mode of spelling 
makes the name identical with that of his supposed mother, Claxton, with 
the exception of the initial letter, and certainly forges another link in the 
chain of evidence relating to his parentage. 



82 A SKETCH OF THE 

His taste and skill in horticulture, woodcraft, and all accomplishments of a 
similar nature, tend, as is said, to confirm the conjecture that he was brought 
up on a large manorial estate, and the chase and field sports in which as an 
English country gentleman's son he must undoubtedly have participated 
" prepared his constitution to cope with the exposures and privations of forest- 
life, and gave him the knowledge and experience required to obtain his food 
and to take pleasure in its pursuit." 

There were many fine old manor houses iu the Blakiston family. That of 
Blakiston proper, standing in an attractive situation, was taken down during 
the last century ; but the most celebrated of all was Gibside, which remained 
in the name until the death of the last baron, Sir Francis Blakiston, in 1713. 
It lies between Newcastle-ou-Tyne and Ravensworth Castle, on the Derweut, 
and historians speak " of the beautiful and magnificent scenery of the place," 
rendered more beautiful from the bleak country which surrounds it. The 
park is four miles iu circumference, and the drive to the "stately banquet- 
ing house, seated on a noble elevation," is described as winding " through the 
bosom of a thick forest, sometimes on the brink of a deep ravine, and at 
intervals descending on the easy inclination of the hill, but still embowered 
with venerable oaks." The gardens, the pasturage, the cultivated lands and 
the mansion house itself are all in keeping with the magnificence of the 
great park, and together form an estate and a home such as only a family of 
wealth, cultivation, and distinction would possess aud occupy. This place, 
there are many reasons to believe, belonged to near kinsmen of our Black- 
stone, and probably he was here a frequent and welcome visitor. 

Such probably was the home, such the friends he left. The character he 
ever sustained proves him to have belonged, we think, without question, 
to a family of education and great culture, aud these recent developments 
only add to the interest and the mystery still surrounding the question of the 
real underlying cause of his self-imposed exile. Powerful indeed must have 
been the influence and urgent indeed the conscientious necessity which com- 
pelled him to leave some of the fairest of earth's scenes and intercourse with 
cultured friends for the deep solitudes of the American wilderness. 

More than thirty years ago, on the one hundred and eightieth anniversary 
of his death, an effort was made to arouse public interest in the raising of 
funds to erect a suitable monument to the memory of Mr. Blackstone. A 
few weeks later, on July 4, 1855, the anniversary of his marriage, quite a 
number of people gathered at his grave, the spot being then " designated by 
two small bowlders of semi-crystallized quartz rock." An association was 
ormed called the " Blackstone Monument Association " ; officers were elected 
aud a constitution adopted. Any persons, without regard to " age, sex, sect, 
or color," by presenting their names and subscribing ten cents, were thereby 
made members of the association. Appropriate exercises were held ; an 
oration was delivered by a Mr. S. C. Newman — a lineal descendant of the 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 83 

first minister of Rehoboth — and this was followed by the singing of an ode, 
and impromptu speeches. 

Considerable enthusiasm was manifested, and nearly the entire assembly 
responded to the call for signatures and dimes. An aged man very aptly 
suggested that the orator be the first to record his name, and his dime was 
seized by a reverend gentleman present, who held it aloft exclaiming, — 
"In this little coin behold in glistening embryo the future monument — a 
granite volume with illustrations, which shall be read by distant coming gen- 
erations of men with respect and admiration of their forefathers who met 
here this day to perpetuate the character and memory of Blackstone." 

The monument of this charming vision was but a shadowy mirage, — the 
reflection not of a distant reality, but of a passing illusion, — and the grave of 
the sage of Study Hill was still neglected and its site almost unknown for 
many years. We who live in the rush and hurry of this nineteenth century 
seem to think only of the future, and we almost forget the past ; but we 
should stop long enough now and again to think on the men who gave us the 
blessings of our land of freedom and prosperity, and, keeping green within 
our hearts the principles they established, we should burn to perpetuate their 
memories by rescuing their humble resting-places from oblivion ere it be for- 
ever too late. 

At last, however, a portion of the vision becomes real, but in place of the 
quiet, beautiful surroundings the imagination prophetically portrayed, the 
picture is framed by the noisy, homely environments of a bustling town. 
The peaceful valley is there no longer, the river flows no more through those 
fertile pastures. Study Hill has been entirely taken away, and in its place 
stands a large cotton mill. 

While this work of demolition was going on, the bones of Mr. Blackstone 
were disinterred in the presence of Mr. Lorenzo Blackstone, of Norwich, 
Conn., and President Gammell, of the Rhode Island Historical Society. 
These were placed in an appropriate box, and again buried under the build- 
ing, in which there will be a monument to his name. 

How strange is what we term the " irony of fate " ! The would-be recluse, 
disturbed in life, is disturbed also in death. Intruders coveted his pleasant 
domains while he occupied them, and to-day the demon of manufacture 
seizes upon them, even removing the soil in which his body was placed, deny- 
ing him his own grave. Instead of the waving of branches above his head 
and the gentle sighing of soft winds, is the tread of hurrying feet and the 
noise of shouting multitudes. The "sculptured marble" rears itself, not 
amid the giant trees of the forest, close by his peacefully flowing river, but 
near the giant engine, by whose mighty power the hum of whirring spindles 
sounds unceasingly. The spirit of the gentle sage could scarcely reconcile 
itself to such a change, and must have passed saddened away from its 
accustomed haunts forever. 



84 A SKETCH OF THE 

But this picture has its brighter side, for the former possessor of these 
lands is not forgotten. Much honor is due to the gentlemen of the Lonsdale 
Company, who, having probably no interest beyond their own present practi- 
cal one in this spot, so filled to the historian with associations of the past, 
have yet generously given place to the lettered stone, which, over its very 
site, shall mark the lone grave and perpetuate the name and memory of 
William Blackstone. 1 



JThe above suggested plans have been carried out with some modifications. When the grave was 
discovered " fragments of a coffin and hammered nails such as were made in those days, and pieces 
of bones, were found," and "the sides of the grave were also plainly visible." It was a *' solitary 
grave," no indications of any other being visible, and it would seem that Blackstone must have 
buried his wife elsewhere. That the grave found was that of Blackstone there can be no reasonable 
doubt, since now long ancient tradition has always pointed to that vicinity as his burial place. 
" The monument stands a very few yards from the grave and in line with it. The precise spot is 
covered by the Lonsdale Co.'s Ann and Hope Mill. The monument was erected by some of the 
descendants of Mr. Blackstone, and the inscription was written by a member of the Lonsdale Co." 
It is of granite, some ten or twelve feet high — the base five or six feet square, and the shaft a foot 
or more smaller, tapering slightly. It is within the enclosed grounds of the mill, surrounded by the 
vivid green of a beautiful lawn, the only object on it. Upon the southerly or front side, beneath a 
cross cut into the stone, is the following inscription: "the grave of the reverend william 

BLACKSTONE, FOUNDER OF THE TOWN OF BOSTON AND THE FIRST WHITE SETTLER IN RHODE 

island;" on the east side: "a student of Emmanuel college, Cambridge, he took holy 

ORDERS IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND, IN WHOSE COMMUNION HE LIVED AND DIED; " On the west 

side: "coming from boston to this spot in 1635, he died may 26,1675, aged over 80 years, 
and was here buried : " on the north side : " erected by the lineal descendants of 

WILLIAM BLACKSTONE, A.D. 1889." 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 85 



CHAPTER III. 

INCORPORATION. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TOWN. FIRST SETTLEMENTS, ETC. 

THIRTY-THREE years after the purchase of territory — as described — 
from Wamsutta, by Captain Willett, and twenty-eight years after its 
transfer by him to the Colony of New Plymouth and their conveyance of the 
same to the proprietors, the number of settlers within its limits had so largely 
increased as to render it proper and desirable that steps should be taken to 
carry out the original intention, which was the formation of an independent 
township. 

The following petition to the Council and Representatives of the Province 
of Massachusetts Bay was therefore presented by the inhabitants of the 
North Purchase : — 

To his Excellency, Sir Wm. Phipps Knight, Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief 
of their Majesty' 's Province of the Massachtcsetts Bay in New England, with the Honorable 
Council and Representatives thereof now assembled in General Court at Boston, Oct. 11, 
1094. 

The Petri, of the Subscribers iu behalf of themselves and the rest of the proprietors of the 
lauds herein mentioned and expressed, 

Humbly Sheweth, 

Tbat whereas our ancestors and some of ourselves have formerly purchased a certain tract 
of land commonly known by the Name of the North Purchase, containing in length about ten 
miles from Pawtucket River to Taunton bounds, and about eight miles from the Massachusetts 
line between the two late Colonies, to Rehoboth bounds, being in our apprehension land suffi- 
cient for a township; 1 and we being now already above thirty families on the place besides 
other proprietors that at present live elsewhere, Doe humbly pray this Honble. Assembly to 
make us a township endued with such privileges as other towns are: for these reasons follow- 
ing, viz : 

First and principally for the honor of God, and our chiefest good, in that our distance is far 
to go on the Lord's days — some of us ten or eleven miles to Rehoboth to the public worship 
of God. which in the winter season is very inconvenient for us to go, and especially for our 
children — and also the great burthen we sustain in going so far to traine — attend Town Meet- 
ings, and to work in their highways, and our own in the mean time neglected. 

21y. Iu that if we were a township we should quickly (we hope) procure an able Orthodox 
Minister to teach us, and also a schoolmaster to instruct our children, which would incite more 
able and desirable inhabitants to come and settle among us, we having lands and other com- 
modities for their encouragement. 

3<Uy. In that we being as Frontiers in danger of the enemy between Rehoboth and other 
places, should if we were a township be in a better posture of defence when we are compleated 
with officers amongst ourselves, 

4thly. We might further add the benefit might redound to their Majesty's service, there 
being great store of ship timber, and Cooper's stuff wh. might with more facility be conveyed 
to the water side, were our habitations settled nearer. 



■ We fully agree with the petition that the tract of land then comprising the large towns of Attle- 
borough and Cumberland was reasonably sufficient for a township. 



86 A SKETCH OF THE 

All which is humbly offered to Your Excellency and Honors for acceptance by 

Your humble Supplyants 

John Woodcock 
Daniel Sheppisou 
John CaJ lender for 
Oct. 17, 1694 and in the name and 

That the above behalf of the rest of the 

Petition is granted Proprietors of the said lands, 

provided it do not 
prejudice any former 
grant. The name to 
be Attleborough. 
Die predict. Voted to be 
drawn into an Act. 
Past in the affirmative by the house of Representatives. 

Nehimiah Quinet= 
Oct. 19th 1694 Speaker. 

H. of R. Past and sent up. 

The following is the Act of Incorporation, Dated Oct. 19, 1694. 
An Act for granting a township within the County of Bristol to be called Attleborough. 

Whereas there is a certain tract of land commonly known by the name of North Purchase, 
lying within the County of Bristol, containing in length about ten miles from Pawtucket River 
to the bounds of Taunton, 1 and extending about eight miles in breadth from the line or bound- 
ary betwixt the two late Colonies of Massachusetts and Plymouth, to the bounds of the town 
of Rehoboth; being a convenient tract for a township, and more than thirty families already 
settled thereupon; For the better encouragement and settlement of said Plantation : 

Be it enacted by the Governor, Council, and Representatives in General Court assembled, 
and by the authority of the same, That henceforth the said tract of land as above described, 
and bounded by the townships of Taunton and Rehoboth, (no ways to intrench upon either of 
their rights) be and shall be a township, and called by the name of Attleborough; and shall 
have and enjoy all such immunities, privileges, and powers, as generally, other townships 
within this Province have and do enjoy. 

Provided. That it be not in prejudice of any former grant. 

Provided also, That the Inhabitants of the said place do continue under the power and 
direction of the Selectmen, Assessors, and Constables of Rehoboth (whereunto they were 
formerly aunexed) as well referring to any assessments and arrears thereof, as all other things 
proper to the duty of Selectmen, Assessors and Constables, respectively; until they are supplied 
with such officers among themselves, according to the directions in the law in that case made 
ami provided. 

The derivation of the name given to this new township is " At-le-burgh," 
meaning at the borough, fort, or castle, " Atlebnrgh." It was named after 
Attleborough, Norfolk County, England, which was formerly a city and 
market town, and a celebrated place in English history- That place was 
called '"The Borough," from its being the principal place in the vicinity of 
Bungay Castle, the seat of the Mortimers — Earls of March. Our Bungay 
River — sometimes pronounced Bungay, accent on the second syllable — was 
doubtless named after the castle of the Earls of March. 2 



1 Taunton North Purchase. 

2 See Globe Enci/clopoxlia, " Bungay," p. 531. The above was the opinion formed by the author. 
Editor. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 87 

Thomas Daggett and John Sutton and his wife and four children were 
from that town. Sutton came to Hingham, Mass., and thence to Rehoboth 
with his family, as early as the 4th mo. 1644, and it is believed that our town 
was named by them. 

The boundaries described in the preceding act included the present towns 
of Attleborough and Cumberland, 1 R. I., embracing a very extensive tract of 
land. It was inhabited in some localities by a few Indians. There was a 
plantation of them in the North Purchase six or eight miles north of Mr. 
Blackstone's at Sinnechitaconet, but it soon dwindled away. The number of 
white inhabitants at this time could not much exceed a hundred and eighty. 
They were mostly settled in the southerly and westerly parts of the town. 
These families were scattered over a considerable space ; many had been here 
from an early period. Of the early settlements more will be said hereafter. 

The country was then mostly covered with forests, interspersed, however, 
with a good supply of natural meadow, which was considered the most valu- 
able kind of laud. 

The inhabitants increased rapidly, and soon penetrated into various parts 
of the town. 

EARLY PROCEEDINGS OE THE TOWN AFTER ITS INCORPORATION. 

A few extracts from the early records of the town, illustrating the charac- 
ter of the times, will be interesting to the present generation. 

The first town meeting on record appears to have been held May 11, 1696, 
two years after the incorporation. There must, however, have been a previous 
meeting, and a choice of officers — of which no record is preserved. At this 
meeting the town chose Mr. John Woodcock and Mr. John Rogers, 2 late of 
Bristol, as agents ' k to manage our concerns in matters relating to that part of 
our township commonly called the Mile and Half, according to our petition and 
other copies which are in the hands of Mr. Henry Derens Clerk to the House 
of Representatives, and did further appoint and impower Mr. John Woodcock 
to agree with and impower said Mr. Rogers and take care to help him to such 
papers as may most concern our business, for the promoting of matters relat- 
ing to our township." 

At the same meeting three assessors were chosen for the ensuing year ; 
namely, Israil Woodcock, Thomas Tingley, and Samuel Titus. 

The next town meeting was held November 23d, 1696, at which the town 
authorized the selectmen to make a rate for paying the town's debts, which 
amounted to £5, 15s Id. At the same time several individuals engaged to 
pay certain sums " by way of free gift towards the building of a Meeting 
House," and desired their names and sums might be entered accordinglv. 



1 See Bradford for Bristol. [AttleborouKh before the division. 
2 See Order of Royal Corns., p. 156. 



88 A SKETCH OF THE 

£■ s. £. s. 

Mr. John Woodcock . . . . 1.00 Thomas Woodcock .... 0. 10 

John Lane 1 1.00 George Robinson .... 1. 00 

[srail Woodcock 0.10 David Freeman 1.00 

March 22, 1696-97. The town, "taking into consideration who are by law 
allowed to vote in town meetings, and finding so few allowed to vote," 
ordered that "all the inhabitants and town Dwellers" should have a right 
to vote in said meetings. At this time town officers were chosen for the year 
ensuing; namely. "Mr. John Woodcock, Anthony Sprague, Daniel Jeuks, 
Jonathan Fuller, Thomas Tingley, Selectmen ; Anthony Sprague, town Clerk ; 
Israil Woodcock, Constable ; Nicholas Ide and Joseph Cowel, Surveyors ; 
Henrv Sweet, Tithingman ; Thomas Tingley and Samuel Titus, Fence- 
viewers ; John Woodcock, Anthony Sprague and Daniel Jeuks, Assessors; 
John Lane, Grand juryman; Benjamin Force for the Jury of trials in April 
next at the Quarter Sessions at Bristol." 

November 23, 109(5, the town debt is recorded, the amount being £5, 
s.18, d.l. 

May 10, 1697. At a town meeting for the choice of an "Assembly man 
for the Great and General Court," the inhabitants voted not to send a man 
" by reason the town was excused by law." 

July 12, 1(197. The town voted to have a Pound made according to law 
upon a piece of undivided land between the lauds of Daniel Shepperson and 
James Jillsou near the " Bay Road." 

The inhabitants were often disturbed by Indians and others hunting and 
strolling about the town and insulting the inhabitants. In relation to these 
disturbances the town passed the following orders : — 

Jan'v 31st, 1697 or 8. At a town meeting legally warned for the making 
of "some town orders or by-laws touching persons disorderly coining into 
town who have no rights or lands in the same but are strangers and foreign- 
ers," the town passed the orders as follows : — 

The inhabitants then met did make two town orders, or by laws, for said town which are as 
followeth. — it is therefore ordered and agreed upon by the inhabitants of Attleborough. and 
voted in said meeting that no person that is a stranger shall be received as an inhabitant with- 
out the Consent or approbation of said town or sufficient security given to the Town by him 
or them that shall take in or harbor any person contrary to this order; — moreover the Select- 
men are appointed to take due care and sufficient security in the behalf of the town of and for 
all such persons as shall receive in or harbor any stranger or foriner; or to give order and 
warning to such stranger or foriner to depart the town according as the law directs, and that 
with all convenient speed after knowledge or notice given of the same. So observing from 
time to time that the Town be not charged with unnecessary charges. 

The second order or by-Law was touching Indiau forinners and strangers that have been 
complained of for uncivil] carriages and behaviour towards some of the inhabitants of this 



'John Lane, an early settler. Several of that name afterwards. (Ebenezer.) From him, John, 
descended Judge Lane, of Ohio, a distinguished lawyer, and judge of the Supreme Court of that 

State. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 89 

town : for the prevention of which the inhabitants being desired to give their advice did meet 
and agree and by Joint consent have voted and passed this act, that no forriu or Indian stranger 
should be allowed to come into town being armed under hunting pretense nor suffered in the 
same to abide in Driukiugs and Shotiugs [shootings] at unseasonable times of night and 
threatinings to severall persons which is contrary to the laws of this province and disturbing 
to severall of this town; neither is any person or persons whatsoever within this town allowed 
to take in or harbour Indian or Indians armed other than such as hath been allowed or shall 
be allowed without the unanimous consent of the inhabitants at any time hereafter, but every 
person or persons transgressing aganst this order or by law shall pay a fine of five shillings 
each day for the use of the poor of this town for every such offense. 

March 4th, 1699 or 1700, in town meeting Daniel Shepperson gave a piece 
of ground to set a pound on "at a place commonly known and called Red 
Rock Hill by the rhoad-side by a pine tree, which pound is to be built 30 feet 
square and finished by the last of June 1700." At the same time the house 
of Daniel Shepperson was appointed " to be the certain known place for 
Town meetings," he giving " free liberty and comfort" to the people, until 
some other place should be provided. 

March 13, 1700. Voted not to send a representative, for the same reason 
that was assigned at the first meeting. 

March 25, 1701. In town meeting voted and appointed a "Training place 
to be on the South side of David Freeman's house, between the two ways, 
viz. the Bay road and the road that leadeth to Nicholas Ide's house." At 
the same time the town "did by major vote appoint the last Tuesday in 
March at 9 o'clock A.M. to be their Election Day annually for choosing town 
officers according to law, without any further warning, so to continue till 
further order." This year no Assembly man was sent. 

Feb. 9th, 1702-3. It was voted that Ensign Nicholas Ide and Anthony 
Sprague with the selectmen be a committee to agree in behalf of our town 
concerning the lines and bounds between Attleborough, Dorchester, and 
W'rentham. It was also voted that the selectmen should make a town rate 
for the payment of town debts, and that a quarter part of said rate be levied 
upon the polls, and the rest upon the estates; and that said rate " shall be 
paid in Indian corn at 2s. 6d. per bushel, or rye at 3s. 6d. per bushel, or 
oats at Is. 6d. per bushel, or in money." 

March 14th, 1703. Voted not to send a representative by reason they were 
so few in number and excused by law. 

EARLY SETTLEMENTS. 

The first settlement within the bounds of the present (1886) town of 
Attleborough was in the neighborhood of the Baptist meetinghouse, where 
Hatch's old tavern still stands. It was commenced by Mr. John Woodcock, 
his sous and their families, soon after the first division in 1669. Here he 
built a public house on the "Bay Road," and fortified it as a garrison, and 
laid out lands to the amount of about three hundred acres, which afterwards 



90 A SKETCH OF THE 

made an excellent farm. At this time and subsequently he took np in 
several parts of the town about six hundred acres, part on his own shares, 
and the rest on rights which he purchased of Roger Amidown, James Rede- 
way, Andrew Willett, etc. A part of this six hundred acres was on Bungay 
River, where Bishop's shop once stood, and this he conveyed to his son 
Jonathan, with the w ' saw-mill thereon standing." 

Woodcock's house was occupied for a garrison. It was licensed in 1670, 
according to the following record : — 

•• July 5th, 1670. John Woodcock is allowed by the Court to keep an Ordi- 
nary at the ten mile river (so called) which is in the way from Rehoboth to 
the Bay ; and likewise enjoined to keep good order, that no unruliness or 
ribaldry be permitted there." — Old Col. Rec. 

His name first appears in the Rehoboth records " the 28th 4th mo. 1647," 
when he bought the lauds of Ed. Patterson. " The town gave to John 
Woodcock the lot before granted to Edward Patesou." l He also had a 
grant of land in May, 1662, for a small house near the church for k " the 
Lord's day," and he was living in Rehoboth as early as July 28, 1662 — 
probably for some time previous — though the precise date of his settling 
there cannot be ascertained. He came there from Roxbury, where he owned 
real estate, but where he had previously lived is not known. He was 
admitted a freeman of that town May 14, 167o. 

AVoodcock was a man of some consideration in those days, his name 
frequently appearing in town offices and on committees. June 2, 1691, he 
was chosen " Deputy to the General Court" from Rehoboth, and at several 
other times. He was shrewd, hardy, fearless and adventurous — a character 
just suited to the times in which he lived, and the circumstances iu which he 
was placed. 

He held Indian rights iu very low estimation. On one occasion he took 
the liberty of paying himself a debt due to him from a neighboring Indian, 
without the consent of the debtor or the intervention of judge, jury, or 
sheriff, — for which achievement he received the following sentence from the 
Court, — an example of the rigid justice of the Puritans : — 

il 1654 John Woodcock of Rehoboth, for going into an Indian house and 
taking away an Indian child and some goods in lieu of a debt the Indian 
owed him, was sentenced to set in the stocks at Rehoboth an hour on a 
Training day, and to pay a fine of forty shillings." — Old Col. Bee., Court 
Orders, Book 3(1 . 

Woodcock had two wives : Sarah, who died iu May, 1676 (" Sarah 2 wife of 
John Woodcock, buried 10th May 1676"), and a second one, Joanua, who 
survived him. He had a large family of children, some, if not all, of whose 
names I have ascertained, though no record of them is preserved on the 



i See Iteh. His., p. 39. - See Itch. J!ec. 



HISTOEY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 91 

books. Johu, who married Sarah Smith, Feb. 26th, 1673 ; Israil ; Nathaniel, 
who was killed by the Indians ; Jonathan ; Thomas ; and at least three daugh- 
ters : one married to Thomas Esterbrook, one, Mary, 28th Nov. 1676. to 
Samuel Guild, 1 and another, Deborah, to Benj'n Onion,- of Dedham or 
Wrentham, May 24th, 1683. There were also others of this name, daughters 
of one William Woodcock, 3 viz. Alice, married 9th of April 1689, to Baruck 
Buckliu ; Anne, married to Thomas Fuller ; Sarah, married to Alexander 
Bolkcom ; and Miriam 4 (or sometimes Mary), who was single July 3, 1718. 
She was said to have married Jonathan Freeman July 1, 1689. (Doubtless 
he had died.) 

John Woodcock, Sen., died October 20, 1701, having arrived at a very 
advanced age in spite of the many attempts which had been made by the 
Indians to destroy him. It is said that after his death the scars of seven 
bullet holes were counted on his body. He was an inveterate and impla- 
cable enemy to the Indians — the cause of which will hereafter appear in the 
notice of some events in Philip's war. In encounters with them, on several 
occasions, he ran imminent risks of his life. He was foremost in all enter- 
prises the object of which was the destruction of the Indians. He was a 
very useful man as a pioneer in the dangers and hardships of a new settle- 
ment, being cunning in contrivance and bold and active in execution. 

Woodcock's Garrison was a well-known place of rendezvous in the great 
Indian war, and was probably for some } T ears the only house, excepting its 
immediate neighbors, on the " Bay Road," between Rehoboth and Dedham, 
though this was then the maiu road from Rhode Island, Bristol, and Rehoboth 
to Boston. The Bay road extended first from Rehoboth through what is now 
" the city," to West Attleborough, north to Woodcock's, thence over Ten 
Mile hill to Jacob Shepardson's in what is now Foxborough, thence through 
Dedham and Roxbury to Boston. 

This "■ Garrison " was one in a chain of fortifications extending from 
Boston to Rhode Island. There was one in Boston, one in Dedham at 
Ames' corner, Woodcock's in this place, one at Rehoboth, situated in the 
centre of the " Great Plain," on the borders of which the first settlements 
were principally located, another at Newport on the Island, and perhaps 
others in the intermediate spaces. It was a famous place on this road — a 
convenient public house for travelers as well as a well-known station in 
Philip's war. It witnessed many a military force on its march to the defence 
of the colonists, and such often halted and encamped there on their route 
overnight, and sometimes longer while waiting for additional forces. Com- 
panies were sometimes ordered to rendezvous there to wait the arrival of 
other troops who were to accompany them, and then the solitary places of 



1 See Reh. Rec. - Ibid. 3 His name appears on Prop'rs Rec, vol. 2, p. 25. * See 2d B., R. A T . P. 
Rec, p. 25. 



92 A SKETCH OF THE 

tlie wilderness were enlivened by the tread of armed men and the sounds of 
martial music. 

After the Indians had commenced the war by open hostilities, having killed 
several persons in the settlements near Mt. Hope, " The government of Mas- 
sachusetts," says Mr. Baylies, " promptly resolved to send assistance to Ply- 
month," and on the 26th of Jnne a company of infantry under command of 
Captain Henchman and a company of horse commanded by Captain Prentice 
marched for Mt. Hope ; and notwithstanding certain signs of ill omen which 
they fancied they saw in the heavens, which had great influence over the 
popular mind in that superstitious age, " they continued their march, and 
reached the house of one Woodcock, (now in Attleborough) distant about 
30 miles from Boston, before they halted. It was then morning, and they 
resolved to wait there the arrival of Capt. Mosely with his company of 
volunteers." Mr Baylies says that" Mosely was a man of an intrepid spirit, 
and an excellent soldier. He had been a buccaneer in the "West Indies, and 
had resided at Jamaica. The sounds of war revived his enthusiasm for 
deeds of enterprise and danger." 

In the course of the day he arrived at the rendezvous at Woodcock's, with 
a company of one hundred and ten men, volunteers, amongst whom were 
ten or twelve privateersmen with dogs. This must have been a stirring scene 
in the lonely situation at AVoodcock's. On the second day they reached 
Swansey. 

On the Narragansett Expedition which was appointed for the next Decem- 
ber, the three colonies of Plymouth, Connecticut, and Massachusetts united 
in furnishing military forces to be under the command of Josias Winslow, of 
Plymouth, as general. 

Here again Woodcock's was a place of rendezvous for the Massachusetts 
portion of the army. Her force consisted of six companies under the com- 
mand of Captains Mosely, Gardiner, Davenport, Oliver, Johnson, and 
Major Appleton, who commanded this portion of the force, and who, on the 
" 9th Dec. 1676 marched with them from Dedham to Woodcock's, the well- 
knowm place of rendezvous, 30 miles from Boston, and there encamped for 
the night." His companies numbered four hundred and sixty -five foot, and 
one company of horse under command of Captain Prentice, so that the 
whole number must have been over five hundred. This was a large army for 
the infant colony of Massachusetts forty-six years only after the settlement 
at Boston. They marched over the " Oulde Bay Road." Here they rested, 
and then marched on to Seekonk, where they met the army of Plymouth 
Colony, under General Winslow, and where the two forces were united and 
moved on their way to the great Narragansett fight. These same forces must 
have rendezvoused at AVoodcock's on their return. 

While armies in their marches halted there and great men of the colonies 
in their travels stopped there, this house is often mentioned by historians. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 93 

The celebrated Judge Sewall relates in his ;i Diary" that on his return from 
Rehoboth he dined at Woodcock's with fellow travelers on boiled venison, 
which was probably just such a dinner as they chose in those days, and 
would not be unacceptable at the present time. 

Madame Knight in her famous journey from Boston to New York lodged 
there overnight, and speaks of her fare. This was considered a perilous 
journey in olden times, and required eight days to accomplish. 

Madame Knight traveled on horseback with a servant, business of impor- 
tance requiring her presence in New York. A sketch of this adventurous 
journey would afford a better knowledge of the condition of the country and 
its inhabitants than any formal description. 1 

This " Oulde Bay Road "' was the first main road laid out in this part of the 
country, and all travel would necessarily pass by this " Ordinary " in those early 
days, which might be called the dawn of the New England life and civiliza- 
tion. It is a delight to go back in imagination and view the landscape that 
surrounded the traveler, and the novel scenes of early colonial life. Mile 
after mile of almost trackless woods filled with bears, deer, and the other 
denizens of the forest, with here and there a gleaming lake or sparkling 
river glinting in the sunlight ; the plodding wayfarer on foot with his heavy 
staff ; the rider on horseback clad in the quaint costume of the time ; and 
anon, a little opening in the wilderness with a single log house or a small 
cluster of rude buildings, where rest and refreshment could be obtained for 
man and beast. As one traveler dismounts, or another wearily shifts his 
heavy burden to the bench by the open door, we can see the dwellers of the 
hamlet slowly gathering one by one to hear the news from the outside world, 
a faint echo of whose events just reaches these secluded places ; or the 
women collecting about the pedlar to hear the latest fashions of the towns 
described, and to barter for some of the contents of the pack by his side. 

"Woodcock had a large family, with a number of laborers and assistants ; 
there must have been fully fourteen in the entire family. He had a smith on 
his place, barns, a garrison house of large size, sons' houses, etc., so that his 
place made quite an opening in the forest and furnished social relief to the 
lonely and weary journeyers. There was on such a route more travel than 
one would at first suppose, for emigrants were from time to time going from 
town to town and settlement to settlement, seeking eligible situations or 
locations, and messengers on business matters or the municipal and military 
affairs of the colonies must have frequently passed to and fro. 

This stand, so long owned and occupied by Colonel Hatch, and still called 
by his name, is the oldest in the county of Bristol — a public house having 



J Many farewells were said, and many prayers publicly offered for her safe return from such an 
untried and awful journey, over hill and dale, through field and Hood. Such a tale brings a smile of 
incredulity to the face of the present lightning age, when this journey can be so easily made in seven 
hours, gliding over iron rails in a palace on wheels. 



94 A SKETCH OF THE 

been kept on the spot, without intermission, from July 5, 1670, to about 1840 
— during a period of one hundred and seventy years. It is situated on the 
Boston and Providence turnpike, now often termed " the old turnpike road." 
I have been at considerable pains to ascertain the names of the several 
owners in succession, and the times at which they purchased, some brief 
notices of which may be interesting to the reader. 

It was established by John Woodcock, as already related, in 1670, the land 
having been laid out and cleared by him for the purpose. He occupied it 
about twenty-three years. 

Feb. 17, 1693-94, John Woodcock, Sen., of Rehoboth (with Joanna ' 
his wife), for £390 money in hand received, conveys to John Devotion, 2 of 
" Muddy River, formerly of Boston," a tract of land containing two hundred 
and ten acres, being "at a place commonly called ten mile river, by a high- 
way called Wrentham lane," etc., " with the mansion or dwelling house, barn, 
and all other out-housing and buildings (the Smith's shop only excepted 
standing on the river) ; " 3 also about thirty acres lying on the northwest side 
of the country road formerly given to his son, John Woodcock, bounded by 
Ten Mile River, etc., with his son's dwelling house and barn on the same. 
" John Devotion took quiet possession of the same April 9th 1694, in presence 
of Nathaniel Brentnall, William Chaplin." In this conveyance to Devotion 
is the following curious item: "Also, all the said John Woodcock, his right 
to, and privilege in, a house and pasture at Wrentham for accommodation of 
his family and horses on Sabbath days and other public times, as occasion 
may be." As we have seen, he formerly had a house at Rehoboth for a 
similar purpose. From this and other records it appears that Woodcock and 
his family were very attentive to public, worship. 

Woodcock laid out the ancient burying-ground near his house. In the 
above-mentioned conveyance is the following reservation : " Except a small 
parcel of at least six rods square or the contents thereof, for a burying place, 
in which my wife and several of my children and neighbors are interred, with 
liberty for my children and neighbors to come upon and make use therof 
forever as occasion may be." 

John Devotion occupied the premises more than seventeen years. He left 
no descendants here ; and after selling his estate removed to Wethersfield, and 
afterwards to Suffleld, Conn., where a brother, Ebenezer Devotion, 4 was 
settled. His wife's name was Hannah, probably Taylor. 

July 10, 1711, John Devotion, for £400 money paid, conveys the said 



1 Second wife, to whom he had been married some years. 

2 John Devotion was a graduate of Harvard College, and he had a son, John Devotion, who was a 
schoolmaster living in Swansea in 1710. 

3 A shop now stands on the same spot. 

4 Ebenezer Devotion was also a graduate of Harvard College. He taught school in Dorchester, 
and went to Suffleld, Conn., in 1709, was ordained in 1710, and remained there till his death, which 
occurred in 1739. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 95 

farm containing two hundred acres, more or less, to John Daggett, of Chil- 
mark, in Dukes County, Martha's Vineyard (the first of that name who 
settled in this town?), with twenty-five acres on "Nine Mile Run" (except 
two acres, the barn and orchard on it later — in 1833 — in possession of 
Peuticost Blackinton). " Also, one whole share in the undivided lands in 
Attleborongh." 

April 16, 1722, John Daggett, for £550, sells the same to Alexander Maxcy, 
" being his homestead, containing one hundred and seventy acres in two parts 
on the Ten Mile River, &c. at a place called Mount Hope Hill." l The said 
Maxcy died in about a year after this purchase. At the division of his estate, 
in 1730, the establishment passed into the hands of his oldest son, Josiah 
Maxcy. After his death, in 1772, if not before, it came into the possession 
of his son, Levi Maxcy, who occupied it till about 1780, when he sold it to 
Colonel Israil Hatch. 

Mr. Hatch was born in this town in 1754, and while he was a boy was " put 
out to work," at Deacon Stearns' who lived in what is now Plaiuville. On 
coming of age he commenced life for himself as a driver on a mail stage over 
the old post road between Boston and Providence. Later he owned a stage 
for himself, and carried passengers over the same road. He was engaged for a 
short time in the war of the Revolution, was in Sullivan's expedition to Rhode 
Island, in Captain Alex. Foster's Company, in Colonel Thomas Carpenter's 
Regiment. About 1780, as before seen, he purchased the old garrison house 
of Levi Maxcy, and continued keeping a public house there until his death, 
though he was also at different times proprietor of several hotels in Boston ; 
one on State Street — Exchange Hotel — from which many daily stages started 
out ; one where the Adams House now is, and another on Tremont Street, or 
perhaps Washington Street, where it is said he kept a hotel called the " White 
Horse." The following stanza on its bulletin board proclaimed the advan- 
tages of this hostelry to travelers : — 

From Attleboro' sirs, I came, 
Where once I did yon entertain. 
And now shall here, as there before. 
Attend you at my open door. 
, Obey all orders with dispatch, 
I'm sirs, 

Your servant, 

Israel Hatch. 

During his sojourn in Boston, on June 8th, 1789, he was appointed captain 
in the first regiment, in the first brigade and first division of the militia of 
the Commonwealth. September 2G, 1789, he was appointed major in the 
same regiment. He received these appointments from the governor, as may 
be seen by the original certificates now in the possession of a descendant, 



1 So called to this day. 



96 A SKETCH OF THE 

which contain the bold signature of "His Excellency .John Hancock. Esq. 
Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." The certificate of his 
taking- the oath is signed " Peter Green, Lt. Col. Comd'r." He resigned 
April 20, 1790. 

Though he resided in Boston for a number of years, he continued to keep 
the tavern in the old garrison house, and about 1800 he returned to Attleborough 
to live. 

He was one of the chief projectors of the Boston and Providence Turn- 
pike, was one of the contractors and himself built quite a portion of it. 
March 24, 1801. a patent was issued to him for '.' a new and useful improve- 
ment in the mode of making and discharging chain and cleaver shot." This 
shot was applicable to " ships, batteries, and all modes of warfare." This 
patent, still in existence, is on real parchment, and bears the signature of 
Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States, and that of Levi Lincoln, 
Attorney General and acting Secretary of State. 

During the war of 1812 Colonel Hatch took great interest in the harbor 
defences. February 21, 1811, he was appointed .Justice of the Peace, and 
the commission was "for seven years or during good behavior," signed by 
•• Elbridge Gerry. Governor." He was the first postmaster appointed in the 
town and he received the first appointment in 1789. His second appoint- 
ment as "Deputy Post Master" was issued February 21, 1805, by " Gid n . 
Granger. Post Master General." 

Colonel Hatch had in various ways, both as innkeeper and public 
man, intercourse with many of the great men of his time. Among the 
valuable papers he left is a letter, relating to some military affairs, from 
John Quincv Adams, and another regarding his patent franked by James 
Madison. 

He married Lois Holmes of the same family as that known still in the 
Holmes neighborhood. They had six children: Israil, Sally. Lucy. Fanny, 
George, and Joseph. Lucy married John Stephen Fuller. a native of this 
town who kept the " Half Way House" on the turnpike, in Walpole, called 
"Polley's." It was a celebrated and popular tavern in the days of stage 
coaches from Boston to Providence, and everybody was anxious to dine there 
on the passage. Fuller was the landlord who created its reputation, which 
lasted till stage travel had ended. 

Most of this family were remarkable for their longevity. Fanny, who- 
became Mrs. Washington Pearee, lived to be ninety-three. Israel died 
December 18. 1875, aged eighty-four years, seven months, and twelve days : 
and his wife died ten days later, aged eighty-five years, ten months, and fif- 
teen days; Sally died October 11, 1854. aged seventy-rive ; George in 1872, 
ased eighty ; Joseph, who was a prominent physician in North Attleborough, 
died September 13, 1855. aged fifty-nine years, eleven months, the only one 
of the family who did not reach great age. Five of the six children survived 




1. "'Old Cooper House." 2. "Aunt Cynthia Hatch House"; addition to Woodcock's 
Garrison, built between 1730-40. 3. "Old Blackinton House." 4. "Old Pierce 

House." o. "Old Walcott House," Watery Hill, burned in 1892; over 200 years old. 
6. Residence of Capron Wilmarth, built about 1819. 7. " Josiah Draper House," built 
by Josiah Maxcy over 150 years a$>:o. 8. Hatch House, built in 1806. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 97 

both father and mother, for Mrs. Hatch died January 23, 1831, when in her 
seventy-ninth year. 

Colonel Hatch had a long career of usefulness in various public capacities. 
" In character he was extremely vigorous and enterprising, always seemed 
anxious to take hold of new and extensive projects, and to see them carried 
through. He was often engaged in large operations of various kinds, and 
was in his day a very influential man." During the days of his proprietor- 
ship the Hatch House dispensed its hospitality to many famous persons. 
Such illustrious men as Washington and Lafayette dined there ; such as John 
Quincy Adams, Commodore Hull, Commodore Bainbridge, General Winfield 
Scott, President Monroe, and Daniel Webster. 

The old garrison house was torn down in 1806, and a large and elegant 
building erected on the spot, fifty-eight by sixty feet, and three stories high. 
It thus appears that the first building erected on the place stood one hundred 
and thirty-six years. A great part of the timber was said to be perfectly 
sound, pierced, however, by many a bullet received in Philip's war. A relic of 
this house, it is said, was preserved in the Massachusetts Historical Society. 
It was the original building only that was taken down. An addition bnilt at 
an early period was moved a little back, where it now stands, " carved o'er 
with many a long-forgotton name." Up to 1830 a small remnant, one room, 
of the old garrison might be seen adjoining the wood house. The addition, 
after its removal, was used as a storehouse for liquors, a place for their sale, 
and also a barroom where friendly " spirits" could meet and drink and chat 
leisurely together. This was finally arranged as a dwelling house, and was, 
until quite recently, occupied by members of the family. Its framework of 
oak timber, twelve to fourteen inches square, is apparently in excellent pres- 
ervation, and doubtless still strong enough to defy the ravages of time for 
many years to come. 

The new building had four rooms on the first floor, about twenty-four feet 
square. A wide hall ran the full length of the house in the three stories. 
The second floor contained five rooms and the third floor seven, while above 
was a large open attic. The wing contained three rooms — the kitchen and 
a barroom with dancing hall above. The sign is still in existence and in the 
possession of one of Colonel's Hatch's grandchildren. 1 It is about five feet by 
four, with a strong iron frame above the top by which to hang it. The out- 
side border of the sign is painted a vivid green with a narrow inside border- 
ing of red. The centre is painted white with a stately looking steamboat on 
it and a landscape in the background. At the top, in large letters, is painted 
" Steam Boat Hotel " — for that was the real name of the famous old tavern ; 
"I Hatch," below, and "painted by Barron, Pawtucket." It has swung in 
many a breeze and buffeted with many a fierce storm without the ancient inn 



1 Mrs. W. H. Goodhue, who has also the interesting papers previously referred to. — Editor. 



D8 A SKETCH OF THE 

door, but it announced in all weathers the same abundant comfort and good 
cheer within. It ought to be placed in some public place — a proper room 
or building — and there carefully preserved as an interesting relic of those 
" good old times," now forever passed away. 

Colonel Hatch died .May 19, 1837, iu the eighty-third year of his age. He 
kept the tavern until about a year before his death, and his sou, Captain 
Israil Hatch, kept it until 1839 or 1840. Since then it has been used for 
dwellings. Its pristine glory has departed. It is at present quite dilapi- 
dated aud fast falling to decay, and not a trace of the original old garrison 
remains. After the death of Colonel Hatch the author was appointed 
administrator of the estate. He collected, among other claims, the proceeds 
of Colonel Hatch's five shares in the turnpike — sold the outlots, and after- 
wards sold that part of the famous farm which was the main or largest part 
of it, to k ' Draper and Tiff t " (Josiah Draper and John Tifft). and divided 
the spacious mansion among his heirs-at-law, three sons and two daughters. 
It was finally owned by Mr. H. F. Barrows, Mrs. E. I. Richards, and Mrs. 
W. H. Goodhue, the latter the only desceudant who had a share in it for a 
number of years. 

Thus its career as a public house ended ; thus were closed up the records 
of this old historic tavern, one hundred and seventy years after Woodcock 
first opened its doors as an k ' ordinary" ; thus this venerable institution which 
had watched the passing of six generations of men on the stage of life was 
laid to rest in its grave. What changes it had witnessed ! First it was in the 
domain of Massasoit, Pockanocket ; then a part of the Old Colony ; next in 
the Massachusetts Bay Colony ; then in the Province of Massachusetts Bay ; 
and last in the free, independent State of Massachusetts, under its own con- 
stitution iu the United States. Beneath that shelter may its grave remain 
undisturbed forever.' 

Several families settled near Mr. Blackstone's seat previous to the war. 
Johu Fitch was one of these settlers. His grave is mentioned in the laying 
out of the lauds adjoiuiug Blackstone's, and some others had lands near him, 



1 On the morning of January 20th, 1S93, a fire partially destroyed this buildiug. A paragraph in an 
article written at the time shows to what "base uses " the noble old structure had been subjected. 
" For the last quarter of a century the house has been falling into disuse and decay and has been 
chiefly noted for the drunken brawls which have taken place in it. The great dining hall has been 
a nesting place for birds and tramps, and the old southeast room, in which some of the world's 
great men had peacefully slept, was used as a cobbler shop. In this room the fire caught, and 
the entire building is now but little more than a shell. The heavy timbers in the walls resisted the 
fire, but the roof has fallen in, and the old barn-like structure which has attracted the attention of the 
curious for the last decade, and been an unsightly place in the town, will probably be pulled down iu 
the spring." The truly unsightly ruin was left for several months, but at length what was left was 
torn down. It is sail to record this the " untimely end " of the " Old Hatch House," and to anticipate 
the speedy sweeping away of all visible traces of a place so famous in our early history. The adja- 
cent building on the south — the modernized "addition" to the old garrison house — is all that now 
remains of this " ancient landmark," and when new buildings rise on the spot it will be difficult to 
recall with any degree of satisfaction what once was here in " ye good old times." 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. 99 

and in one case a house is named. This is probably the one mentioned in the 
following record — that of the laying out of highways, which it would seem 
were among the earliest laid out within the limits of the town : — 

Alexander Balkcom, John Stevens, Ebeu. Tyler, Samuel Tyler, John Daggett, John Savage, 
Avery ? Savage, Jury to lay out roads, Oct. 3d and 4th 1084. 

Laid out the Country road towards Mendon and Dedham, viz. the R. to Ded. from the gate 
at the N. W. end of the town, through the lane and 2d division and great Plaiue in the ancient 
road, and along that road until it come to the heap of stones upon the ten Mile hill, to the 
Massachusetts line; wh. way we have laid out 4 R. wide except it be between John Wood- 
cock's land where it is laid out 40 feet or upwards. Likewise the s'd Jury laid out a country 
highway to Medfield from the aforesaid Country highway to Dedham, viz. between John 
Woodcock's land 40 feet wide to the Hue aforesaid. Likewise a way leading to Abbots Run 
where the way comes that comes from Prov. that leads to Dedham, and along in that road 
westerly until it comes to John Stephenson's lot; and through his lot and a part of John 
Blackstone's land along until it comes to Isaac Allen's house, and by his fence straight betwixt 
two hills to meet with s'd road. Moreover, s'd Jury laid out a road from Pawtucket river 
40 ft. wide by the river in John Blackstoue's land to meet the way that leads to Mendon. 

From Froprietors Records of Rehoboth 

Wooster Carpenter, Clerk. 

Another early settlement was at the Falls (so called), later Falls Factories, 
now Attleborough Falls. The natural advantages of a fine fall of water 
attracted the settlers to this spot. The banks of rivers were generally selected 
by the first occupants on account of the "natural meadows" which they 
afforded, and which were highly valued at a time when the face of the 
country was largely covered with forests. 

The first person who laid out lands at the latter place, as near as can be 
ascertained from the records, was John Daggett, of Rehoboth, who, in Octo- 
ber, 1677, sold fifty acres of them to his brother, Thomas Daggett, of 
Martha's Vineyard. Edward Hall ' also at an early period owned fifty acres 
here, which he gave by will to his son John, and he sold it to John Stevenson 2 
and Samuel Penfield ; the latter sold it in 1686 to Thomas Daggett, of Edgar- 
town, and Joseph and Nathaniel Daggett, of Rehoboth, these last two being 
sons of John Daggett the first, of that town, and first owner of lands in this 
place. 3 This was the land immediately around the Falls, including the privi- 



1 Then of Rehoboth, previously of Taunton. Admitted a freeman of Massachusetts May 2d, 1638. 
One John Hall was admitted May 14th, 1034, and another May 6th, 1635. Edward had seven children — 
John, born before his father came to Rehoboth, Samuel, Jeremiah, Thomas, Preserved, Andrew, 
Benjamin, from 1656 to 166S. 

- Was this John Stevenson son-in-law of William Blackstone? 

3 This was John the 2d, son of John the 1st, of Watertown and Martha's Vineyard, and lie was 
bom in England about 1625 or 1626. He appears to have gone to Rehoboth (with his father on his 
removal from Watertown about 1644), shortly subsequent to the settlement of that place. He was one 
of the original shareholders in the North Purchase lands, and one of the early settlers of Rehoboth. 
In 1651 he was married in Rehoboth to Anne Sutton, and they had live children. He appears not to 
have lived up on all occasions to the rigid requirements of his times, but sometimes indulged in what 
may be termed " freedom of speech," as may be seen by the following record : " June 1, 1663. John 
Doged of Rehoboth being by Capt. Willett convicted of 2 lyes, is fined 20 shillings." [See Doggett- 
Daggett History.] Whether this was a deliberate or unpremeditated act must be left to conjecture, 



100 A SKETCH OF THE 

lege. The first mill built there was a " Corn Mill," owned or occupied by 
the above-named Joseph Daggett, at what time is not known. This was 
doubtless the first mill in town. March 30, 1703, the town voted that Joseph 
Das^ett, of Rehoboth, have the privilege " that the stream at the Ten Mile 
River Falls shall go free of all sorts of taxes until a Corn mill has the con- 
stant custom of three score families ; and if a saw mill be built, that to bear 
his equal share in public charges in said town." 

Thomas Butler l also laid out lands near the mill. 

The southeast corner of the town was early inhabited by people from 
Rehoboth. The borders of the Bay road, which passed through the neigh- 
borhood of Newell's and " the city," were occupied by some of the first 
settlers. This was the main route from Bristol to Boston, and was the first 
road in the town. It has been said that this road was not town built, but 
was constructed by outsiders, simply passing through the town's territory, 
and that the first highway laid out by those having an interest in the territory 
itself was the one mentioned in the record above quoted — the Mendon road. 



as the records furnish no clew to attending circumstances. As he subsequently held several town 
offices and was a man of some position in Rehoboth, — a place where the standard of respectability 
was as high as in any other settlement, — he is entitled to the " benefit of the doubt." During King 
Philip's war, when some advance of money was made, he contributed a considerable sum, the 
•equivalent of perhaps four or five hundred dollars at the present time. He died in 1707. 
1 There were three of the name of Butler in town. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 101 



CHAPTER IV. 

PROCEEDINGS OF THE PROPRIETORS. INDIAN WAR. PROCEEDINGS OF 

THE TOWN. 

PROCEEDINGS OF THE PROPRIETORS. 

rT^HE proprietors of the Rehoboth North Purchase soon became a distinct 
_L body from the town, arid kept separate books. Before proceeding to 
other parts of the history of this town, it may be proper to detail some of 
the transactions of the proprietors which will throw light on our early history 
and give a view of the difficulties which they had to encounter in the 
settlement. 

The 4i Proprietors' Books" commence in 1672. Previous to this their pro- 
ceedings were recorded in the Rehoboth town books. A certain company — 
consisting of inhabitants of Rehoboth — purchased, as already appears, a 
certain tract of land of the Indians, through their agent, and the title was 
confirmed by the government, 1 and the tract was called the Rehoboth North 
Purchase. There were eighty-two purchasers or shareholders, seventy-six 
of whom had whole shares and six half-shares, making seventy-nine whole 
shares. 2 What consideration was paid for the purchase does not appear, 
but some idea of the amount may be suggested by that paid to Philip for 
"six miles square or the quantity thereof," the territory now Wrentham. 
Captain Willett negotiated for that tract, and Philip received for it the sum 
of £24. s.10. 

People from Wannamoisett (Swansea) and some residents of other places 
soon purchased shares in the association ; some removed in the course of a 
few years, and sold their rights to others, and thus the proprietors became 
a distinct body from the town of Rehoboth and conducted their business 



J No purchase of Indian lands was valid without the grant or confirmation of the government. See 
Old Colony Statutes. 

2 An error is apparent in this list of 1672, for 80>£ instead of 79 shares are represented. There were 
82 purchasers, and of these 76 were interested in whole shares, but they held between them 77^ shares, 
as may be seen by examination, which with the 6 half-shares additional makes a total of 80J^. The 
only explanation seems to be that in reckoning up the number of shares the three extra ones held by 
the men owning two full shares each were allowed to offset the three persons holding one share to- 
gether. An entire share was thus lost in the count, and the extra half-share ascribed to John Wood- 
cock was overlooked. This is not of vital importance, and few would take the trouble to examine 
the list, but as some curious person might do so, the apparent error is noticed. It is possible the 
author might have made some mistake in figures in copying the list, but he was usually so correct in 
such matters that we incline to the belief that the fault lay with the reckoning of the proprietors 
themselves. — Editor. 



102 -4 SKETCH OF THE 

under a separate organization. They called their meetings by warrant from 
a justice of the peace, and elected their own officers, moderators, recording 
clerks, standing committees, and surveyors for laying out lands, and passed 
by-laws for the regulation of their proceedings. The course of proceeding 
was at a regular meeting of the proprietors called for the purpose to vote a 
dividend of so many acres to a share. The proprietor would then, after 
fixing upon his location, call upon the surveyor and committee to assign him 
the amount of his dividend, and make return of it in writing to the clerk, 
who would record it on the proprietors' books, aud this would constitute his 
title. A transfer of a share might be made by deed, a record of the sale 
being entered in the proprietors' books, or a person might obtain a title to 
lands by purchasing of a proprietor a right to lay out a certain number of 
acres in a division already granted, which would be recorded to him in the 
same manner as to the original owner. 

The grant was first made to such inhabitants of Rehoboth as held a fifty- 
pound estate and upwards, they having made the purchase ; but in 1670 all 
who were then inhabitants of that town were admitted as proprietors, by 
entering their names, as appears by the following extract from a court order 
passed October 7th, 1670 : — 

" Whereas the lands on the northerly side of Rehoboth now sold by deed 
and passed over to the proprietors of that town, viz., to all that hold lands 
there from a fifty pounds estate and upwards ; yet by mutual agreement 
amongst themselves all the inhabitants were taken in to be joint purchasers, it 
is determined that the names of such as were not comprehended in the above 
mentioned deed shall be entered in their town records and in the public 
records of the colony, to be, if they desire it, as full aud equal purchasers 
and proprietors in those lands as the rest." 

These lands were at first exempted from full taxation, " to accommodate 
the poorer sort with land and yet so as not to oppress them as much other- 
wise." The court ordered kt that all the North lands, both farms and else," 
should be taxed in a rate separate from the town of Rehoboth, aud should 
pay thirty shillings in a £40 rate to the colony, and in the same proportion 
in the ministerial and other charges, " until the Court shall see cause other- 
wise to dispose concerning them, until which time they shall be and remain 
within the Constablerick of the township of Rehoboth." October 7th, 1670. 
The proprietors sometimes exercised legislative powers, which were, how- 
ever, to some extent, authorized by statute : — 

June 10, 1707. "Voted, that all who have lands laid out in the North 
Purchase and have not renewed their bounds since the 1st of March last, 
shall, between this date and the last of September next, renew the same, or 
forfeit the sum of ten shillings to be recovered as a debt due : the one half to 
the informer, and the other half to the Proprietors, any one of whom are 
authorized to prosecute this act." 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 103 

At the same meeting it was ordered that all the timber cut on the undivided 
lands should be forthwith seized ; and a committee was appointed to hear 
and determine by what right it was cut, and if found without good right, 
then to take the methods of the law in that case provided. 

September 16, 1707. "Voted that the committee, with the surveyor, 
shall lay out all needful highways for the Proprietors in said Purchase, and 
make restitution to persons whose lands are taken for this purpose in any 
of the undivided lands." A large proportion of the highways in this town 
were laid out by the proprietors, accompanied by the selectmen. 1 

November, 1708. 2 The proprietors chose a committee to look after the 
northerly bounds of their purchase. At this time commenced the long and 
tedious contest 3 about the northern boundary of the purchase which was 
the Old Colony line. The subject was discussed at every meeting, and com- 
mittees often appointed to devise means of protecting the rights of the pur- 
chasers. Petitions were sent to the General Court, counsel were employed to 
defend their rights ; and finally a petition and an agent were sent to England. 

July 21, 1714. Voted, "that two acres of land on the hill before Mr. 
David Freeman's, where the Burying place now is, shall be laid out for a 
Burying place for Attleborough." This is the graveyard near the village 
called " the city." 

June 13, 1717. "Voted unanimously that Col. Nath'l Paine Esq. Mr. 
Richard Waterman Esq. Lieut. Anthony Sprague, Mr. Dan. Jenks, and 
Mr. Dan. Smith be a committee to see to the Northerly bounds, hereby giving 
them full power to act in all respects in behalf of the whole Propriety con- 
cerning running the line between Attleborough, Wreutham, 4 and Dedham, 
where it ought lawfully to be stated according to our purchase deed." 

July 14, 1717. The committee were authorized to defend all suits of law 
" that may be commenced by any person or persons against the Propriety, 
and to empower any attorney or attornies that may be needful for advice ; 
and further to commence any action or actions that they may think proper 
for the benefit of the said Propriety." 

November 2, 1720. Voted, "that the former Committee still proceed 
with their Petitions even until they send to England about the right of our 
northern line (if they canuot be heard in our own government), and that 
the expense be paid by the proprietors according to their several interests." 



1 See Ply. liec, Vol. 2, ps. 32, 36, 3", 38, 39, 62, 63, 77. 

■ The first commission for settling the line or boundary between Plymouth and Massachusetts was 
issued June 4, 1639. See l'ly. Bee, vol. 1, p. 127. (Given at large there.) 

•'■ The cause of the dispute was the erroneous running of the line by the commissioners in 1661-64, and 
the acceptance of the line by them. From that time a coniroversy commenced and continued for 
years at great expense. Taunton N. P. and Rehoboth N. P. united in trying to rectify the line, but 
Massachusetts held them strictly to the compact, though the error was evident. 

4 The Wampanoags' territory extended into Wrentham, etc., to Chiekatawbat's lands. See Clarke's 
Hist, of Xorton. 



104 A SKETCH OF THE 

Voted, "that one hundred acres of undivided land be sold to defray the 
expenses of defending the northern line." 

At a subsequent meeting in 1752 the clerk was authorized to sell to any 
of the proprietors seventy-nine and one-half acres of undivided land at eight 
shillings lawful money per acre. 

Feb. 21, 172G-27. Voted " that any person or persons who will sue for our 
rights in the laud challenged by Dorchester or Stonghton, Wrentham and 
Bellingham, and to the South of Nath. Woodward and Solomon Saffray's line, 
and on the north of the town, and all that part that lieth within their challenge, 
shall have the fourth part of said tract if they recover it to the use of the 
Propriety." Major Leonard, Esq., Captain John Foster, and Ensign Daniel 
Peck appeared in said meeting and accepted the offer. 

It is not often that the dull, monotonous pages of a laud record are enliv- 
ened by the poetic effusions of a rhymster, but the record books of the 
Rehoboth North Purchase have one such specimen, constituting the founda- 
tion of a land title. In these days there lived in town one Joshua Barrows, 1 
a very well known extempore rhymster, said to be, however, entirely illiterate 

unable either to read or write. He was eccentric in his habits and quite a 

poetizer, of whose productions many specimens were long remembered, and 
of whose wit and eccentricity tradition long preserved numerous amusing 
anecdotes. His productions were sometimes satirical and personal as well 
as humorous. He seems to have suffered the common fate of poets, poverty. 
He appeared at a meeting of the proprietors, June 5, 1727, aud presented a 
petition in rhyme, begging for a donation for himself of some of the undivided 
lands. The petition is spread on the records of the propriety at full length, 
aud is as follows : — 

Your Houors now I do implore 
To read my poor petition ; 
I hope your hearts will open be 
To pity my condition. 

Ten acres of the Common Land 
I pray that you would give : 
Then thankful T will be to you 
A.s long as I do live. 

Such a kindness, I must confess, 
From you I don't deserve; 
But when in health, I freely work — 
Why should you let me starve? 

From day to day my daily bread 
I get it by my sweat : 
But to my sorrow, I beg and borrow 
When sickness doth me let. 



> Son of John Barrows of Plymouth, who had several sons, Benaih, Joshua, etc. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 105 

No more in rhyme here at this time, 
No more I have at hand. 
And so I'll end, your faithful friend 
Aud servant to command, 

Joshua Barrows. 
Attleborough, June 5th 1727. 

The prayer of this petition our good-humored forefathers could not refuse. 
"Upon the hearing of the aforesaid petition of Joshua Barrows, there were 
sundry persons in said meeting, which were proprietors, which gave him land 
to take up upon their rights — their names are as followeth," etc. — making in 
the whole thirteen acres, which were laid out and recorded to him. 

It appears from the report of a committee that an agent was actually 

employed in England to defend their boundaries. In their account are the 

following items : — 

£ s. d. 

Paid for silver money to send to England 21 17 6 

Paid to Nath. Brown for carrying the money to Boston to send 

to England 2 02 6 

To expense at Providence when both committees met there to 
wait on Gov. Jencks, and writing to send to England 
after his return from England, &c. ^c 1 7 6 

Jan. 3, 1750-51. " Chose Col. Thomas Bowen, Maj. John Foster and 
Capt. Samuel Tyler a committee, fully empowering them to prepare a petition 
praying the General Court that some effectual method may be taken for the 
perfecting of a straight line from the middle of Accord Pond (so called) west- 
ward to that station which is three English miles south of the southernmost 
part of Charles River, agreeable l to a settlement made by the Government of 
New Plymouth and the Massachusetts in the year 1640." 2 

Sept. 26, 1751. "Made choice of James Otis, 3 of Boston, and John 
Foster of Attleborough, Esqrs. a committee in addition to Benjamin Day 
and Nathaniel Smith (chosen at a former meeting,) to present a petition to 
be heard at the General Court at their next session, and to pursue said petition 
until it is fully determined by said Court ; and to petition anew if need be, to 
have the line settled on the northerly part of our Purchase." 

May 19, 1752. "Chose a committee and gave them full power to eject 
any person or persons out of the possession of those lands they have pos- 
sessed themselves of, within the North Purchase Grant, without the consent 
of the Proprietors, as also full power to sue and pursue any action brought 
for the purpose, to final judgment and execution." 

May 27, 1754. The committees of Rehoboth North Purchase and Taunton 
North Purchase entered into an agreement to commence actions of ejectment 



1 See agreement of Massachusetts and Plymouth on the boundaries, Ply. Col. Laivs, p. 335. 

2 For fuller description of controversy see Mis. chapter. 

3 Was this James Otis the celebrated orator? 



106 A SKETCH OF THE 

against persons who had intruded upon their respective purchases, the costs to 
be borne equally by the two proprieties. 

Divisions of laud in the North Purchase have been made among the pro- 
prietors at different times, as follows : — 

1 A division of 50 acres to a share was granted March IS, 166S-9 

" 5! 

3 

4 

5 ., 

6 

T 

10 
11 
12 
13 

The most valuable parts of this purchase were taken up by these divisious 
many years since. A small but broken and unproductive fragment, and the 
last remnant of this common and undivided land, still remained on Cutting's 
Plain (so called) on the road from East Attleborough at the time this history 
was first published (1834), but since that time it has all been divided. 

From their records and the extracts which have been made, it appears that 
the proprietors made their own regulations, gave their own titles to lands, and 
in fact enacted all their laws relative to the ownership and the original con- 
veyance of lands included in their purchases. 

NAMES OF THE CLERKS OF THE PROPRIETY. 



50 „ 


5? 


55 


,, 


»» 


Feb. 18, 16S4 


50 acres 


in 2 


parts 


25 acres 


each 


Oct. 81, 1699 


50 acres 


in 2 


lotments 




1703 


.">(> acres 


was 


gran 


ted 




June 10, 1707 


50 „ 


•» 


?» 






July 21, 1714 


20 „ 


V 


,, 






Feb. 21, 1726-7 


10 „ 


>J 


55 






April 14, 1735 


3 „ 


•> 


55 






April 4, 1760 





V 


>» 






1793 




- J) 


>5 


» 






1801 


1 „ 


>» 


55 






1820 


1 „ 


„ 


55 






May 10, 1833 






William Carpenter, Jr., chosen May 17, 1682 
Daniel Smith ,, May 31, 1703 

Xn.vH Carpenter „ April 23, 1724 

John Bobbins, Jr. „ May 1, 1752 

John Daggett „ Dec. 9, 1763 

Ebenezer Daggett ,, July 1, 1793 



&*~' 



He continued till his death, March 4, 1832. Lucas Daggett was chosen 
May 10, 1833, and was the last of the clerks of the propriety. 

The last record of fhe laying out of common or proprietors' land is by 
Lucas Daggett, Clerk, March 15, 1839. He laid out to Hartford Ide "61 
rods of land, more or less." 

INDIAN WAR. 

The few events connected with this war which occurred here should not 
be omitted in the history of the town. 

' The peaceful regions which we now inhabit once resounded with the shrill 
and terrible warwhoop of the Indian. These fields and woods, these hills 
and vales were once trod bv the wild hunters of the forest. Tbev were the 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 107 

domain of another race of men, who have long since passed away and are 
kuown only by the brief histories and scattered relics which their conquerors 
have preserved. But whatever relates to them is interesting. They were dis- 
tinguished by many peculiarities. They had their savage vices, but possessed 
at the same time their savage virtues. They were hardy, bold, and warlike. 

The most important and critical period in the history of the colony was the 
Indian war of 1675-76. This was a gloomy and fearful period to these 
infant settlements. The hour of their destruction seemed to be drawing- 
nigh. They were a scattered people — spreading over a wide extent of 
territory — peculiarly exposed in their lives and property to Indian depreda- 
tions. The approaching contest required all the patience, fortitude, and cour- 
age which men are ever called to exercise. They had to contend against fear- 
ful odds. Nearly all the New England tribes, embracing many thousand 
warriors, had combined for their destruction, guided by the matchless genius 
of a chief versed in all the arts of savage warfare. It was a war of exter- 
mination — a contest for victory in which there was no quarter, no mercy. 

In April, 1676, the Indians, having suffered several severe defeats iu a 
body, adopted a new mode of warfare, and dispersed themselves in small 
parties over the country, burning, killing, and destroying wherever opportunity 
offered. Among other outrages they attacked Woodcock's garrison, " killed 
one man, and one of Woodcock's sous, and wounded another, and burnt the 
son's house." Some circumstances conuected with this event appear to have 
been accurately preserved by tradition, from which and other sources are 
gathered the following particulars : — 

His sons were at work in a cornfield near the house. The Indians con- 
cealed in a wood adjoining this field — now the meadow on the east of the 
turnpike below the bridge — approached to its borders and suddenly fired upon 
them. The workmen fled to the garrison, leaving the dead body on the field. 
The Indians, to gratify their spite against the family, cut off the son's head, 
stuck it on a long pole, which they set up on a hill at some distance in front 
of the house, and in full view of the family, to aggravate their feelings as 
much as possible. From this time Woodcock swore never to make peace with 
the Indians. He ever after hunted them like wild beasts. He was a man of 
resolute and determined character, and tradition says that not a few fell vic- 
tims to his vengeance and a sacrifice to the manes of his murdered son. 

This attack was in April. The body of his son (whose name was Nathan- 
iel) was buried on the spot where he fell, nearly in the centre of the yard, 
which has ever since been reserved for a burying ground. This attack was 
in all probability between the date of Pierce's fight, March 26th, and April 
26th, 1676, and after the attack on Wreutham, when the town was burnt. 

Woodcock's son Nathaniel, as already mentioned, and a son-in-law were 
killed, and one of his sons was severely wounded by several bullets iu both 
shoulders. 



108 A SKETCH OF THE 

A detail of six soldiers had been sent to this garrison for its protection by 
the Plymouth government, as may be seen by Woodcock's petition to the 
General Court on this page. They had been temporarily withdrawn for 
service elsewhere, leaving him dependent upon his own resources and in 
great danger from these roving Indians. There were only fourteen persons 
living in his settlement at the time, consisting of his sons and daughters and 
sous-in-law, and including two or three others ; and probably a man by the 
name of Rocket, whose signature as a witness appears on several instruments, 
was one of them. 

Under these circumstances Woodcock applies to the authorities for aid and 
protection from both colonies. In his account he refers to his own losses 
and to the damage which Wrentham had already sustained by an attack of the 
Indians. His statements must be regarded as authentic and true, while they 
correct some mistakes of early historians. (Ancient accounts fix the date 
incorrectly in May.) He entreats the government to send him a surgeon to 
dress the wounds of his son, and thinks it might be safe for him if he came 
in the night time ; and he also begs that they would send him half a dozen 
soldiers to man his garrison and supply the place of those who had been 
stationed there before, but had been suddenly withdrawn. 

The following is the petition : — 

Honored Gover. and Council. 

I make bold to inform your Honors how God's afflictive hand is upon me and my family. 
God has been pleased to give the heathen commission to break in upon us, who have slain two 
of my family, and another of my sous sorely wounded, shot with several bullets in the 
shoulders — but in the midst of these our afflictions God hath shown us Marcy — I was encour- 
aged by our authority to keep my station, but of a sudden they were pleased to call on" my 
garrison soldiers, not giving me any warning, and I am in a very great strait what to do — we 
are but 14 of us and but six that bare arms — and most of us sick. I would intreat your 
Honors to consider our afflicted condition to send me some assistance for the present till my 
family is able to draw off — and as my house and family have been serviceable to the Country, 
I desire I may not be forgotten by both Colonies, but would intreat your Honors to send me 
half a dozen men to relieve my family, for if I were able to go away I could not carry my 
provisions away with me. I have near a hundred bushels of corn in my house besides other 
provisions — and T bless God for it, and am very loth to go away and leave it to the heathen. 
"We do judge there is not above twelve or sixteen Indians that have done all this evil to our 
neighbors at Wrentham — and I would intreat your Honors to send me a surgeon to dress my 
wounded son. I hope there is no danger to come if they come by night. Not to trouble you 
any further at present, begging your prayers, hoping God will move your hearts with 
compassion speedily to send us some relief— so I rest Yours to serve in what I may 

April the 26th John Woodcock 

I hope I shall be able to satisfy what charge will come upon me. 

It may be of interest to learn what effect this petition for assistance had 
upon the honorable gentlemen to whom it was addressed. 

At a meeting of the Council held at Boston, 17th of June 1676, at 8 of the clock — 
The Council being informed that the Indians are skulking to and again about Wrentham, 
"Woodcock's, (or Mouut Hope.) and have of late done mischief to the English. It is ordered 
that the Major of Suffolk issue out his orders forthwith for such a party as he judgeth it tit 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 109 

and necessary to repair to Dedham on 2d day next early, and range the woods to and again for 
the discovery, distressing and destroying of the enemy where ere they find them, — committing 
the conduct of that party to whom he sees mete, ordering it that each soldier be eompleatly 
armed with fire arms and ammunition and provisions for four days. 

past by the council, 

Edw. Rawson Sect'y. 

instructions tor capt. thomas bratts. 

Ordered to take 20 of his troops with such officers as he may choose, and an officer and ten 
troopers of Lieut. Halley's troope and march to Dedham. where are ordered to be an officer 
and 18 foot soldiers mounted, from Dorchester, 6 from Roxbury, and 24 from Dedham with 
an officer, all appointed to be at Dedham the rendevous this day at i P.M. 

Sc. 

You are to march with your troopers and dragoons to be at John Woodcock's by midnight 
where you shall meet with an Indian Pylot and his file of musketeers, which pylot has engaged 
to bring you upon Phillip and his company who are not above 30 men as he saith. and not 10 
miles from Woodcock's. Be sure to secure your pilot to prevent falsehood and escape. In 
case you meet not with a pylot at Woodcock's you are to send to Mr. Newman at Rehoboth 
and let him know of your being there. 

Whether Woodcock obtained the surgeon is not known, or the six men 
permanently, but we may presume he did, from this prompt attention — for 
those times of slow conveyance of news or needs — paid to his petition for 
assistance against the " skulking Indians," at that special crisis. These 
were certainly perilous times. 

Pierce's Fight. — This town was the scene of one of the most severe, 
bloody, and fatal battles fought during the war. It took place on Sunday, 
March 26th, 1676, in that part which is now Cumberland, R. I., near the 
Blackstone River. The place is still pointed out. 

The government of Plymouth, fearing that their settlements would be again 
attacked, after so many outrages had been committed in Massachusetts, 
ordered out a company for their defence, consisting of sixty-three English- 
men 1 and twenty Cape Indians,- under the command of Captain Michael Pierce, 
of Scituate. He immediately marched in pursuit of the enemy, who were 
supposed to be in the vicinity. He rendezvoused at the garrisou in Rehoboth 
on Saturday night. The next day, "having intelligence in his Garrison at 
Seaconicke that a party of the enemy lay near Mr. Blackstone's, he went 
forth with 63 English and 20 Cape Indians," and soon discovered four or five 
Indians in a piece of woods who pretended to be lame and wounded, but 



1 Fifty was the number ordered but they received some recruits while at Rehoboth. 

= This account differs in some respects from that given by Church, who states that there were only 
fifty whites and twenty Cape Indians. According to Newman's account there were fifty-two English 
killed, so there must have been more in the battle. I have relied, for the most of the particulars in 
this description, ou a " Continued Account of the Bloody Indian War from March till August 1()76," 
now in the hands of Mr. S. G. Drake, Boston. It was published in Loudon the same year, and 
contains a minute and apparently accurate detail of this battle and many of the other important 
events of the war. One volume (the above mentioned), containing three or four letters, has been, 
lately discovered, and was never reprinted in this country. This note has been almost unchanged 
since 1834. Therefore refers to that time. — Editor. 



110 A SKETCH OF THE 

proved to be decoys to lead the whites into ambuscade, for they soon dis- 
covered five hundred more of the enemy. The Indian force in this battle 
was commanded by Canonchet, a Narragansett chief, who was soon after 
taken prisoner and executed. 

Pierce, though aware of their superiority of numbers, courageously pur- 
sued them when they began to retreat slowly ; but there soon appeared 
another company of four hundred Indians, who were now able completely to 
surround him. A party of the enemy were stationed on the opposite side 
of the river to prevent the English crossing ; they were thus attacked in 
front and rear by an overwhelming force. Thus all chance of retreat and 
all hope of escape were cut off. This was a most trying moment. But there 
was no flinching — no quailing. Each one knew that in all human proba- 
bility he must die on that field, and that too under the most appalling circum- 
stances, by the hand of a merciless enemy who sought their extermination. 
But bravely and nobly did they submit to their fate. Each one resolved to 
do his duty and sell his life at the dearest rate. They were truly, " The 
hopeless warriors of a willing doom." Wounds and death were alike in the 
hands of such a foe. The wounded must be reckoned with the killed. At 
such a time the awful warwhoop of the Indian would have sent a thrill of 
terror to the hearts of any but brave men. 

At this critical juncture Captain Pierce made an exceedingly judicious 
movement. He formed his men into a circle, back to back, with four spaces 
between each man, — thus enlarging the circle to its greatest extent, — pre- 
senting a front to the enemy iu every direction and necessarily scattering 
their fire over a greater surface ; whilst the Indians stood in a deep circle, 
one behind another, forming a compact mass and presenting a front where 
every shot must take effect. In the words of the account just referred to in 
the note, " Capt. Pierce cast his men into a ring, and fought back to back, 
and were double-double distance all in one ring, whilst the Indians were as 
thick as they could stand thirty deep." He thus made a brave resistance for 
two hours — all the while keeping the enemy at a distance and his own men 
in perfect order — and kept up a constant and destructive fire upon the 
Indians. But no courage or skill could prevail iu such an unequal contest 
or longer resist such a force. At last, overpowered by numbers, Captain 
Pierce and fifty-five English and ten Cape Indians were slain on the spot, 
" which in such a cause and upon such disadvantage may certainly be styled 
the bed of honor." ' But this victory was gained at a great sacrifice. The 
Indians lost as man} 7 , not counting women and children, as in the great 
swamp fight at Narragansett, which loss was computed at over three hundred. 
Other authorities state the number as 140, which in all probability is more 
nearlv correct. 



1 According to Newman the number slain was fifty-two English and eleven Cape Indians. 



HISTOB Y OF A TTLEB OR UGH. 1 ] 1 

Hubbard states that when Captain Pierce found what danger he was in he 
sent a messenger to Providence for assistance ; but the message not being 
delivered at once, the needed aid could not be furnished in time. A tradition 
in Seekonk says a message was sent by Pierce before he left the garrison 
there by a man who " attended meeting" in Providence. Not arriving until 
after the service had begun, he failed to deliver his letter to the captain to 
whom it was addressed, either from ignorance of its contents or " some other 
unaccountable cause," and so Captain Pierce and his handful of men had to 
fight their desperate and bloody fight alone. The captain, it is said, fell 
*' earlier than many others," and Amos, "one of his friendly Indians," 
bravely and honorably stood by his commander's side and fought " until 
affairs had become utterly desperate," and then made his escape " by 
blackening his face with powder," in imitation of the enemy. 

Bliss recounts the escape by strategy of several of these Indians. "One 
beiug closely pursued by a hostile Indian, sought shelter behind a large rock. 
Thus the two were watching in awful suspense to shoot each other. But 
Capt. Pierce's Indian, putting his cap on the end of his gun, raised it to 
the view of his enemy, who immediately fired at the cap, and the next 
moment was shot dead by the friendly Indian. Another in his flight, pre- 
tended to pursue an Englishman with an uplifted tomahawk, holding it in 
threatening attitude above his head, and thus escaped. A third, being 
closely pursued, took shelter behind the roots of a large tree that had been 
lately turned out of the ground, and the hostile Indian, coming up upon the 
opposite side, was lying in wait to shoot him on his deserting his station, 
when the friendly Indian, boring a hole through his broad shield, unobserved 
by the other, shot him dead." 

An important letter, written the day after the battle, the original copy of 
which is in the library of the American Antiquarian Society at Worcester, 
gives some facts with regard to this fight which may be taken as authentic, 
as it was written by the Rev. Noah Newman, the second minister of 
Rehoboth, to the Rev. John Cotton, of Plymouth. 

Rehoboth, 27 of the first, 1 '76. 
Reverend and dear Sir, 

I received yours dated the 20th of this instant wherein you gave me a doleful relation of 
what had happened with you, and what a distressing Sabbath you had passed. I have now, 
according to the words of your own letter, an opportunity to retaliate your account with a 
relation of what yesterday happened to the great saddening of our hearts, tilling us with an 
awful expectation of what further evils it may be autecedaueous to, both respecting ourselves 
and you. Upon the 25th of this instant, Capt. Pierce went forth with a small party of his men 
and Indians with him, and upon discovering the enemy fought him, without damage to himself, 
and judged that he had considerably damnified them. Yet he, being of no great force, chose 
rather to retreat and go out the next morning with a recruit of men. And accordingly he did, 
taking pilots from us, that were acquainted with the ground. But it pleased the Soverign 
Ood so to order it, that they were enclosed with a great multitude of the enemy, whicb hath 



1 Old Stvle, March first month. 



112 A SKETCH OF THE 

slain fifty-two of our Englishmen, and cloven Indians. The account of their names is as fol- 
lows. From Scituate, eighteen, of whom fifteen were slain, viz. Capt. Pierce, Samuel 
Russell. Benjamin Chittenden, John Lothrop, Gershom Dodson, Samuel Pratt, Thomas Savary, 
Joseph Wade. William Wileome. Jeremiah Barstow, John Ensigu. Joseph Cowen, Joseph 
Perry. John Bowse, [Rose] Marshtield, nine slain. —Thomas Little, John Earns. Joseph White. 
John Burrows, Joseph Phillips, Samuel Bump, John Low, More . John Brawer. Dux- 
bury, four slain. — John Sprague, Benjamin Soal, Thomas Hunt, Joshua Fobes. Sandwich, 
five slain, — Benjamin Nye, Daniel Bessey, Caleb Blake, Job Gibbs, Stephen Wing. Barnstable,. 

— six slain, — Lieut. Fuller, John Lewis, Eleazer C [probably Clapp], Samuel Linnet, 

Samuel Childs, Samuel Bereman. Yarmouth, five slain, — John Matthews, John Gage. William 
Gage, Henry ( .age. Henry Gold. Eastham. four slain, —Joseph Nessefield, John Walker. John 

M [torn off] , John Fitz, Jr. [Fitch] . John Miller. Jr. 1 Thomas Man is just returned with 

a sore wound. 

Thus sir, you have a sad account of the continuance of God's displeasure against us : yet 
still I desire steadfastly to look unto him, who is not only able but willing to save all such as- 
are fit for his salvation. It is a day of the wicked's tryumph. but the same word of God tells 
us his tryumphing is brief. that we may not lengthen it out by our sins. The Lord help us 
to joyne issue in our prayers, in>tantly and earnestly, for the healing and helping of our Land. 
Our Extremity is God's opportunity. 

Thus with our dearest respects to you and Mrs. Cotton, and such sorrowful friends as are 

with you, I remain 

Your ever assured friend, 

Noah Newman. 

It is astonishing to modern readers that the soldiers of the colonies, after 
so mneh experience of Indian warfare, should suffer themselves to be so 
often surprised and led iuto ambuscades. They had but little difficulty in 
subduing the enemy in anything like an open fight, which the enemy always 
avoided, if possible ; but their principal losses occurred when and where they 
incautiously marched iuto the Indians' ambuscades. It was a constant mode 
of warfare, and yet hardly a captain who led out his forces against this 
enemy did not suffer a defeat or great loss by a sudden surprise of his wily 
foe. It seems to us at this distance of time that there was a constant neglect 
of proper caution in this respect on the part of the colonists in their frequent 
contests with the natives. 

This was the sorest defeat which the colony of Plymouth suffered during 
the war and caused great distress everywhere, for the numbers lost amounted 
to about one third of its regular force. According to Church, not a single 
white man returned from this bloody and fatal battlefield ; but according to 
Newman, fifty-two of the sixty-three were killed, so some must have escaped. 

As soon as the Rehoboth people received information of the dangerous 
situation of Captain Pierce, they dispatched a company to his assistance, 
who arrived in season only to perform the last offices to the dead bodies of 
their countrymen. 

The courage and resolution displayed on this occasion deserve commenda- 
tion. These brave soldiers were entitled to the gratitude of the colony, for 



• These two were from Rehoboth. The letter doubtless contained two other names, John Read, 
Jr., and Benjamin Buckland, as they were entered on Rehoboth records as slain on that day. 
Fourteen names only are Riven from Scituate. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 113 

whose defence they had thus sacrificed their lives. They were taken by sur- 
prise and completely surrounded by a force ten times their superior in num- 
bers. Pierce was a bold and adventurous man — fear formed no part of his 
character. His men partook of his courage. They pushed forward, perhaps 
imprudently — and thus fell into the snare which then- enemy had prepared 
for them. Cousideriug the numbers engaged, it was doubtless the most 
warmly and closely contested of all the engagements which took place during 
that eventful period between the white and the red men. At the lowest esti- 
mate two hundred, and according to others nearly four hundred, were killed 
on both sides. History has recorded with applause every feat of bravery 
when performed on a more conspicuous station, whilst it has often over- 
looked the humble though equally meritorious exploit. It requires more 
true courage to die on such a field with such a foe than on the plains of 
Waterloo, amid "the pomp and circumstance of glorious war." All his- 
torians should call these men truly brave men, and laud them in no measured 
terms, for this was a most fearful encounter, and they met their deaths like 
heroes. 

The following adventure, in which "Old Woodcock" was engaged, is 
abridged from a communication in the Massachusetts Historical Collection, 
furnished by the research of the late Dr. Mann, formerly of Wrentham. It 
rests upon the authority of tradition, but appears to be well authenticated. 

A man by the name of Rocket, in searching for a stray horse, discovered 
a train of forty-two Indians, about sunset. From their appearance he sus- 
pected they intended to attack the settlement at Wrentham the next morning, 
after the men had dispersed to their work ; he therefore followed them 
secretly till they halted for the night, when he hastily returned to the settle- 
ment and gave notice to the inhabitants. A consultation was held, at which 
it was agreed to attack the Indians early the next morning. A company of 
thirteen, under the command of Captain A\ r are. was hastily collected from 
Wrentham and the vicinity, who, having secured the women and children 
and the infirm in the garrison, set out for the Indian encampment, where 
they arrived just before daylight, and were posted within a short distance, 
with orders to reserve their fire till the enemy began to decamp. 

Between daylight and sunrise the Indians suddenly rose from their resting 
places, when, upon a signal given, a general discharge was made, which 
threw them into the utmost consternation. Some, in their confusion, while 
attempting to escape, leaped down a precipice of rocks from ten to twenty 
feet in height, and some of the fugitives were overtaken and slain. Two of 
them, who were closely pursued, attempted to conceal themselves in " Mill 
Brook," where they were found and killed. It is related that one Woodcock 
discharged his long musket, called in those days a buccaneer, at a fugitive 
Indian at the distance of eighty rods, and broke his thigh bone and then 
killed him. 



114 A SKETCH OF THE 

The number of Indians killed was from twenty to twenty-four, and not 
one of the whites. The place where this bold adventure occurred is in that 
part of the ancient Wrentham which is now Franklin. The large rock where 
the Indians were encamped is to this day called Indian Rock. The time is 
not certainly ascertained ; but it was, without much doubt, in the spring or 
summer of 1676, when the Iudian forces were dispersed in parties throughout 
the country. Very probably it was soon after the attack on Woodcock's 
house and by the same party. 

This man Rocket, who was the means of obtaining this victory over the 
enemy, was one of the witnesses of the original government deed of the 
Rehoboth North Purchase. He used, it is said, to take his family to meeting 
ten miles to Rehoboth or five miles to Wrentham, over the rough tracks — 
they were hardly roads —of those early days, but in what manner we cannot 
be certain. January 5th, 1680, one Joseph Rocket married Mary Wilmarth, 
in Rehoboth. If it was the same man, she must have been a second wife, as 
this Joseph died July 27th, 1683. 

We are glad to know of one occasion even when the mode of warfare so 
continually practised by the red men was successfully adopted by our fore- 
fathers, and a complete surprise obtained, followed by the total rout of the 
enemy. 

Nine Men's Misery. —This is the name of a spot in Cumberland, R. I., 
where nine men were slain in Philip's war. This place is near the house of 
the late Elisha Waterman, Esq., just north of "Camp Swamp" (so called). 
The only circumstances of this event which I have gathered are these : A 
company of nine men were in advance of or had strayed from their party for 
some purpose, when they discovered a number of Indians near this spot, 
whom they immediately pursued and attacked ; but a large number of the 
enemv rushed out of the swamp and surrounded them. The whites, placing 
their backs to a large rock near by, fought with desperation till every one 
of them was killed on the spot. The rest of their party, who were within 
hearing of their guns, hastened to their succor, but arrived too late to render 
them any assistance. Their bodies were buried on the spot, which is now 
designated by a large pile of stones. 

I have seen no notice of this occurrence in history, but as to the main fact 
there can be no doubt. The bones of these men were disinterred (now many 
years ago) by some physicians for anatomical purposes, and were found 
nearly perfect. But the people in the vicinity insisted upon their being 
restored, which was accordingly done. One of the slain was ascertained to 
be a Bucklin, of Rehoboth, from the remarkable circumstance of a set of 
double front teeth which he was known to possess. 

The time when this happened none of my informants could tell, but there is 
some reason for believing that it was at or about the time of Pierce's fight. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 115 

The above account of the existence of " Nine Men's Misery " (or " Dead 
Men's Bones," as it was sometimes called) was received by the author from 
tradition, from intelligent persons living in the vicinity, who had been familiar 
with the locality during their lives, and who were descendants of those who 
settled and lived near the spot. As to the main fact, he felt there was no 
doubt, for such an event as the slaughter of nine men in one spot during 
the Indian war and their burial on the same spot would produce a deep 
impression on the minds of those living in that locality, and would be trans- 
mitted to succeeding generations, especially as some of the victims were their 
own friends and neighbors. The incidents and circumstances attending the 
event would be liable to uncertainty, but the existence of the large rock and 
the artificial mound of small stones would tend to confirm the tradition and 
indicate the place of burial. 

Since the publication of the above account a most singular and remarkable 
discovery has been made confirming the tradition as an historical fact. This 
is the letter of Rev. Mr. Newman, quoted on a previous page, which gives 
the names of the killed in Pierce's fight. The fact that the medical students, 
from curiosity or to verify the tradition, or other motives, did visit the spot 
and exhume the bodies, and prove their identity by that of Benjamin Buck- 
land (or Bucklin), of Rehoboth, from his unusually large frame and " double 
set of teeth all around," has also been substantiated. What is still more 
remarkable than the discovery of the letter, the author met a physician soon 
after the publication of this history, in 1834, who took pains to state that he 
had read the account of kt Nine Men's Misery," and was able to testify that 
it was substantially correct, as he was one of the ''medical gentlemen" 
present, and aided in the exhumation and finally examined the bones. Hav- 
ing this statement directly from his own mouth, it is personal knowledge of 
the event, so far as this fact shows. 

The questions arise — Who were the nine ? and When were they slain ? and 
What was the cause? This also is solved. There were four men from 
Rehoboth killed in Pierce's fight, and their names are recorded on the 
records kept for the Rehoboth North Purchase, as " Slaine 26 March 1676." 
Two of them, John Fitch, Jr., and John Read, Jr., were entered first, and 
at some distance on the page were entered the other two, Benjamin Buckland 
and John Miller, Jr., 1 thus proving that they were a part of Pierce's men, 
and were slain on the same day of the battle. This confirms my belief that 
after the battle Was lost these nine survivors attempted to escape and retreated 
to this " Camp Swamp," in hopes of concealing themselves there from the 
enemy, but were discovered, pursued, and overtaken by them, surrounded at 
this rock, and there killed. They were probably not discovered at the time the 



1 Robert Beers, an Irishman, and then an inhabitant of Rehoboth, was slain March 28th, ami 
Nehimiah Sabin in June following. 



116 A SKETCH OF THE 

Rehoboth people went to the scene of the battle and buried their friends on 
the field, but were afterwards discovered by them and buried on the spot 
where they fell, whicli was properly called these nine men's miser}', who had 
so nearly effected their escape aud were thus slaughtered. It is seldom that 
such an event not mentioned by contemporary historians can be so well 
established by subsequent evidence. 

PROCEEDINGS OF THE TOWN. 

The warrants for the early town meetings contained but few articles, 
perhaps ten or twelve, while that of the year 1887 contained fifty-five, and 
there have at times been more than that number. The most important 
actions for a number of years were naturally those relating to the settling of 
ministers — for the first candidate was apparently not more sure to please 
then than now — and the building of a church with various arrangements for 
the support and comfort of the minister when obtained. These actions of 
the town will be noticed in their proper department, such matters being 
now in the hands of the separate parishes, not in those of the people " in 
town meeting assembled." 

As time went on the cause of education arose — a matter of constantly 
increasing importance, until now it has assumed very great proportions, both 
as to size and cost, but is thoroughly systematized and well managed. 

Now aud again, very early, votes are found relating to the laying out of 
roads as they became needed to connect the various settlements scattered 
over the territory. Now it is not the making of thoroughfares from part to 
part of the town which claims the attention of the citizens, but the lighting 
of the many already made, the laying out and curbing of streets in the 
villages, and the laying of gas, water, and sewerage pipes. 

The poor of the town soon appeared upon the books, being coexistent 
with the establishment of every town, church, or social organization. At 
'first they were cared for by the selectmen or others receiving them into their 
families, the town being responsible for their mainteuauce. At the town 
meetings their names were presented and thev were auctioned off to those 
willing to assume their care, and who made bids for the privilege (?). It 
would seem that at such a vendue competition could not be very great, since 
prices must be in a descending, not ascending, scale over these articles — 
which increased in expense as they decreased in value — and the forlorn 
creatures thus " as it were on sale," were knocked down to the lowest 
bidder. 

Action was often taken upon the cattle and swine then permitted to roam 
at will everywhere about the roads, the former being marked in various ways 
and the latter properly ringed. Every few pages during the records of the 
earlier years the searcher of the books comes upon accounts of " perambu- 
lating the lines " between this and the surrounding towns, these same 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 117 

boundary lines proving most uneasy of arrangement and a constant source of 
controversy even down to the present time. 

It is not possible in a work of this kind to give a complete account of the 
measures taken by the town, but an extract quoted here and there from the 
books will serve to show something of the questions arising year by year, 
and of the modes of settlement adopted by our fathers — to show also some- 
thing of the manners and customs as they have been made and changed, and, 
by contrast, the growth of the town, not only in wealth and population, but 
in various other ways. 

The North Purchase books contain the "laying out of the lands," but an 
occasional reference is made to individual lay-outs in the town books : — 

" Dec. ye 2(3, 1704. Joseph Read, Negro," had a k ' lott " of twelve and a 
half acres laid out to him ; also two other lots containing six and one fourth 
acres in 1707. " John Read, Negro " had lands laid out November 17, 1719. 
These may have been the lands occupied by such a family on the Daggett 
farm, lying on what is known as the " New Boston " road. 

Town debts were apparently sometimes fully paid with a surplus in the 
treasury. 

February 9, 1709. " Voted to hold town meetings at the house of Mr. 
William Stark until the town should be better provided." The meetings then 
were at nine o'clock in the morning. For some years, at this period, the 
town was chiefly occupied on the minister's house, lands, the church, etc., 
and that work, with money accounts, largely occupied the meetings. 

In 1714 it was voted that several persons, six in all, should build pounds 
at their " own cost and charge." 

The first mention of the poor on the books is among the accounts for 1713, 
the entry being made October 5, 1714. " Memorandum, Eleven shillings of 
the money that was received of Capt. Leonard for the poor went to pay 
Hugh Gay's rate, and the other four remains in the town stock for the poor." 

August 27, 1716. " The Town very Chearfully granted a Tax of a Hun- 
dred and Ten pounds to Defray the Necessary Charges arising within sd 
Town. Two thirds to be in money and the other third to be understood in the 
species that use to be other years." 

December 30, 1718, the town was divided into four quarters, and later the 
consequent highways laid out are noted with descriptions of the same. 

The first recorded account rendered to the town for care of poor persons 
was one presented by Daniel Peck, under date, October 22, 1722, for care of 
Martha Scot and her child, as follows: 8s. 6d. for Doctor; 10s. 6d. for 
three weeks board in sickness ; 1£. Is. for board other seven weeks ; lis. for 
the child for five weeks and four days ; total, 2£. lis. 

There are yearly votes as to cattle and swine, with no variation up to April, 
1828, when it was voted that horses and neat cattle were to be restrained 
from running at large. So long as they roamed the public roads some mode 



118 A SKETCH OF THE 

of recognizing bis property was necessary to the owner, and many pages of 
the books are filled with the descriptions of these animal marks. Two or 
three are given as a curiosity : — 

" The Ear-mark of the creatures belonging to Thomas Butler is as follows — viz — A swal- 
lows tail ou the top of the near ear. Enter'' Oct. 19, 1719, A.D.'* "The Ear mark of the 
creatures of Benj. Ide. Jr. is as follows— viz. : two round holes in the right ear, being the ear 
mark that was .Sam 1 Healys. Entered Nov. 12, 1750." " Where as the ear mark of the crea- 
tures of John Robbins, Jr. was a cut across the underside of the right ear, — It being often- 
times not easily seen, it is altered — And is two half pennies on the underside of the left ear. 
Entered Dec. 16, 1750." " The car mark of the creatures belonging to Michael Sweet is a plain 
crop of the top of ye left ear, and a slit across the under side of the same ear, — and was 
formerly Benj. Butler's. Entered, Aug. 6, 17f>:;." 

In 17:52 it was agreed to pay Captain Foster for his services to the General 
Court six shillings per day. 

In 1745 Cumberland was separated from Attleborough by royal charter; 
that is, by order of the " King in Council," which was assuming arbitrary 
authority and measures over those distant colonies. The new boundaries 
established by this charter took from Massachusetts and anuexed to Rhode 
Island a fine tract of land including all Bristol County, R. I., Tiverton, in 
Newport County, and Cumberland, 1 in Providence County. 

During the year 1747 a petition from several towns was presented to the 
General Court, asking that Dighton be made the couuty town in place of 
Taunton. Three men of this town were chosen as agents to look into this 
matter and report. They reported : "They are of opinion that Tanton 
will be most Benefitiall for the County." These men were chosen a com- 
mittee to "draw up " the reasons of the town for voting against the petition, 
and Captain Samuel Tyler was appointed to convey them to the General Court. 

In 1759 there was an attempt made to keep a record of births, but the 
book purchased that year for the town was the only one for many years, and 
therefore those earlier records are very incomplete. In 1760 the town was 
divided into twelve parts, and in 1761 £50 were appropriated for schools, and 
the same amount for the poor. 



i Cumberland comprised nearly half of the original town. Its area is about 28 square miles, 
and taken together is an excellent tract of land. It is good for grain and orcharding, and 
especially for grass, which is cut in great abundance. Some parts of the town, however, are light 
and sandy. It was incorporated in 1746. It was previously called Attle. Gore. It is well adapted to 
manufacturing purposes, having three streams, Abbott's Run, Mill and Peter's rivers, besides the 
Blackstone, which is its western boundary. About 1830 it had eight cotton manufacturing establish, 
ments, running 5,524 spindles, one woolen factory, two clothiers' works, six grain mills, nineteen 
shops for building boats, in which were made annually about 700 boats, which were worth from $20 
to $70 each. It had besides, 1 nail factory, 1 marble mill, 306 dwelling houses, 280 electors, 3 compa- 
nies of militia, 1 rifle corps, and part of a company of cavalry. Its population in 1810 was 2,110. 
But the town has since materially increased in population and amount of business. It had four 
religious societies: two Baptists, one Methodist, and one Quaker. Taxable property in 1815 was 
$528,220. 

These are the statistics published in the earlier edition of this work. The editor was unable to 
obtain the corresponding statistics for the present date, which would have been interesting by 
contrast. 



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HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 119 

Iu 1766 the following instructions were sent to the town's deputy : — 

To Deacon Ebeuezer Lane, Rep. 

Sir as we have made choys of you to represent us at the Grait and General Court of this 
Province, we think proper to give sume Instructions, and first not to Give up any Priviliges 
that we Enjoy Either by Charter or as Subjects of Grait Britton. 

21y to Be frugal of the Province's money and not to vote for any uncommon Grants pertick- 
lerly as to Loses that Sume has Sustaned in Boston iu the year 1765 By Rioters, though we 
abhor all Rioters and tumultus Proceedings and are willing to Bear our testymony against 
them, yet we see no Reason why the Province should make up those Losses and thairfour 
Instruct to vote against It. 

September 12, 1768. " Voted to Build a house for Keeping the Town 

Stock of ammunition in for the futer and proseaded to Chuse a commety for 

that purpos namely Capt. John Stearns, Capt. Daniel Read, Capt. Henry 

Sweet ware chosen as commety men for that purpos, and then the commety 

went and looked a place to set s'd. house and they said that they found a 

place in Jacob Newells Land which s'd Newell said he wold give the ground 

to buld the hous upon." Jacob Newell, the giver of the land, was town 

treasurer at that time, and he made the following entry upon the book : 

"Where as ye Town of Attleborough have agreed to Buld a Powder house 

and set s'd house on ye High Hill eastardly from ye Meeting-House on my 

Land I give liberty to set s'd House their, and also for my Heirs and assigns 

I agree ye People shall have Liberty to Pass to and from sd House to carry 

their Powder or any other amminitiou and bring of again ye same at any 

time or times so that they in Passing Regurly Not to Leve Down fence or 

any Enclosen thing to Do Damage as witness my hand — 

"Attleborough, Oct. ye 4th 1768 Jacob Newell." 

The committee executed their commission promptly, as the building was 
erected during the months of October and November and the accounts for 
cost of construction were settled in December. This old building is still in 
existence and may be seen on a little eminence east of the church at West 
Attleborough in the same lot or near the schoolhouse. It is circular iu 
shape, nearly twelve feet in diameter, with a cone-shaped roof. It was built 
of brick, of which six thousand were used, as may be seen by the order of the 
selectmen on the town treasurer. It was used as a storehouse for" materials 
of war" both during the days of the Revolution and the War of 1812, and 
powder was kept there even up to recent times. Colonel John Daggett took 
his supply for the Assonett expedition from there, and the town voted to 
replace the amount during the following year. The building is now dilapi- 
dated and going to decay, 1 but it is full of old memories still. Had it 
powers of speech every brick could tell some exciting or thrilling tale, for 
three times since they were placed in their positions the war bugles have 
sounded the call to arms, and three times the joy bells have rung in the days 
of peace. Iu 1771 the General Court met at Harvard College. 



J It has been repaired, and at the present writing is in good condition. It is now within the limits 
of North Attleborough. The repairs were made by individuals, and about 1872. 



120 A SKETCH OF THE 



CHAPTER V. 

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR. 

IT appears from our records that the citizens of the town took an early 
and active part in those proceedings which finally led to independence. 
The spirit of the Revolution began to move the people as early as 1773. 
They began to discuss the origin and foundation of their rights, and to pro- 
claim, in bold language, their determination to maintain them. They strenu- 
ously denied the claims of the mother country. This prepared the way for 
that great contest which was approaching and which soon after commenced. 

Pages might be filled with the spirited addresses and resolutions adopted 
in town meeting, but the limits of such a work as this will permit only an 
outline of the transactions of that day. 

At a town meeting, January 18th, 1773, a resolute and patriotic address 
was adopted and sent to the committee in Boston. It is too long to quote 
entire, but a few extracts will afford a specimen : — 

"We His Majesty's dutiful and loyal subjects and freeholders of the town 
of Attleborough, to the Committee of Correspondence in Boston." 

After due professions of " honor and praise to George the 3d, King of 
Great Britain," etc., and praying that the "golden chance of succession by 
which the Protestant kings are held on the throne of Great Britain may 
never be broken," etc., the address proceeds to say: — 

Our present trials are very great. A wise king once said that oppression maketh a wise 
man mad. We bope not to turn maniacs, but to keep the advantage of our spirits. We will 
pray that all they that are like Gods on earth will remember that they must die like men, and 
the lofty, towering heads of Kings and Princes must he brought as low as the meanest subject. 
And here we will make a pause and inquire what we have done, what disloyalty there hath 
been in us that hath incurred the displeasure of our Gracious Majesty, that could be the cause 
of threatening the ruining of us his American subjects. And to set things in a clearer light, 
we may be justly entitled to a few notes of exultation. In the year 1745, when the British 
trumpet sounded war from beyond the seas to the Americans, no sooner did our American 
Parliament understand the certain sound of the martial trumpet but instantaneously a political 
convention is called, faithfulness and loyalty in every countenance. Like Babylon of old, one 
messenger runs to meet another, and one post to meet another, to tell the whole Province that 
the Kingdom was invaded at one end. Forthwith orders are issued out to the Colonels, and 
from the Colonels to the Captains, and at the beat of the Drum, volunteers paraded the 
ground like well harnessed soldiers with courage bold, and like the war-horse mocking at 
fear, marched with their commanders to the high places of Louisbourg — stormed their 
entrenchments: made a discovery of their subterraneous mines and galleries: beat down the 
strongholds; brake the jaws of the Gallic Lion, and made a conquest of the city to the crown 
of Great Britain. And in the last war that hath been upon us. we have joined our British 
brethren, warring and lighting through seas of blood until we subdued the Canadian Province 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 121 

to the crown of our Sovereign Lord George the 3d. And after all this, shall we be conjugated, 
enslaved and ruined? Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath lest they be discouraged 
on the one hand, and encouraged on the other. We esteem our privileges tantamount to our 
lives, and the loss of them death in consequence; and since there is no new discovered 
America for us to flee to, we are almost ready to think that we will let go our ploughshares 
and pruning hooks to be malleated on the anvil, and not give up our dear-bought privileges to 
any Power on earth. 

And now iu a few words to say what our privileges are and wherein they are violated : We 
think that our privileges take their rise merely from nature. As we emigrated from our 
mother country at our own expense and without any charge to the Crown of Great Britain, 
our subjection to the Crown of Great Britain must be considered as an act of our own election. 
How far that subjection was made and iu what manner the British government can possibly 
reach over the Atlantic to have any influence at all upon us, is known only by the stipulation 
between us and the king of Great Britain, expressed in our Charter. Although it be allowed 
that any Plantation settled by the order and expense of any State remains naturally subjected 
to that State, yet that uot having been the case in our departure from Great Britain we utterly 
disallow any right of government over us but what is expressed in our Charter. We have no 
natural and necessary connection with the Crown in point of government but what springs 
from our own choice, and that choice can be known but by the stipulation aforesaid which 
both expresseth and limiteth the subjection which was our choice. This, we apprehend, is the 
true and just state of our privileges, as they are interested in the present controversy. So 
that, whatever act of government is exercised contrary to, or not expressly provided for in 
the Charter, is an open infringement of our privileges. 

The appointment of a Governor altogether independent on us, and who, according to the 
present state of things, can be under no influence from our iuterest but whose personal interest 
may naturally put him to the utter overthrow of our whole interest, — we apprehend this to 
be an infraction of our Charter rights and privileges. The appointment of Judges from 
home, if true, or the maintenance of them independent upon us and dependent entirely upon 
the Crown, we think an infringement upon our Charter rights, and which tends to corrupt- 
and destroy the very essence of our privileges. — The parting our money among a set of men 
of no use to us or the community, without our consent, is a bold and unjust infringement 
upon our privileges. — The subjecting civil cases to trial by Court of Admiralty instead of 
Juries, and especially the taking from us the right of trying capital cases in any articles, and 
carrying our brethren, on suspicion of guilt, from all who are acquainted with their character, 
or who can possibly do them justice, and ordering them to be transported, at almost infinite 
expense three thousand miles for trial, is a most barbarous, unjust, and unconstitutional 
affair, and as cruel as the ostrich. 

Sept. 12, 1774. The town chose a committee to join with the committees 
of the other towns in this comity " to consult the safety and peace and 
prosperity thereof, as well as the whole government and continent, upon any 
emergency." The committee consisted of five ; namely, Mr. Edward Richards, 
Dea. Eben. Lane, Capt. John Daggett, Lieut. Moses Wilmarth, and Mr. 
Elisha May. This was the first committee of safety chosen in this town. 
The practice of choosing such a committee was continued till the close 
of the Revolution. 

Sept. 29, 1774. Captain John Daggett was chosen " Representative to the 
General Court" at Salem, and Dea. Eben. Lane, as "a committee man to 
join the Provincial Congress to be holden at Concord on the second Tuesday 
of October next." 

Dec. 6, 1774. The town established a " Superior and an Inferior Court to 
hear and determine controversies that have arisen or inav arise iu this town." 



122 A SKETCH OF THE 

Five men were chosen to serve as superior judges ; namely, Dea. Eben. 
Lane, first justice, Col. John Daggett, second, Capt. John Stearns, third, 
(apt. Moses Wilmarth, fourth, and\Doct. Bezaliel Maun, fifth. Seven 
were appointed inferior judges ; namely, Mr. Edward Richards, Lieut. Elko- 
nah Wilmarth, Capt. Jacob Ide, Capt. Stephen Richardson, Mr. Elisha 
May. Capt. John Tyler, and Mr. William Stanley. At the same time it 
was voted, " that we will comply with, stand to, and abide by the Resolves, 
Instructions and Directions of the Continental and Provincial Congresses," 
and that " all persons who refuse to comply with them shall be treated as 
Infamous Persons." 

It was also voted to choose " a committee of Inspection to inquire and 
give notice of all persons who shall presume to make use of any India Tea 
after the first of March next, and the names of the men chosen for said com- 
mittee are as follows; viz., Ephraim Newell, Capt. Henry Sweet, Benjamin 
Tingley, Mayhew Daggett, Enoch Robinson, Araunah Tingley, John Tyler, 
Jr.. Nath 1 Bishop, Alexander Foster. Win. Atwell, Jabez Gay, Levi Maxcy, 
Caleb Richardson." The " affair of the chest of tea at Capt. Richardson's, 
was left discretionary with the Selectmen." 

These were no halfway measures, and were supported throughout with 
the same resolution. 

January 2, 1775. Chose Colonel Johu Daggett "to represent us at the 
Congress to be holden at Cambridge on the 1st of February next and to 
serve in that capacity until the month of May next, or until the time fixed 
for the dissolution of said Congress." At the same time a committee of 
thirteen was chosen to procure " subscriptions for the relief of the suffering 
poor in the town of Boston." 1 At a meeting lawfully warned for May 16, 
1775, the warrant was issued " By request of the Provincial Congress." 

May 24, 1775. Captain John Stearns was chosen to represent the town 
at the Provincial Congress to be held in the meetinghouse at Watertown the 
31st instant. The Committee of Correspondence this year were Deacon 
Eben. Lane, Doctor Mann, and Captain Moses AVilmarth. 

July 10, 1775. Captain John Stearns was elected representative to the 
General Court to be held at Watertown the liJth instant. 

March 19, 1776. The Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and 
Safety were Deacon Lane, Edward Richards, Capt. S. Richardson, Lieut. 
Alexander Foster, Ens. Noah Fuller, William Stanley, Capt. Wilmarth, Eben. 
Tiffany, Samuel Atherton, Thomas Starkey, Elkouah Wilmarth, Nathaniel 
Bishop, and Capt. Jacob Ide. 

May 22, 1776. Captain John Stearns, Representative. At his request, 
a committee, consisting of Capt. Elisha May, Capt. Stephen Richardson, Rev. 
Peter Thacher, Levi Maxcy, and Lieut. Alexander Foster, was chosen to draw 



1 This was on the occasion of shutting the poi-t of Boston by the British Parliament. 



HIS TO BY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 123 

up instructions for the representative. They made a report, from which 
extracts are given : — 

Captain John Stearns, 

Sir, — The town, reposing special confidence in your ability and integrity, have chosen 
you their representative at the Great and General Court for this year. At your request 
we take the liberty to suggest the following things to your attention as matters of great 
importance : 

If the Continental Congress should think it best to declare for Independency of Great 
Britain, we unanimously desire you for us to engage to defend them therein with our lives 
and fortunes. 1 

The fortifying and sufficiently providing for the defence of all our seaport towns, especially 
the Metropolis of this Colony, is of such consequence as that parsimony or delay therein will 
be the worst of policy. We apprehend that the raising of soldiers for the defence of the 
Colony is retarded, and so rendered both more chargeable and less useful, for want of sufficient 
bounty to encourage enlistments; that the raising fewer forces at such a time thau is neces- 
sary, which scatters the officers with whom whoever enlists will desire to be acquainted 
is a like hindrance to a speedy raising of forces. 

Having heard a motion hath been made for paying representation out of the Publick chest, 
we think is unequal and expect you will oppose it. The charge of the selectmen in the service 
of the public hath been unequal in respect of the poor of Boston, and other matters in differ- 
ent towns, and therefore ought to be born by the publick. If the Continental Congress should 
declare for Independency we desire in the new regulation the probate and register office be 
lodged in each town. 

Other things in general we refer to your wisdom and fidelity, unless some special difficulty 
should occur, in which case you will please take our minds as occasion shall serve. 

At the same time it was voted that the selectmen should order the money 
out of the treasury to pay the miuute-men who inarched on the alarm occa- 
sioned by the battle at Bunker Hill. 

July 6, 1776. "Voted to raise the Bounty from €3, to £12, for the sol- 
diers this town is to furnish to go to New York." 

October 11, 1776. "To Mr. Ephraim Newell, Towu Treasurer, Greeting. 
This comes to order you to pay to Col. John Daggett twenty four pounds five 
shillings for his attendance and travel at the Congress in ye year 1774-7.3 
— ninety seven days at five shillings per day." Eighty-seven men were paid 
six shillings each ''for marching on the alarm occasioned by the battle at 
Bunker Hill." Order dated July 5, 1776. 

The warrant for this October meeting was for the first time " In the name 
of the Stat and People of Massachusetts Bay, in Newingland," and this or 
" Government and People of Massachusetts Bay" was the form for some 
years. Previous to this time the warrants had been issued in " His Majesty's 
Name," or " Province of Massachusetts Bay." 

Januarv 27, 1777. Voted to raise the bounty for the soldiers who went 



1 This seems to have been conceived in something of that holy ardor, that sublime spirit of patriot- 
ism and self-devotion, which — in a few months after — dictated those ever-memorable words in the 
closing sentence of the Declaration of Independence, — "We pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our 
sacred honor," — immortal words, which sent such a thrill to the hearts of our countrymen and 
inspired them with such an unconquerable enthusiasm in the cause of freedom! 



124 A SKETCH OF THE 

to New York in July last, to forty dollars for each man, ; *to such as will 
take it." 

March 18, 1777. The Committee of Correspondence, Iuspectiou, and 
Safety this year were Ed. Richards, Cyrel Carpenter, Samuel Tiffany, Jr., 
Elisha May, and Nathan Tyler. 

April 2, 1777. A meeting was held " to see if the town will give some 
encouragement to the soldiery to enlist our proportion of the fifteen bat- 
talions granted by this State to join the Continental army." A committee was 
chosen to report upon the subject, and also to state what was an average on 
the whole since the war commenced, who reported that the bounty and wages 
given by Congress and our Court afforded a sufficient encouragement for the 
first year's service ; that for the second year the town allow two pounds per 
mouth in addition to the wages, and the same for the last year. Twenty- 
four pounds in addition to the bounty instead of the addition to their wages 
was offered to those who might prefer it. The committee also reported that 
the eight months' men, or those who went into service in consequence of 
Lexington battle, have no allowance ; that the six weeks' and two months' 
men have no allowance ; that the year's men be allowed ten pounds per man ; 
that the Dorchester men have no allowance ; that the men raised for two 
months in September, 1776, be allowed seven pounds per man; that the men 
raised for the northern or Canada expedition be allowed ten pounds per man ; 
that the quarter men, or those raised for Howland's Ferry, be allowed six 
pounds per man. 

May 22, 1777. Chose Captain John Stearns and Mr. William Stanley rep- 
resentatives. Appointed a committee to prepare instructions to said repre- 
sentatives ; namely, Rev. Peter Thacher, Capt. Elisha May, Col. John 
Daggett, Capt. Moses Wilmarth, Mr. Levi Maxcy. Their report, it appears, 
is not recorded. 

" Excused Capt. May from serving on Committee of Correspondence, &c. 
and elected Stephen Fuller in his room. Voted to enlarge said committee, 
and added Zephaniah Bishop, Jacob Cushman, and John Sweetland." 

The town expenses for this year were £1,922 old money. 

January 12, 1778. A committee consisting of Rev. Mr. Thacher, Capt. 
Elisha May, Col. Stephen Richardson, Deacon Stanley, Capt. Caleb Richard- 
son, Lieut. Elkauah Wilmarth, and Mr. John Wilkinson was chosen to prepare 
instructions to the representatives of the town, relative to the Articles of 
Confederation. They presented a report which was accepted. It shows 
how perfectly convinced at that time our forefathers were of the value and 
importance of a firm union of the States to the well-being of the whole 
people. 

To show the sentiments of the people a few extracts are given : — 

The subscribers, being chosen a committee " to consider what instructions it may be proper 
for them to give their representatives relative to the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 125 

Union which are proposed to the consideration of the Legislatures of all the United States as 
the basis thereof forever."' and also " relative to the Resolves of the most Honorable Congress, 
of the 7th and22d of November last," having maturely considered the said Articles and Resolves 
do humbly otter the following to the consideration of the town on this very important subject : 

To Messrs. John Stearns, and William Stanley Representatives of the town of Attleborough, 
Gentlemen, 

We shall rejoice at the arrival of the happy hour when the Independent States of North 
America have a Union established upon equitable terms to continue as long as the sun and 
moon endure. We are sensible of the utility and necessity of such a union to our present 
exertions and the success of them, as well as for the strength and flourishing condition of these 
States hereafter. We would, therefore, be as distant as possible from ottering anything to 
obstruct the speedy accomplishment of a thing so desirable; yet we are constrained to desire 
explanation of the 4th paragraph in the 5th Article which determines, that, in deciding ques- 
tions in the United States iu Congress assembled, each State shall have one vote, which, if it 
exclude a voice in Congress proportioned to the number or estate of the different States, we 
apprehend, would be very unequal and not to be by any means consented unto, etc. 

After stating specific objections to some other articles, the report concludes: "With the 
foregoing emendations and explanations, we desire you to use your endeavors that the Dele- 
gates in Congress be impowered to ratify the aforesaid Articles of Confederation and Perpetual 
Union. As to the Resolves of the most Hon'ble Congress, we only observe upon the oth and 
6th Resolves that the Regulating Bill formerly enacted and since repealed, though framed with 
an honest and good design, yet was, as we apprehend, very injurious to the good and honest 
people of this State, and was of no use to restrain oppressors and monopolizers, but rather put 
an advantage of oppression into their hands, and was a great means of sinking the value of 
our money, and, therefore, we expect and desire you to oppose the carrying of the said resolu- 
tions into execution. 

At the same meeting a committee was appointed to draft a petition, which 
was sent to the General Court, earnestly praying for the repeal of an Act 
calling in the Bills of Credit, or State Money. In this petition the people 
expressed their fears of the consequences which wonld resnlt from that Act 
to the interests of the poor, etc., in the following words : — 

To the Great and General Assembly of the State of Massachusetts Bay. Gent m . 

A petition by the inhabitants of the town of Attleborough most humbly sheweth, — 
Though at the eleventh hour, we beg leave as friends to the good people of this State to 
express our concern for an Act to draw in the Bills of Credit of the several denominations in 
this State. Notwithstanding the address of the House of Representatives to the good people 
of this State setting forth the necessity of calling in the Bills of Credit, and the difficulty of 
calling them in any other way, and notwithstanding this and many other plausible pretences in 
said address, we cannot but be concerned for a future day — the putting said money into notes 
on interest is the least of our concern; but as it is the intention of the Assembly of this State 
and the Continental Congress to bring down the price of labor and produce perhaps five (or) 
six parts ; — Consequently said notes must double five times the value they were took for beside 
the interest, — whether will it be easier for the poor to pay said money when a day's work will 
pay eight shillings, or in a year or two when to have a day's labor pay two shillings — It seems 
to be implied in said address, that the rich and ill disposed persons in this State have got such 
advantage of the poor that there is no remedy the poor must suffer — Let that be granted it is 
not policy in our opinion to crush the poor at this day if it be possible to avoid it till America 
has obtained her freedom, for if this Continent must be defended and set at liberty by arms 
the poor must do it for the lowest capacity must be sensible that a man that has by monopoly 
got these increasing notes will never enter into the service of his country for the little or 
nothing encouragement that soldiers have at present or if the Court intend to hold the levies 
by draft from the Militia, as seems intended in the case a rich man does no more than a poor 
man — his estate does nothing:. 



126 A SKETCH OF THE 

Our humble petition is thai said Act be repealed, or some amendment be made. "We have 
waited a long time in hopes that you would repeal that Act without our troubling you with 
petitions but as we have hitherto been disappointed we are obliged in justice to ourselves and 
to our posterity, earnestly to pray for a speedy repeal of that Act — Why might not the money 
have been called in by degrees as it was put out. that is one emission at a time by taxing the 
inhabitants of said State, until the whole was called in. 
Attleborough, Jan. 10th, 1778. 

Nathaniel Bishop. 

Daniel Daggett. 

William Bolcoiu. 

Thomas Starkey. 

Daniel Richardson. 

John ltichardsou. 

Moses Tyler. 

March 17, 1778. The Committee of Correspondence, etc., were Elkanah 
Wilmarth, Ebenezer Tiffany, and Ephraim Allen, Jr. 

The declaration that all men are born " free and equal " appears to have 
had a speedy practical effect in at least one instance in our town, as may be 
seen by the following extract from the records : — 

"To all People to whom these Presents shall Come Greeting. Know all 
men that for Divers Good Causes and Considerations I have seet at Liberty 
and Given unto my Servant — Warrack a Negro man his freedom to be for 
him self and Do hereby Certifie that I have no more Demands on him for 
any Further service — 

Attleborough, March 17th, 1778 John Sweetland. 

Signed in the Presence of us 
Witnesses, Elisha May, 

Richard Ellis, Jr." 

May 12, 1778. "Voted to pay thirty pounds to each soldier who shall 
enlist in the Continental army, to complete the number (thirteen) required 
of this town, by a late resolve of the General Court." Also voted to give 
thirty pounds more as a bounty. 

May 21, 1778. The committee chosen at a former meeting to consider the 
" Constitution " ' lately submitted to the people, not agreeing upon a report, 
the town appointed another committee of seven ; namely, Rev. P. Thacher, 
Rev. Habijah Weld, Elder Job Seamans, Doct. Bezaliel Mann, Col. John 
Daggett, Col. Stephen Richardson, and Capt. John Stearns, who finally made 
a report. The vote in town stood 51 affirmative and 76 negative. 

March 16, 1779. The Committee of Safety were Capt. Caleb Richard- 
son, John Damon, Elijah Wellman. 

April 5, 1779 there appears an order to Daniel Tiff an y for the " sum of ten 



1 This was the first frame of government submitted to the people of this State. It was framed by 
a convention in 177^-79, and is commonly called the " Rejected Constitution." 



HI 8 TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 127 

pounds ten shillings, it being due to him for carting soldier's packs to How- 
land's Ferry in Sept. 1777. it being thirty five miles." 

May 1, 1779, the town was assessed £2083 17. 6d, and for the expenses for 
the year £10,000 was to be raised — old money. 

May 18, 1779. Elisha May, Esq., was chosen representative. u Voted to 
empower our representative to vote for the calling of a convention for the 
sole purpose of framing a new constitution." 

June 21, 1779. Voted to raise thirteen soldiers — to serve nine months — 
as this town's proportion of the fifteen battalions furnished by this State to 
fill up the Continental army, and a committee of five was chosen to engage 
these men on the best terms possible. On the question of having a new con- 
stitution there were 121 votes in favor, and none in the negative recorded. 

August 2, 1779. This town sent three members to the convention which 
formed the present "Constitution of Massachusetts." 

" Chose Col. John Daggett, Capt. John Stearns, and Major Elisha May to 
attend the Convention l at Cambridge, on the first of September next for the 
sole purpose of framing a new Constitution." 

The town then took into consideration the proceedings of the convention 
held at Concord for regulating articles of merchandise and country produce, 
and voted unanimously to accept the doings of said convention, " and to 
conform ourselves to the proposed regulations." 

"Chose Col. Stephen Richardson, Mr. Levi Maxcy, and Mr. Edward 
Richards members of the convention to be held at Concord, on the first 
Wednesday of October next." 

March 21, 1780. The Committee of Safety were David Richardson, Capt. 
Moses Wilmarth, and William Morse. 

May 2, 1780. The new " Constitution " was referred to a committee. 

June 14, 1780. "Voted to raise twenty-nine soldiers for six months, as 
this town's quota, to re-inforce the Continental army, according to a Resolve 
of the General Court of June 5th, 1780." They were to be paid by a tax on 
the town. 

Sept. 4, 1780. " Voted to raise £12,000 pounds to defray the expenses of 
the town the current year. Also voted to raise £1,400 hard money to pay 
the soldiers who may engage to serve in the army for three and for six months, 
according to resolves of the General Court of June 5th, 22d, and 23d." 

Oct. 16, 1780, the town levied a tax of £24,000, to procure 14,000 weight 
of beef required of the town by a resolve of the General Court. On the 
24th the town had raised £16,800 — old money. 

Elisha May, Esq., was chosen representative the two following years, 



1 This convention met at the meetinghouse in Cambridge, September, 1779, continued till the 7th, 
and then adjourned to October 2Sth; then met and continued till November 11th, and adjourned to 
January 5th, 1780, at the Representatives' Chamber, Boston; then met and continued till March 2d, and 
adjourned to June 7th ; then met and continued till June 16th, when it was dissolved. 



128 ^4 SKETCH OF THE 

which brings us to the close of the Revolution. There were no transactions 
of particular interest relating to the war during those two years, though the 
few following extracts from the records may prove worthy of notice : — 

January 31, 1781. "Voted to class the inhabitants of said town for the 
purpose of raising twenty seven men, for three years or during the war, agree- 
able to the recommendation of the General Court, the vote of said tow T n of the 
24 th of January to the contrary notwithstanding." This was reconsidered. 

February 26, 1781. "Voted the sum of 3000 dollars hard money for the 
purpose of raising men for three years ; then voted that the selectmen shall 
give their notes to such soldiers as will be willing to receive them, and that 
they hire money to pay the remainder.'" A transaction quite similar to many 
of the present generation, and its soldiers of the civil war. 

The warrant for the annual town meeting for 1781, bearing date March 
20th of that year, is the first one found on the records in which the " Greet- 
ing " comes " in the Name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." Doubt- 
less some of the warrants during the preceding year were thus issued, but they 
are not recorded. As we have seen, three men from this town were members 
of the congress which framed and adopted the State Constitution, with the 
followiug introductory words: " The people inhabiting the territory formerly 
called the Province of Massachusetts Bay, do hereby solemnly and mutually 
agree with each other, to form themselves into a body politic, or state, by the 
name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." 

MILITARY SERVICES. 

To furnish a full statement of the military services which the citizens of 
this town rendered during the Revolutionary war is not, perhaps, possible at 
this day. But some general accounts may be collected which will afford a 
tolerable view of their services. 

It appears from the following anecdote that they were not slow in acting 
up to the resolutions which they had adopted. 

In December, 1774, the Committee of Safety gave notice that one Nathan 
Aldis, a tory, who lived in Franklin, Mass., was selling British goods contrary 
to the resolutions of the General Court. Colonel John Daggett, of this 
town, a determined and resolute patriot, immediately issued orders to the 
several companies of the town to furnish a certain number of men, who being 
collected, marched, in a bitter cold night, for the place of Aldis' residence, to 
put a stop to his business. They were joined on the way by volunteers from 
the neighboring towns. They arrived late at night, and surrounding his 
house ordered him out. He and his associates who had assembled to de- 
fend him at first attempted to resist with arms, threatening to tire upon them 
from the windows and, assuming a tone of confidence, ordered them to 
depart. Upon this the besiegers were directed to point their guns towards the 
house. Finding that his opponents were, in earnest and that threats could 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 129 

not intimidate them, Aldis at last came out. He was ordered to pull off his 
hat, while in the presence of the people's soldiers. Here, before the whole 
company, he was compelled to enter into an engagement not to " vend any 
more British goods during the present unhappy controversy between the King 
and his colonies." The prisoner was then released. The next morning be 
fled to Boston, and was never after known in these parts. 

The captains from this town who were engaged in this adventure were 
Capt. S. Richardson, of the Northeast Company; Capt. Moses Wilmarth, 
Southeast Company; Capt. Jacob Ide, Southwest Company; and Capt. 
Jonathan Stanley, Northwest Company. 

From a " return of the several Militia Company's in the Fourth Regiment in the County of 
Bristol:' it appears that John Daggett was Colonel; Ephraim Lane, Lieut, Colonel; Isaac 
Dean, First Major; and Elkanah Clapp, Second Major. There were in Captain Ide's company, 
"fifty-three, including officers; forty-seven equipped according to law." In Captain Rich- 
ardson's minute-company, " sixty-one including officers; fifty-eight of which are equipped 
according to law ; twenty with bayonets " (of the fifty-eight) . In Captain Stanley's company, 
"fiftv-five including officers; whereof forty-seven are equipped according to law.'' In Cap- 
tain Wilmarth's minute-company. " fifty-six, whereof forty-eight are equipped according to 
law," making a total of two hundred and twenty-five men from this town, besides the com- 
mander. The other captains in the regiment were Benjamin Mory, Abial Clapp, Job Hodges, 
Jabez Ellis, 1 and William Stone. These captains and their companies were from Mansfield, 
Norton, and Easton. There were also " four companies of minute-men, including officers ; t wo 
hundred and twelve : but not yet incorporated into a regiment." The uames of the captains 
of these companies are not given, but they seem to have been for a time in Colonel Daggett's 
regiment, or under his command. 

The " return " closes as follows : — 

The number of training soldiers in the said regiment is six hundred and twenty-four ; two 
companies of which I have not as yet been able to obtain the returns of their reviewing, but 
may soon be returned. 

To the Honorable Provincial Congress at Concord assembled, 
from your 

humble servant, John Daggett, Col. of 

said regiment. 

ASSONETT EXPEDITION. 

Information having been received from the vigilant Committees of Safety 
that the British had made a deposit of arms and ammunition at Assonett vil- 
lage—Freetown—for the use of the loyalists, Colonel Daggett, of this town, 
on the 9th of April, 1775, undertook an expedition for the purpose of seizing 
these arms and breaking up the combination which had been formed to favor 
the royal cause. He was accompanied by the several companies from this 
town, with then- captains, — as before named, except Elisha May in the room 
of Jonathan Stanley, — and by some of the militia from Rehoboth and other 
towns. How many others were concerned in the adventure is not known. 

They discovered forty stands of arms and equipments in the possession of 
the tories, together with a large quantity of ammunition, the whole of which 



Captain Ellis was doubtless from this town also. 



130 A SKETCH OF THE 

was taken by the patriots. All who were suspected of favoring the British 
interest were required to swear not to bear arms against their country. Nine 
stanch tories, who refused to take the oath of fidelity to the colonies, were 
made prisoners and put under the charge of the company from East Attle- 
borough, and forthwith marched to Taunton. Here their captors threatened 
to convoy them to Sullivan's mines in Connecticut if they would not comply. 
To avoid this alternative they at last submitted and took the oath of 
allegiance to their country. They were then dismissed. 

This victory, it is said, was almost entirely bloodless. One stubborn tory 
who refused to remove his hat out of respect to a liberty pole had it knocked 
off by the butt end of some soldier's musket, and a gash cut in his head. 

This expedition deserves commemoration from the circumstance of its 
having been accomplished previous to the commencement of open hostilities 
in any other part of the country. It preceded, a few days, the first scene in 
the great drama which opened on the plains of Lexington. It was appear- 
ing in arms, though on a comparatively small scale, against the royal govern- 
ment. The patriots expected resistance, and were prepared with sufficient 
force to meet it. 

One writer says : " Reports at the time estimated the number of patriots 
who then assembled at Assonett as two thousand men, but that was probably 
an overestimate, and yet, whether overestimated or not, the stubborn fact 
remains that at Assonett village in Freetown, instead of Lexington, the 
great drama of the American Revolution was opened. ' Because Assonett has 
suffered wrong in this matter for a hundred and ten years, is no reason that 
this wrong shall continue to be done forever, nor will it, for truth is so 
mighty that it will ultimately prevail." It is a matter in which we may justly 
take great pride — that our town took so prominent a part in this occurrence. 

The company of minute-men, sixty in number, under the command of 
Captain Jabez Ellis, — Enoch Robinson, lieutenant, — on the day of the 
battle of Lexington received orders to march instantly to Roxbury. 

'•We set out at night, 1 stopped a short time at Maxcy's, now Hatch's 
tavern, then went directly to Dedham, where we found two tables by the 
roadside generously provided with food for the soldiers who might pass that 
way. thus arranged to prevent any unnecessary delay. We snatched a hasty 
breakfast and marched ou. reached Roxbury about daylight, and were then 
marched round and round Roxbury meetinghouse, to make as much show of 
numbers as possible in view of the British. Our company remained there 
seven or eight days, and then were permitted to return home." 

Of one of these soldiers an anecdote was current among the survivors of 
that day for many years. One Henry Richardson, of this town, a bold and 
honest but heedless fellow, on his wav to Roxburv swore he would have one 



1 The circumstances are given as related to the author by one of the survivors. 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 131 

of the red-coats before he went back. On his arrival at headquarters, the 
moment he had opportunity he charged his long musket and, not thinking 
with Falstaff that "discretion is the better part of valor," coolly marched 
down in front of our lower guard and taking deliberate aim at the opposite 
British sentinel discharged his musket and badly wounded him, as his com- 
panions were seen to lead him off the ground and his place was supplied by 
another. Much to his astonishment, our hero was immediately arrested 
(for doing, as he thought, so good a service) and put under guard, but on 
the representations of his friends was soon after discharged without further 
punishment, in consideration of his good intentions. On meeting afterwards 
one of his townsmen, he exclaimed with exultation : " There, I told you I 'd 
have one of them 'ere British rascals ! " 

The same company went down to Roxbury the day of Bunker Hill battle 
and stayed about a fortnight. "While there a small party of us," said one 
of them, " went round to the Cambridge side to look at the British, but soon 
the captain of a fort called out to us, that we had better not go in company, 
for the enemy would see us and fire at us ; and sure enough, in a minute or 
two, a cannon ball came whizzing along close by us, and soon after, they sent 
us a bomb." 

May 1, 1775. A company of sixty-four men enlisted for eight months 
under Captain Caleb Richardson in the Massachusetts line, so called, and 
were stationed at Roxbury. 

July, 1776. Another company, principally from this town, enlisted for 
five months in the recruits called the " New Levies," under Captain Caleb 
Richardson and Stephen Richardson (lieutenant), — both of Attleborough, 
— in the regiment of Colouel Gary, of Middleborough, under Brigadier- 
General Fellowes, and did duty in and about New York, and were at the 
disastrous retreat from Long Island, etc. Captain Moses Wilmarth, though 
he had served as a captain at home, yet from a spirit of patriotism entered 
the service as a private soldier in the expedition to New York. He was 
afterwards promoted and continued, much attached to the service, during the 
war. Joel Read, 1 of this town, was wounded at New York. Some of the 
other members of this company were from the neighboring towns. 

September, 1776. Another company was raised — part from Attleborough 
and part from Norton — under Captain Elisha May, of this town, in the 
regiment of Colonel Thomas Carpenter, of Rehoboth, and arrived at White 
Plains before the battle. 



1 He was a musical composer, published three " Singing Books," ami was the author of several 
tunes which still live in our churches. His works were published in connection with his brother, 
Daniel N. Warren. See in Head Genealogy, p. 252, sketch of his nephew Ezra, who, in connection 
with Alden Bradford, had the honor of first publishing the immortal works of Walter Scott, " the 
great Wizard of the North," this side of the Atlantic. He was living in 1S34 when the author's first 
" Sketch " was published. 



132 A SKETCH OF THE 

In October, 1777, a whole company from this town marched to Rhode 
Island under Captain Stephen Richardson and served one month in Spencer's 
" Secret Expedition," so called. 

Several men from this town were drafted in the expedition against Ticou- 
deroga in 1776, who served also at Saratoga. 

Some of our soldiers enlisted for three years, and others during the war. 

The above accounts do not include the many individual enlistments into 
the Continental army from this town during the war. 

MILITIA. RHODE ISLAND. 

The militia in this town and the vicinity were subject to frequent drafts of 
men (more or less) from December, 1776, until after the evacuation of Rhode 
Island. Drafts were made in January, February, March, May, June, July, 
and August, 1777, and at many other times. The men were stationed the 
most of the time at Howland's Ferry (Tiverton) and at Warwick. 

The British took possession of Rhode Island in December, 1776, and kept 
the surrounding country in a continual state of alarm. They occupied it 
above two years. 

General Sullivan during his expedition to Rhode Island requested the gov- 
ernment of Massachusetts to send him a reinforcement in consequence of 
the French forces having abandoned him. In compliance with this request 
the following orders were issued by the Council of this State, directing Colonel 
Daggett of the Fourth Regiment (including then, as still in 1834, Attle- 
borough, Mansfield, Norton, and Easton) to take charge of the detachment : 

State of Massachusetts Bay. 

Council Chamber, Aug. 18th, 1778. 

Whereas, Major General Sullivan has represented to this Board that by reason of the 
absence of the French troops, which he expected would co-operate with him, he is in pressing 
need of reinforcements, therefore, 

Ordered, that the following colonels be and hereby are directed to detach from their 
respective regiments the several numbers of men hereafter mentioned, and form them into 
companies of sixty-eight men each, including one captain, two subalterns, four sergeants, four 
corporals, one drummer, and one lifer, and see that they be equipped, armed, and accoutred 
as the law directs, and order them to march immediately to the island of Bhode Island, and 
there to do duty during the campaign on said island, — viz: From Col. Hawes' regiment, one 
hundred and fifty men, including officers, and one major; from Col. Carpenter's regiment 
one hundred and fifty men, including offices; from Col. Daggett's regiment, one hundred and 
fifty men. including officers, and one colonel; from Col. Hathaway's regiment, one hundred 
and fifty men, including officers, and one lieutenant-colonel; from Col. Sproat's regiment, one 
hundred and fifty men, including officers; from Col. Williams" regiment, one hundred and fifty 
men, including officers. 

And make return to the Council without lo>s of time. 
A true copy. 

Attest: John Avery, Dy. Sec'y. 

In obedience to these orders a regiment consisting of niue hundred men 
was formed out of the several regiments above named, which repaired to 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 133 

Rhode Island, and served under the command of Colonel Daggett, of this town, 
during the remainder of the campaign. The company furnished by this town 
as its quota under this levy was commanded by Captain Caleb Richardson. 
It was on the island at the time of the battle, and was partially engaged in 
it. Two men from this town who had belonged to the Continental army were 
killed in that action ; namely, Lamed Hall and one John Dwyer (or Dyer), 
formerly of Rehoboth. 

Colonel Daggett also commanded the regiment (of which this town fur- 
nished a portion) from Bristol county in Spencer's expedition. This regi- 
ment was supplied by alternate drafts from the companies in the northerly 
and middle parts of the county. 

During the occupation of the island by the British, as before observed, the 
militia from all the towns in the vicinity were frequently called upon to 
defend the shore, as constant apprehensions were entertained that the 
•enemy would attempt to land. Attempts were indeed often made, but as 
often failed. Orders would sometimes come for all the militia to appear at 
some place near the island. All hands would accordingly muster (whether 
by night or day), and make all haste for the scene of parade. They were 
sometimes thus detained a week, three weeks, and even six weeks at a time. 
On the appearance of a sufficient force the enemy would for the time relin- 
quish their design, and the greater part of the militia obtain leave to go home. 
But sometimes before they arrived home orders would come for their imme- 
diate return. The yeomanry were thus often obliged to leave the plow in the 
furrow, the mown hay untouched, and the harvest rotting in the field. 

ANECDOTE OF FAYETTE. 

While Sullivan was retreating from the island, Fayette, who brought up the 
rear, just as he was leaving the field espied a pickaxe belonging to the 
American array which had been accidentally left on the ground. He instantly 
went back, dismounted, and picked it up, exclaiming in broken English as 
he rode off with it on his shoulder, " They sha'u't have de pickaxe ! " 1 

The cannonade, which was heavy, between the two armies, was distinctly 
heard and felt in this town, and produced extreme anxiety in every family. 

The time of Bunker Hill battle was likewise a day of solemn feeling and 
fearful expectation. The cannonade was distinctly heard at this distance 
— thirty-five miles — and the occasion of it was fully recognized. It was so 
heavy as to shake the windows in the houses and the plates upon the shelves. 
The earth trembled as in the heaviest thunder. The town was almost 
deserted by all able to bear arms. Women were in tears for the fate of 
fathers, husbands, and brothers who had gone to the scene of action. 

From the preceding account of the civil transactions and the military 



1 This anecdote was told the author by Dr. Billings, surgeon in the American army. 



134 



A SKETCH OF THE 



services of this towu, it appears satisfactorily that our citizens furnished their 
full proportion to the ranks of the patriot army and did their duty faithfully 
in the day of trial. 

In reviewing the proceedings in that contest which agitated the country 
previous to the commencement of the Revolution, one thing struck me as 
worthy of remark (though not particularly noticed by historians) : that the 
citizens of this State generally, the people as a body, felt a deeper interest, 
took a more active part, and exerted a more direct influence in the transac- 
tions of the day, than the people of any other State. The whole mass of 
our citizens seemed to be acting in concert, animated with one spirit and in 
pursuit of one object. Other States were indeed as zealously engaged in the 
great work, but it was rather through the legislature or the government than 
by the direct influence of the people. But the citizens of this State entrusted 
it not to a few leaders or to any body of men to vindicate their violated 
rights ; they were willing to do their part and to bear the burden themselves. 
Every town and almost every individual felt it a duty to put forth an effort in 
the cause. 

The following are the names of the men from this town who served in the 
army during the Revolution. They are taken from the " Muster Rolls" and 
"Pay Rolls of the Revolution," in the Secretary's Library in the State 
House, Boston, and the lists comprise probably all who served. 1 

Muster Roll - for the company called on account of the alarm in April, 1775. 



> Ser. 



Moses Wilmarth, Captain, 
Nathauiel Bishop, 1st. Lt. 
Caleb Richardson, 2d. Lt. 
Elijah Barrows, ^ 
Thomas Sweet, 
Zephaniah Bishop, j 
Obadiah Carpenter, J 
Daniel Wilmarth, ) 
Gideon Sweet, J Cor " 
Abial Dunham, Drummer, 
Jediah Richardson, Fifer, 
Comfort Moore, 
Nathi ciaflin, 
Coafider Brown. 
Noah Cooper, 
Thomas Cooper, 
Daniel Ciaflin, 
John Foster, 



Joseph French, 
Jonathan Follet, 
Achos ? Hunt, 
Enoch Hunt, 
Elijah Jones, 
Abel Martin, 
Isaac Perry, (Parey) 
Eben r Robinson, 
Arunah Shepardson, 
Wm. Starkey, 
John Tyler, Jun. 
Ephraim Tripp, 
John Tyler, 
Robert Tit us, 
Benoui Wilmarth, 
Abisha Washborn, 
Moses Pike (Piek), 
Daniel Tiffany, 
Peter Thacher. 



ilth Company in 4th Regiment, Col. John Daggett. 



iThe editor deemed it best to place these names after the author's account of the war — leaving 
that almost entirely as he had previously prepared it — instead of attempting to give the companies, 
or parts of companies, directly after the references to their services as made by him. 

2 See Mus. Rolls of Rev., vol. 13, p. 189. 



HIST OB Y OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 



135 



Ser. 



Caleb Richardson's Co. 1 in Col 

Caleb Richardson, Captain, 

Enoch Robinson, Lient. 

Solomon Standly, Ensign, 
John Robinson, -) 

Lemuel Whiting, 

Daniel Richardson, 

John Tyler, 
_Jjiel Read. •) 

Joseph Sterns, I 

Gideon Sweet, ( 

Eliphaz Healy, J 

^Stephen Richardson, Drummer, 
_Caleb Richardson, Fifer, 

Henry Alexander, 

Preserved Alger, 

David Alverson, 

Gideon Bishop, 

Comfort Bishop , 

Jonathan Blackinton, 

Abial Brown, 

Joseph Cunimings, 

John Daggett, 

John Drown, 

Elijah Daggett, 

Abner Daggett, 

Samuel Draper, 

Jeremiah Everet, 

Lemuel Everet, 

Penuel Everet, 

Eben r Fuller, 

Thomas Freeman, 



Timothy Walker's Reg. April 24th to Aug. 1775 in service. 

Zebu Ion Freeman, 
James Freeman, 
Joseph Fuller, 
Rufus Gary, 
Daniel Huse, 
Larned Hall, 
Enoch Hunt, 
Henry Josliu, 
Amos Jilson, 
Amaziab Jilson, 
John Ide, 
ffin. Luce, 
Samuel Luscomb, 
Comfort Martin, 
George Neal, 
Hezekiah Peck, 
Benj. Richardson, 
Benj. Stanley, 
Nathaniel Sweet, 
John Tiffany, 
Noah Tiffany, 
Peter Thacher, 
James Tripp, 
Ephraim Tripp, 
Thomas Tiffany, 
Eben r Wilmarth, 
Moses Walcot, 
Wm. Woodcock, 
Jonathan Woodcock, 
Wm. Pilse, 
Zephaniah Rose. 



Men from town in Capt. Moses Knap's C0.2 Col. Joseph Read's Reg. in service from Apr. 
27th, to Aug. 1775. 



Benj. Caprou, 2d. Lieut. 
Samuel Tiffany, 
Seth Richardson, 
Elias Bolkcom, 
David Bolkcom, 



Cor. 



Daniel Bolkcom, 
Aaron Cutting, 
Elijah Fisher, 
Thomas Norton, 
John Stearns, (Searns) 
Samuel Woodcock. 



In Capt. James Perry's Co. 3 in service Oct. 6, 1775. 



Allines Claflin, 
Aruna Shepardson, 



Benj. Read, 
John Sweet. 



The following company of minute-men were called out Jan. 5th, 1776, and marched thirty- 
five miles. 

Jabez Ellis, Capt. Lemuel Everitt, 

Samuel Robinson, 1st. Lt. (illeg.) Fuller, 

Elisha May, 1st. Lt. „ Fuller, 

Enoch Robinson, 2d. Lt. „ Fuller, 



1 See Mus. Rolls, vol. 16, p. 12. 
Holts, vol. 5G, p. 192. 



'■ See Mus. Bolls, vol. 56, p. 113, and vol. 15, p. 47. 3 See Mus. 



13G 



A SKETCH OF THE 



Geo. Robinson. 2d. Lt 
Benj. Tingley, 
Daniel Daggett, 
Lemuel Whiting, i 
Elisha Daggett. J 
Aaron Barrows. 



Ser. 



Jeze (Jesse?) Ingraham 
Eliphalet Holmes, 

Joseph Sterns, 
Sam. Tingley, Drummer, 
Henry Alexander, 
John Alexander. 
Preserved Alger, 
Josiah Allen, 
Phillip Allen, 
Simeon Bates, 
Sam. Bloise? (al. illeg.) 
Stephen Barrows? (illeg.) 
Sam. Blackinton. 
Reuben Bates, 
Nathan Bishop, 
Oliver Blackinton. 
Joseph Cummiugs, 
Stephen Clatliu? (illeg.) 
Amos Carpenter, 
Reuben Carpenter, 
Ezekiel Carpenter, 
(illeg.) Carpenter, 
Eben r Draper, 
Ichabod Daggett, 
(illeg.) Ellis, 
John Sweet, 
"Wm. Sweetland, 
Solomon Stanley, 
Gideon Stanley, 
Samuel Stanley, 
Bovven Sweetland. 
Robert Swan. 
Ebeu r Tyler. 
Nathan Tingley, 
Arunah Tingley, 



Cor. 



Jabez Gay, 
Joseph Guild, 
(illeg.) Robinson, 
(entire name illeg.) 
Nathan Tyler, 
David Hutchins, 
Daniel Hews, 
Resolved Healey, 
Eliphaz Healey, 
Jacob Ide, 
Comfort Tngraham, 
Amos Ide, 
Timothy Ide, 
Amaziah Jillson, 
Wm. Lewis, 
Hezekiah Lane 
Samuel Liscome, 
Benj. Maxcy, 
Ebeu Maxcy, 
Samuel Newell. 
Josiah Pidge, 
David Pidge, 
Wm. Pike, 
Thomas Quindley, 
David Read, 
Hervey Richardson, 
David Richardson, 
Ezekiel Robinson, 
Joel Read, 
Jonathan Read, 
Samuel Slack, 
Eben Tiffany, 
Nathaniel Woodcock, 
Samuel Whiting. 
David Whiting, 
Moses Walcot, 
Phineas Clatlin, 
Jabez Pitcher, 
Abner Daggett, 
Eliphaz Day, 
Elijah Daggett, 
John Draoer. 



The following is Capt. Stephen Richardson's company of minute-men. At what special 
times they served the muster roll does not show. 



Stephen Richardson, Capt. 
Alexander Foster, Lieut. 
Michel Sweet, Ensign, 
Sheribiah Cobb, •* 

Elijah Capron, | 

A biathar Richardson, ( 
David Woodcock, 



George Hull, 
Thomas Horton, 
John Richardson, 
Thomas Richardson, 
Benj. Richardson, 
Seth Richardson, 
Zephaniah Rose, 



1 See Mus. Ji<>lls, vol. 12, p. 87. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 



137 



Cor. 



John Robinson, •) 

Joseph Foster, 

Daniel Richardson, 

Thomas Wilnnirth, J 

Nathaniel Robinson, Drummer, 

Elijah Bolkcom, Fifer, 

Wm. Bolkcom, 

Beuj. Capron, 

John Daggett, Jr. 

Peter Fisher, 

David Foster, 

Rufus Gavy, 

Comfort Martin, 



Benj. Starker, 
Nathaniel Sweet, 
Hoseah Tift'auy, 
John Tiffany 
Noah Tiffany 
Samuel Tiffany, 
John Woodcock, 
Ebenr Wilmarth, 
Eliphalet Wilmarth, 
Amos Wilmarth, 
John Wilkinson, 
Jonathan Woodcock, 
Zachariah White.i 



Muster roll of Capt. Richardson's Co.- that marched into the State of Rhode Island — part 
of the militia of Attleborough — " to hold the line till men could be raised for two months for 
that purpose." It was completed Apr. 21st, 1777, and continued in service until May 25th, 
including time to travel home at twenty miles per day. The private's pay was £1 13s. 4d. each. 

Stephen Richardson, Capt. 
Enoch Robinson, Lieut. 
Benj. Tingley, Lieut, 
Wm. Sweetland, •) 



> Ser. 



;a Tiffany, 
mas French, J 



Cor. 



Amos Ide, 

Noah Tiffany, 

Isaac Perry, 

Elijah Daggett, 

Daniel Hews, 

Hosey 

Thorn;' 

_Stepheu Fuller, Drummer, 
_ JJenj. Willmarth, Fifer, 

David Bolkcom, 

Lamech Blanding, 

Comfort Bates, 

Jonathan Blackinton, 

Othniel Blackinton, 

Joseph Capron, 

Wm. Carpenter. 

David Cooper, 

Daviuy ? Daggett, 

Solomon Dunham, 

John Draper, 

Joel Ellis, 

Penuel Everit, 

Levy Everit, 

Wm, Tiffany, 



Thos. French, Jr. 
William Freeman, 
Jabez Gay, 
Isaac Ide, 
Oliver Jillsou, 
Isaac Jackson, 
Hezekiah Lane, 
Hezekiah Peck, 
Jesse Richards, 
Noah Robinson, 
Benj. Read, 
Daniel Read, 
Gideon Stanley, 
George Starkey, 
Bowin Sweetland, 
Abel Titus, 
Zelotis Tyler, 
Ebenr Tyler, 
Ebenr Tyler, Jr. 
Hezekiah Tiffany, 
Benj. Tripp, 
James Tripp, 
James Orn, 
Silas Wood, 
Jonathan Willmarth, 
Amos Willmarth, 
Benj. Woodcock. 



List of Capt. Caleb Richardson's Co. in Col. Dauforth's. Reg. for the bounty granted by the 
General Court June 27th, 1777, — the bounty being apparently £3 a month. 

Noah Tiffany, Nehemiah Briggs, 

Lawrence M. South, Abiah Fuller, 

Samuel Munro, John Caswell, 

Noah Robinson, John Emerson, 



1 See Mus. Rolls, vol. 13, p. 69. 2 See Mus. Rolls, vol. 3, ps. S9 and 92. 



138 



A SKETCH OF THE 



Wm. Hoskins, 
Laraih ? Blandiug, 
(illeg.) Linkon, 
David Fuller, 
Simeon Crossman, 
John M. South. 
Abel Pain, 
Charles Findly, 
Elisha Williams. 
Richard Clark, 
Theophilus Clark, 
Benj. Medberry, 
Jacob Linkon, 
Lewis M. South, 
.Matthew Macomber, 
Thomas Andrews, 
Eben r Read, 



Abel Medberry, 
Aaron Golf, 
Abel Goff, 
Samuel Boen, 
Hezekiah Tiffany, 
Jacob Cummins, 
Elisha Hall, 
Benj. Cummins, 
Israel Jackson, 
Caleb Richardson, Jr. 
Abial Tripp, 
Zelotus Tyler, 
Samuel Freeman, 
Boen Sweetland, 
Paul Pratt. 
Silvester Linkon, 
Samuel Hoskius, 
Preserved Hoskins. 



A list of the company 1 that marched from this town on a secret expedition under the 
command of Col. Geo. Williams, from Sept. 25th, to Oct 29th, 1777, one month and six days, 
including two days for return home. Captain's name not given. 



Ser. 



Joel Read, 

Hosea Tiffany, 

Eliphaz Heley, 

Arunah Shepardson, J 

Eben r Dunham, Drummer, 

Israel Bates, 

Simon Barrows, 

Comfort Barrows, 

Thomas Barden, 

Elias Bolkcom, 

Ebenezer Bacon, 

Oliver Blackintou, 

Comfort Bates, 

Daniel Blanding, 

Jesse Briggs, 

William Barrows, 

Joseph Cushman, 

Joseph Capron, 

Daniel Clatiin, 

Zebelon Cutting, 

David Cooper, 

Loammi Day, 

Wm. Carpenter, 

Joab Daggett, 

Nathaniel Drown, 

Joseph Daggett, 

Daviny Daggett, 

Ephraim Dean, 

Solomon Dunham, 

Joel Ellis, 

Noah Fuller, 



Cor. 



Daniel Hews, 
Thomas Tiffany, 
Herbert Mann, 
Thomas French, J 
Benj. Wilmarth, Fifer, 
Nathaniel Jillson, 
Daniel Lane, 
Comfort Moore, 
Job Martin, 
James Orn, 
David Pidgej 
Jabez Pitcher, 
Caleb Parm(en)ter, 
Isaac Perry, 
Wm. Pulling, 
Daniel Read, 
Ephraim Read, 
Thomas Richardson, 
Seth Richardson, 
Zephauiah Rose, 
Michel Riley, 
Henry Richardson, 
Jonathan Read, 
Joseph Stearns, 
Jeremiah Scott, 
Amos Starkey, 
Thomas Starkey, 
Daniel Stanley, 
Samuel Stanley, 
Clark Sweetland, 
Stephen Sweetland, 



1 See Mum. Rolls, vol. 3, p. 91. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 139 

Samuel Fuller, Zebadiah Sweet, 

Abial Fisher, » John Tiffany, 

Ebcu r Fuller, Ephraim Tripp, 

Jonathan Fuller. Benj. Tripp, 

Thomas French, Jr. Philip Thare, (Thayer?) 

Ebeuezer Guild, Abisha Town, 

Amos Ide, Ebeuezer Tyler. 

George Ide, Elijah Wellman, 

Isaac Ide, Eliphlet Wilmarth, 

Elijah Jones, Benj. Woodcock, 

Oliver Jillson, Jesse Ide, 

Daniel Tiftauy. 

Capt. Sam. Robinson's company 1 of militia raised for twenty-one days, for duty in Col. 

Wade's regiment, from July 21st, 177S. Other members of this company were from adjoining 
towns. 

Sam. Robinson, Capt. Lumy Foster. 

Wm. Sweetland, Ser. Abial Freeman, 

Jacob Frieze, \ William Foster, 

Daniel Claflin, [cor. Eben* Guild, 

William Thomas,) John Gooding, 

Benj. Wilmarth, Fifer, George Ide, 

Philip Allen, Edward Richards, 

Othniel Blackinton, Noah Robinson, 

David Bolkcom, Obed Robinson, 

Benj. Barrows, Joel Read, 

Nathaniel Boweu, John Sweetland, 

William Carpenter, 2d. Bowen Sweetland, 

As>a Daggett, Ebenr Tyler, 

Darius Daggett, Jonathan Wilmarth, 

Abial Dunham, Stephen Wilmarth, 

Alex. Foster, Ebeu.r Wellman, 

Machael Sweet. 

Capt. Alex. Foster's company, 2 in Col. Thomas Carpenter's regiment from the Mass. Bay, iu 
the campaign at Rhode Island, from July 27th to Aug. 12th, 1778, including time to return 
home. Service for seventeen days, "Due for the time of service and travel, to each private, 
£2. 16s. 8d." The Courts provided additional wages £5 per month. 

Alex. Foster, Capt. Joseph Foster, -| 

William Swetland, Lieut. Daniel Willmarth, i 

Daniel Richardson, Lieut. Daniel Hews. 

Thomas Sweet, ^ Samuel Guild, J 

David Woodcock, \ Ser. George Hely, Fifer, 

Eliphalet Holmes, J Phillip Allen, Private, 

Levi Stanley, Drummer, Philbrook Barrows, 

Ephraim Allen, Ichabod Ide. 

Christopher Bowing, Levi Gilson, 

Simon Barrows, Levi Ide, 

Jacob Bates, Joel Metcalf, 

Benjamin Blackington. Herbert Mann. 

Noah Blanding, Daniel Martin, 

Solomon Bates, James Orne, 

William Carpenter, Henry Peck, 



1 See Mus. Rolls, vol. 3, p. 106. 2 See Mus. RoUs^roX. 2, p. 21. 



140 



A SKETCH OF THE 



Nehemiah Clafland, 
Benj n Capron, 
Joseph Capron, 
David Cummings, 
Joab Daggett, 
John Draper. 
Amos Daggett, 
Joel Ellis, 
David Fisher, 
Joseph Fuller, 
Thomas French, 
Eben r Guild, 
Samuel Holmes, 
Israel Hatch, 
George Tde, 
Isaac Ide, 



Isaac Perry, 
_X?_aniel Read, 
Henry Sweet, 
John Streeter, 
James Sweetland, 
Thomas Starkey, 
Samuel Stanley, 
John Sprague, 
Eben r Swan, 
David Smith, 
Joseph Sterns, 
Zelotas Tyler, 
Othniel Tyler, 
Peter Thacher, 
Kobert Titus. 
Eliphalet Wilmarth, 
Jonathan Woodcock. 



Capt. Sam. Robinson's Co. 1 in Col. Josiah Whitney's Reg. raised for six weeks, from July 
29th. 177S. Beyond wages they were to receive a day's pay for every twenty miles on the 
return home. There were doubtless men in this company from surrounding towns. 



Sam. Robinson, Capt. 

David Huchins (Hoskins), Ser. 

Hosea Tiffany, Ser. 

Comfort Bates, 

Asa Dean, 

Jesse Lie, 

Benj. Stanley. 

Nathan Richards, 



Enoch Robinson, Lieut. 
Jabez Gay, Cor. 
David Bolkcoin, 
Joseph Daggett, 
Abisha Town. 
Samuel Tiffany, 
Enoch Hunt, 
Jonathan Woodcock, 
John Fisher. 



Capt. Elisha May's Co. 2 in Col. John Daggett's Reg. from Aug. 23rd, 1778. to Sept. 2d, 
following, and two days to return home. Discharged Sept. 2d, 1778. Amount of private's 
wages, £2 per month, captain's, £12. 



Elisha May, Capt. 
Alex. Foster, Lieut. 
Benj. Maxcy, Lieut. 
Zephaniah Bishop, -| 
Stephen Draper, 
Andrew Bourn. 
Thomas Wilmarth, 
Ephraim Hall, Cor. 
Peter Read, 
Wm. Barrows, 
Peter Blackington, 
Joseph Cushman, 
Oliver Whittaker, 



Ser. 



Edmoiid Carpenter, 
James Cobb, 
Loammi Day, 
Daniel Daggett, 
Joel Fisher, 
Solomon Stanley, 
John Gotling, 
Hezekiah Round, 
Ebeuezer Robinson, 
Benj. Richardson, 
Amos Sweet. 
John Tyler, 
William Stanley. Ephraim Allen, 

Soldiers from this town in Capt. Joseph Franklin's Co. 3 in Col. Nathan Tyler's Reg. stationed 
at Rhode Island for the four months, Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec, 1779. The pay of these men for 
Dec. seems to have been £10. 13s. 4d. less than £2 per man. They were discharged Dec. 31st. 
William Foster, Drummer, Seth Capron, Fifer, 

Thomas Barden. < diver Gillson, 

Abial Dunham. John Pullin. 



'See Mus. Rolls, vol. 3, p. 107. 
53,54. 



! See Pay Rolls, vol. 4, ps. 207, 208. 3 See Pay Rolls, vol. 4, ps. 51, 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 



141 



Capt. Samuel Robinson's Co 
ton, R. I., on the morning of J 

Samuel Robinson, Capt. 
Eben r Tyler, Lieut. 
Eliphaz Day, Dit. 
Peter Read, Clerk. 
Jeremiah Ingraham, -| 
Andrew Bourn, 



i Col. Isaac Deane's Re< 
uly 31st, 1780. 



., that marched on the alarm, to Tiver- 



1 



Noah Morse, 
Jacob Ide, 
Amos Ide, 
David Pidge, 
Daniel Lane, 
Samuel Tingley, 
Naaman Bishop, 
Benj. Barrows, 
James Bates, 
Benaih Barrows, 
Reuben Bates, 
Abraham Cummins, 
Amos Carpenter, 
Ezekiel Carpenter, 
Phinehas Claflen, 
Loammi Day, 
Abial Fuller, 
Eben r Fuller, 
Wm. Freeman, 
Darias Fuller, 



> Ser. 



Cor. 



Gilbert Grant, 
Elisha Hall, 
Eben r Hutchins, 
Amos Humphrey, 
John Ide, 
Daniel Gilson, 
Levi Gilson. 
Samuel Liscomb, 
Joseph B. Laland, 
Samuel Read, 
Ephraim Read, 
William Read, 
John Sweeting, 
Nathan Tingley, 
Simeon Titus, 
Ebenr Tiffany, 
Walter Tyler, 
Samuel Tyler, 
Elisha Welman, 
John Welman, 
Thomas Witherton, 
Abial Brown, 
Jupiter Free, 
Joseph Fuller, 
Oliver Carpenter, 
Samuel Blackiuton, 
Wm. Everitt. 



Members of a company 2 

Wm. Bradford, 
Timothy Freeman, 
Levi Blackiuton, 
Levi Ide, 
Silas Richardson, 
Penuel Everitt, 
Eliphalet Gay, 
Abial Freeman, 
Otis Robinson, 
Josiah Bacon, 
David Robinson, 
Levi Chaffee, 
Obed Robinson. 
John Pull in, 
Benj. Sweetland, 
Phillip Allen, 



raised in town in July, 1780, for six months. 

Wm. Newell, 
Peter Blackinton, 
William Tyler, 
Hezekiah Tiffany, 
Elijah Fisher, 
Daniel Hewes, 
Aaron Cutting, 
Joseph Cushman, 
Reuben Ide, 
Nathan Hatch, 
Abial Tripp, 
Levi Maxcy, 
Jonathan Wilmarth, 
Thomas French, 
Joseph Bishop, 
David Dunnels. 



The following is the fourth time that Samuel Robinson served as captain 
during the war, in response to the many special calls for troops in this 
vicinity. He was the only one from the town who served in that capacity 



1 See Pay Bolls, vol. 3, p. 110. * See Mus. /lolls, vol. 4, p. 11. 



142 



A SKETCH OF THE 



so many times. Three — Moses Wilmarth, Caleb Richardson, and Stephen 
Richardson — each served twice, and the v other named captains once. 



Capt. Sam. Robinson'.- <'<>. ] in Col. Isaac Deane's Reg. for service in R. I. in 1781. Marched 
March 6th, discharged March 14th, " in the evening." Privates received 17s. 8d. each. 



Ser. 



Samuel Robinson, Capt. 

Win. Tiffany, •) 

Hezekiah Tiffany, 

Wm. Bradford, 

David Robinson, J 

Obed Robinson, Drummer, 

Welcome Capron, Private, 

Edmond Carpenter. 

Otis Capron, 

Phineas Claflen, 

Calvin Freeman, 

Eben r Read, 

Win. Blackinton, 

Levi Blackinton, 

Benj. Daggett, 

Benj. Barrows, 

Eben r Hutchins, 

John Guild. 

Leonard Daggett, 



Daniel Richardson, 
Abial Tripp. 
Otis Robinson, 
Wm. Tyler, 
Solomon Dunham, 
__geth Capron, Fifer 
Ephraim Gay, 
Abiah Pitcher, 
EbeiF Tiffany. 
William George, 
James Bates, 
Thomas Witherton 
Joel Robinson, 
Beniah Barrows, 
William May, 
Josiah Bacon, 
Walter Tyler, 
James Cutting, 
Daniel Daggett, 
Samuel Daggett. 



Lt. 



Cor. 



Another company, under Capt. Enoch Robinson,- in Col. Isaac Deane's regiment, seems to 
have marched on the alarm to Tiverton. They had ten days service, from July 31st, to Aug. 
8th, 1780. Privates' pay about 5s. per day. 



Enoch Robinson. Capt. 

Moses AValcot, -i 

Benj. Sweetland, j-Ser. 

Joseph Guild, J 

Roial (Royal?) Stanley, Drummer. 

Josiah Allen, 

George Blackinton, 

Oliver Blackinton, 

Zerial ? Bates, 

John Demon, 

Ephraim Dean, 

Win. Freeman, 

Eliphalet Holmes, 

Stephen Fuller, 

Ebenezer Guild, 

William Gay. 

Nathan Tucker, 

Abisha Town, 

Penticost Walcot, 

David Smith, 

William Sweetland. 



Daniel Daggett. Lieut. 
Eben r Bacon, -\ 
Jesse Richards, vCor. 
Stephen Draper, J 
Benj. Ide, 
John Mnllin, 
William May. 
Samuel Newell, 
Jeames Orn, 
Jacob Perry. 
James Pullin, 
David Bobbins, 
Samuel Stanley, 
Jesse Stanley, 
Stephen Sweetland, 
William Sweetland, 
David Whiting, 
Ichabod Daggett, 
Henry Alexander, 
Benj. Maxcy, 
(Written twice on list.) 



1 See Pay Polls, vol. 3, p. 103. 2 See Mus. Rolls, vol. 3, p. 108. 



HIST OB Y OF ATTLE BOROUGH. 



143 



Ser. 



Capt. Moses Wilmarth's 
They seem to have been in 

Moses Wilmarth, Capt. 
Zephaniah Bishop, -, 
Thomas Sweet, 
Obadiah Carpenter, f 
Abial Dunham, J 
Elijah Barrows, Clerk 
Noah Brown, 
Comfort Bates, 
Joseph Barrows, 
.Thomas Barden, 
Noah Blanding, 
Solomon Bates, 
Stephen Briggs, 
Josiah Carpenter, 
Josiah Churchel, 
Cyrel Carpenter, 
Nathaniel Claflin, 
Daniel Claflin, 
Noah Cooper, 
Amos Daggett, 
Daniel Daggett, 
Ebenezer Dunham, 
Aseph Daggett, 
Peter Derry, 
Ezra French, 
Jonathan Follet, 



Co. 1 who marched on the alarm to B. I. in Col. Isaac Deaue's Reg. 
service from March to July 31st. or Aug. 7th, 1781. 



Nathaniel Bisbop, Lieut 
Dan. Carpenter, 
Dan. Wilmarth, 
Paul Sanford, 
Aruua Shepardson. J 
Benj. Grover, 
Abel Martin, 
Job Martin. 
Comfort More, 
James Linkborn, 
John Pike, 
Peter Parey, 
Ichabod Parey. 
Caleb Parmenter, 
Caleb Richardson. 
Gideon Sweet, 
Win. Starkey, 
Peter Thacher, 
Obadiah Thacher. 
Robard Titus, 
Ebenezer Tyler, 
Eliphalet Wilmarth, 
Abisha Washbou, 
Stephen Wilmarth, 
Samuel Willis, 
Gershom Wilmarth, 
Noah Tiffauv. 



Cor. 



In a Rehobotb company, under Capt. John Perry, one Comfort Caperu, from this town, is 
put down as " Mate." 

In another company from that town, under Capt. Samuel Bliss, is found the name of 
Comphort Robinson of this town. 

In the regiment of Col. Asa Whitcomb, the company of Capt. Hasting, the name of John 
Sweetland of Attleborough is found. 2 

The following is the oulv list of the dead found among the records : 3 



Capt. Keth's (Keith?) Co. 
David Hutchins, 
Joseph French, 



Consider Brown, 
Reuben Daggett, 



Simeon Daggett, 
Noah Brovvu. 



Benoui Wilhnarth, 
The last three were probably from some other company, and were either dead or missing.* 



1 See Mus. Rolls, vol. 3, p. 258. 

2 See Mus. Rolls, vol. 56, ps. 136, 138, 145. 

3 See Mus. Uolls, vol. 56, p. 190. 

4 I have followed many of the irregularities of spelling found on the above mentioned " Bolls," 
thinking it may be a matter of curiosity to some people to see the changes some names have under- 
gone, and also the varieties of ways of spelling the same name in which our fathers indulged them- 
selves at that period. These lists comprise all of the town enlistments, not Individual enlistments of 
certain citizens elsewhere, in which the town would have no monetary interest. — Editor. 



144 A SKETCH OF THE 



CHAPTER VI. 

PROCEEDINGS OF THE TOWN, CONTINUED. DIVISION. 

THE long war of the Revolution finally came to an end, and for some 
time we find very little upon the records relating to enlistments, 
bounties, pay of soldiers, etc. 

The following, found on the ancient State Records of the General Court, 
is of interest to every inhabitant of the Old Bay State : — 

"The General Court begun and held at Boston, the 25 th day of October 
1780, being the first sitting of the General Court of the Commonwealth 
of Massachusetts." 

Sept. 4, 1782. It was voted "to alow the constables for the year 1780, 
for the Counterfit money they took in Colecting the taxes of said town." 
The town expenses for that year were £300. 

Some controversy regarding the ministerial land arose in 1783, and at 
a meeting held October 8th, it was voted " that it is the town's property." 
A committee of three was chosen " to take possession of the ministerial 
Farm." These were Col. John Daggett, Capt. Ebenezer Tyler, and Mr. 
Levi Maxcy. " Instructed the committee to demand the money the minis- 
terial farm rented for ever since Mr. Weld's, Discease ; then Dismist Capt. 
E. Tyler, by motion made, and proceeded to the choice of an other, and 
chose Capt. Ebenezer Tiffany in his stead. And then acted on the third 
article respecting Doctor Mann, keeping a Publick House, and voted all but 
five in favor of it." 

Feb. 9, 178-1, it was put to vote whether the town should give extraordinary 
pay to officers in the Continental army, and passed unanimously in the nega- 
tive. Among the orders upon the treasury for this year is the following : 
"Pay to the widow Anne Newell for Bording Mary Fuller Black Child one 
year to the 18th of November 1784, £5. 4s. and clothing said child, said 
term, 19s." 

In 1785, "Pay Capt. Moses Wilmarth, for taking another of Joseph 
Woodcock's boys to bring up til he arive to the age of twenty one years, the 
sum of £6." Board during this year ranged from Is. 6d. to 6s. — that is 
from 37 cents to $1.50 — per week. Corresponding board to-day would 
probably range from $2.00 to S6.00 or $7.00 per week. Another order for 
1785, is as follows: " Pay to Abiathar Richardson for moving Kathiranah 
Gorse to wreutham the sum of 5s. for moving Job horn to mansfield the sum 
of 2s." In 1786, Caleb Richardson, one of the selectmen, received for two 
and one half days' "sarvis" as one of a committee, 10s. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 145 

March 21, 1786. "Voted that one third of the annual April meetings, be 
held in the meeting-house in the east precinct for the future." 

May 16, 1786. " The town vote to Chuse a committee of five men to Sarve 
in county convention if the other towns in the county should see fit to meet 
them in order to find out the Reson that circulating cash is so scarce, and so 
harde to be got, and the Reson that taxes are laid so heavy upon us." We 
of the present time can deeply sympathize in these two grievances of our 
forefathers, for to this day the mystery attending the poor circulation of 
the former and the real reason for the weight of the latter are still unsolved. 
The town chose Capt. Alexander Foster, Capt. Caleb Richardson, and Lieut. 
Nathaniel Bishop this committee, and they were instructed " to act according 
to the best of their Judgment." 

At a town meeting lawfully warned and held Nov. 6th, 1786, it was voted 
to instruct the representatives at the General Court to endeavor to get a 
redress of a number of "articles which we look upon to be grievances." 
These articles were ten in number. One related to the large pay of the 
" first magistrate of this commonwealth, and other officers of government ; " 
another to the neglect in the settlement of important matters pending between 
this Commonwealth and Congress, and another upon " the present mode of 
taxation," claiming that it acted unequally. Article 3d, as one of the griev- 
ances to be redressed, reads : "The existence of that Order of men called 
Lawyers." 

Many complaints of taxes are recorded, and frequent abatements also, 
one entry being made as follows : " To Mr. Abiathar Richardson, Constable. 
This comes to order you to abate to Remember Ingraham his poll tax in the 
state and town tax made Jan. 17, 1787, the sum of £1 9s., and his receipt 
with this order shall discharge you so much with the town treasurer." Signed 
by the selectmen. 

March 20, 1787. "Voted that the powder taken out of the town stock 
(in 1775) should be Replast." The following amusing entry was found 
among those for the year J 788 : "Ear mark of Peter Thacher is a swallers 
tail on the top of the right ear, and a slant cross on the upper side of the 
left ear." Then as if suddenly realizing his blunder, the clerk adds, 
" Creturs mark." 

March 27, 1787, is found the following order on the treasurer: "This 
comes to order you to pay Doctor Abijah Everet for keeping the town school 
in the quarter where Caleb Richardson, Jr. lives, half a month, and boarding 
himself for the year 1786, £1. 8d. More to said Everet for doctoring the 
town's poor lis. and his receipt, shall be your discharge for so much." In 
this same year the selectmen ordered certain sums of money to be paid to 
widow Bethiah Bishop for the board, etc., of her mother Mercy Woodcock, 
from a given date " to the day of her Deth." A further sum " for the cost 
of rum and watchers for her mother in the later part of her sickness," was 



146 A SKETCH OF THE 

16s. " and to David Pidge for digging a grave to bury the widow Mercy 
Woodcock in the sum of 4s." At this period — from June, 1788, to Jan- 
uary, 1789, — six months, — the town paid the sum of £3. 6s. 4d. for some 
person's board. 

March 17, 1789. "Voted to choose a committee to divide the town into 
twenty quarters for schooling," the committee numbering thirteen. They 
reported they considered it best to divide into but eight quarters. In this 
year the town appropriated £200, for the " sole purpose of mending the 
highways." 

In 1790-91 a number of persons were warned to leave the town, for not 
having obtained permission to reside within its limits. One of these was the 
Doctor Abijah Everet previously mentioned ; another was "Abraham Tucker- 
man gentelman," another, Ezra Brown, of Rehoboth, " yeoman." Some 
were called "transient persons," and one Moses Read "yeoman" of Reho- 
both. was warned to depart within fifteen days. This town law was enacted 
at an early date, but in the case of desirable residents non-conformity to its 
requirements was " winked at," or, more correctly, when respectable people 
either through ignorance or carelessness neglected to apply to the proper 
authorities for consent to become residents of the town on first coming here, 
they were probably permitted to obtain this consent after being formally 
warned to depart, as many so warned continued to live here. In the case of 
the shiftless and shifting population, however, the warnings were doubtless 
carried into effect. 

February 25, 1791, the meeting was held in the meetinghouse in the second 
precinct. " Voted that the selectmen should be a committee to sell the paper 
money that belongs to the town." This was accomplished presently, for on 
April 1st the treasurer was ordered to receive the money belonging to the 
town from this disposal of the Continental money. The amount of the paper 
money is not stated, but it realized £77. 18s. 4£d. In this year the town is 
mentioned as in the " District of Bristol, Dukes County, and Nantucket." 

Town meetings in the early days were often held at private houses ; that 
for February 23, 1792, being " at the house of Zechariah White." 

April 2, 1792. " Voted to give the powder to the souldiers that was deliv- 
ered out of the town store, to the several Captains of companies for the 
regimental muster in October last." Among the bills paid by the town this 
year was one of 8s. for a cord of wood. 

May 15, 1792. "Voted that the assessors go separately, and each one in 
his own district to take in a valuation, and do it after haying." The follow- 
ing is probably the result of the above vote of the town : J 



1 The original paper preserved by Jacob Me, one of these assessors, was placed in the author's 
hands by a descendant, Mr. Hartford Ide. It is deemed of sufficient interest to give the valuation 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 147 

A Count of the Valuation Taken and Completed this 7th Day November 1792, by E. Bacon, 
A. Richardson, J. Ide. 

Polls Rateable 16 years Old & upwards to 21 years 81 

Polls Rateable 21 years Old & upwards 303 

Male Polls not Rateable, not Supported by ye Town 89 

Male Polls not Rateable Supported by ye Town 5 

Dwelling Houses 215 

Barns 165 

Amount of Funded Securites at Six per. cent £385 slO 

Ditto at Three per Sent 277 4 

Ditto not on Intrest 258 10 

all Other Securites 874 16-6 

Money on hand 169 10 

Acres of Tilage Land 1282 

Bushels of Rie 2666 

Bushels of Oats 472 

Bushels of Corn 9264 

Peas & Beans Ill 

Acres of English and upland mowing 18G0*a 

Tons of Hay yearly produce of the Same 736% 

Money at Intrest £1248 

Acres of Fresh meadow 1944 

Tons of Hay yearly produce of the same 1188 

Acres of Pasturing 5288 

Cows the same will keep 1069 

Barrels of Cyder 1503 

Acres of Woodland 4450 

Acres of unimproved Laud 1113 

Acres of Land covered with water 215 

Number of Horses 3 years Old & upward 138 

Steers & Cows 3 years Old &c S61 

Oxen 4 years Old &c 311 

Swine 6 months old 375 

Stock & Trade [Stock in trade?] £850 

Common Land 697 (acres) 

High ways 708 (no explanation of fig.) 

Tilage — E. mowing — F. meadow — pasturing — Woodland — Un. L. — Upl. — Water 
No 1 173 - - 159 - - - - 198 - - - 482 - - - 262 - - - 581 - - 174 - - 21 
No 2 249 - - 233 - - - - 328 - - - 657 - - - 600 - - 1005 - - 316 - - 43 

422 - - 392 - - - - 526 1139 - - - 862 - - -1586 - - 490 - - 64 

392 

526 Attleborough, August 13th 1792 
1139 

862 Number of Acres the Town of 

1586 Attleborough Measured when the 

490 Town was Surved by the Selectmen, 

64 In Order for to take Map &c is 

28363 Acres in the whole. 

5481 

Sept. 4, 1792. " Voted to annex the county tax with ye town tax." In the 
warrant for a meeting for October this year, an article was inserted to see if 
the town would vote to provide " hospitals for ye benefit of ye town, or 
those individuals who would wish to have ye small pox by inoculation." The 



148 A SKETCH OF THE 

article was dismissed. We conjecture the demand for such a hospital could 
not have been great. 

Aug. 4, 1794, a meeting was held at the house of Mr. Ephraim Dean, 
where a committee consisting of six captains — Ebenezer Tyler, Caleb 
Richardson, Ebenezer Tiffany, John Richardson, Samuel and Nathaniel Rob- 
inson, and Deacon Enoch Robinson — was chosen to see what encouragement 
the town would give the soldiers. The meeting was adjourned to a later 
hour of the same day, to give time for the deliberations of this committee. 
They reported : " That the town give the soldiers such additional compen- 
sation as with the Continental pay shall amount to 42s. per month (87.00, 
a shilling 16| cents), while in actual service, if they are not called out of this 
State, nor the State of Rhode Island. But, if called out of the aforesaid 
States to duty 54s. per month, one half month advance pay when called to 
march." This report Avas accepted. "Then voted to give the men 12s. 
each, if called to muster in Company ; money to be paid on Muster Day." 
On May Gth of this year, Doctor Bezaleel Mann informed the people at town 
meeting that he had "taken into his house Abraham Babcock a molatto 
man," who belonged to Westerly, R. I. 

1795. Town expenses £170, and £200 for highways. At a town meeting 
lawfully warned and held on Monday the sixth day of April, 1795, " Theu 
to the mind of the town upon the important subject of paying the Militia in 
times of peace. — Which votes are as followeth — viz — Not for paying the 
Militia in time of peace — 138 — In favor of paying the Militia — 7 votes — 
Then chose a committee to draft a petition to the General Court and lay 
it before the town at their next town meeting for their approval." The 
petition is as follows : — 

To the Hon ble the Senate and House of Rep. of the Commonwealth of Mass. in General 
Court assembled, June 1795. 

The petition and remonstrance of the inhabitants of the town of Attleboro' in the county 
of Bristol shewetu that at the last session of the last General Court sundry petitions were 
presented to your Honors by officers of the Militia from various parts of this Commonwealth, 
praying for a revising of the Militia laws, and that the Militia in future may be put under pay 
on training or muster days — that we acknowledge the responsibility of the Militia, and are 
not unmindful of the many services they have rendered the Government and of the importance 
of their existence, yet we never have been brought to believe, neither can we believe that the 
paying of the Militia for mustering in time of peace can be for the interest nor safety of the 
community, as it must tend to destroy that Militia pride and laudable ambition for which men 
of that profession have hitherto been so remarkable. It will also in our opinion subvert the 
order of things in its operation by establishing the Military over the civil, it will render our 
republic forms of Government niegatory and introduce a standing army to be supported in 
time of peace and destroy the essence of our freedom. Nor can we help being surprised at 
the sudden -alteration that has taken place only in consequence of a reverse of fortune, for 
at the beginning of the late glorious Revolution our then patriots made use of the argument 
against Great Britain, that they had unconstitutionally quartered large bodies of armed troops 
among us in time of peace, which was then thought subverting the rights and freedom of the 
people. Besides if there was no danger from such experiment we think it very unjust that 
those Officers and Soldiers who have previously in rotation voluntarily done their town at a 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEDOBOUGB. 149 

time when they were called upon much oftener thau at present without fee or reward agree- 
able to the custom that had been in practice time immemorial, that they should now be taxed 
to pay officers and soldiers for services not one half so burdensome as those they have per- 
formed. We have no wish to injure the present Militia nor to detract from their responsibility, 
but that your Honors would amend the Militia laws agreeable to their wishes so far as may be 
consistent with the public good. But we think ourselves bound in duty to remonstrate against 
paying them as officers or Soldiers on training days, and humbly request that such parts of 
their petition as pray for compensation may be dismissed and your petitioners as in duty 
bound will ever pray. 

At a town meeting lawfully warned and held at Attleboro' the sixth day of May 1795, the 
inhabitants being assembled, the above petition was perfected and read, and the town voted 
to accept it, and voted that it should be recorded and sent to the General Court. 

A true entry, errors excepted. 

Jacob Ide. — Town Clerk 
Attleboro', May 6 th 1795. 

June 1, 1795. " Capt. Joel Read for taking- a plan of the town in part 
sum o' £4. 7s. 6d., Jacob Ide for assisting in this work and making bound- 
aries etc. the sum of £2. 9s. 6d. Expenses of Ebenezer Daggett for three 
days surveying work 17s. 6d." This year one Noah Cole had his entire rate 
for the previous year abated. It is to be regretted that the reason for this 
action is not given, as it might be applicable at the present time in similar 
cases. 

Nov. 30 th , 1795, in an order upon the treasurer for board for "48 weeks 
at Is. 6d. per week," for Thankful Bo wen, " for supporting herself " the 
charge is " 12 Dollars." This is the first mention of dollars found with one 
exception, 1 and from this time on for several years there is a mixture of 
dollars and cents with pounds, shillings, and pence in the town's accounts — 
the natural result of the establishment of a new standard of money. 

For the next twenty-five years there is comparatively little of special 
interest relating to the history of the town to be found upon the clerk's 
books. 

Article 7, in the warrant for a meeting to be held Sept. 1st, 1812, reads as 
follows: "To see if the inhabitants of said town will vote to make up to 
the soldiers lately detached such sums per month as shall appear to be 
reasonable compensation in case they shall be called into active service." 

Sept. 25, 1812. "Then voted to dismiss the 7th. article, and not act upon 



1 This was in February, 1781, when for some purpose the town were to raise "$3,000 hard money." 
These must have been Spanish or Mexican dollars, which were in circulation at that time, and which 
later became the standard of the American dollar, and there was no other until 1794. In 1785 Con- 
gress decided that the dollar " should be the unit of money of the United States." The mint was 
established in 1792, but no dollars were coined until 1794. The coinage was at first irregular, hence 
the mixture of terms until the circulation became general. In the New Haven Register — July, 18S7 
— it was said that dollar was the English for thaler, " the first of which was coined about 1486, and 
corresponds quite closely to our present American silver dollar." Thaler means coming from a 
valley— Thai in German — and the first thaler was coined in a Bohemian valley. Under Charles Vth 
the German thaler " became the coin of the world." It was probably introduced into London by 
North Germans, who would pronounce it as if spelled " dah-ler." By easy transition the English 
reach dollar. 



150 A SKETCH OF THE 

it." This same matter came up again in 1*14, and was again dismissed. 
These two short records are all that the town books reveal relating to town 
action during these years of war, and, as is seen, they amount to nothing. 
Very probably some citizens of the town may have been in active service, 
but the State archives furnish the names of no contingent of soldiers sent 
from this town, as a town. We are told also that there was no volunteer 
service. Two companies were levied from the four militia companies then in 
existence. One company was sent to New Bedford, and here one of its 
members was accidentally shot, but the company had no encounters with the 
enemy. The other company was commanded by Elihu Daggett ; Samuel 
Cushman was its lieutenant, and Chester Bugbee its ensign. This company 
went to Plymouth, but saw no active service. We may be sure, however, 
that had occasion offered, its members and those of the other company would 
have fought with the same courage and determination which have ever char- 
acterized Attleborough soldiers. 

During this period, or perhaps a little later, taxes were levied by the 
United States Government on many articles, and there was a specific tax of 
$2.00 levied on every watch. As may be seen by some old tax bills in the 
possession of our present town clerk, if a man failed to pay his tax of a 
dollar or two on some of these articles taxed, the northeast corner of his 
farm would be set off for sale. In the event of a failure to meet such 
demands, it became the business of the tax collector — then in our town 
probably Mr. Jacob Ide — to look up a man's property, and levy thereupon. 
We are not told the amount of land claimed per dollar, but in subsequent 
years some of these "corners" were sold in this town, and the process of 
redeeding, etc., which necessarily ensued, caused great trouble and expense, 
probably many times the amount of the original taxes. 1 

During the above-mentioned period the State district to which the town 
belongs underwent several changes. In 1812 it was in the "Bristol and 
Norfolk District ; " two years later " Bristol District ; " in 1822 " Bristol and 
Dukes County," and the following year "Bristol District" alone. Subse- 
quently the districts were numbered (in 1857) and this form of designation 
is still used, in place of names. 

Sept. 19, 1825. At a town meeting " held at the old meeting-house in the 

I west parish," it was voted that the clergy should become members of the 

school committee. This committee in those days numbered fully three times 

as many as now. At this meeting it was also voted "that the town grant 

one hundred and fifty dollars for the support of a singing school the ensuing 



1 Taxes of this nature,— those on personal possessions, such as clothing, jewelry, etc., are still 
lawful in one of our neighboring States, but, like many other of her " Blue Laws " they are, as they 
should be, practically overlooked, or rather, they should be theoretically as well as practically abol- 
ished, and remembered only as curiosities. A double and continual tax upon jewelry and clothing — 
as would be the case with imported articles— is certainly unjust in times of peace. 



HISTORY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. 151 

winter." ''Chose Jesse Carpenter, John A. Read, Chester Bugbee, Artemas 
Stanley, Rev. Mr. Williams for a committee to superintend the Singing 
School." At this same meeting Abijah M. Ide, Jonathan Peek, and Abiathar 
Richardson, Jr., were chosen "to make a purchase of house and lands for 
the pool-." This is the first mention of a plaee where the poor should be 
cared for collectively. 

The town expenses at this period seem to have increased rapidly. In 1826 
they were 82,.">0<), with $1,500 for highways. In that year eattle. horses, and 
swine were not permitted to run at large, and never generally after that time. 

It required considerable time to find a suitable poor farm, for it was not 
until Sept. -20th, 1<S27, that the town voted, " that the town and State poor 
should he moved to the house purchased for the town for the purpose of a 
house for them, as soon as may be convenient, and there supported under 
the direction of the overseers of the poor," and not until this time was the 
report of the purchasing committee accepted. Tins farm and house were on 
Watery Hill. The house was subsequently burned down, and one or two 
persons lost their lives. The fire was caused by hot ashes which were taken 
up in a wooden pail. 

At the above mentioned meeting of Sept. 20th, 1827, it was voted "that 
the selectmen shall receive proposals respecting a building for holding town 
meetings, from individuals if any should be made, and report at an adjourn- 
ment of this meeting." At a meeting held on the third of the following 
April (1828), the selectmen, with Noah Claflin and Abijah M. Ide, were 
chosen "to Draught a plan of a Town house, and also a Cite, and report to 
next meeting." May 5th following a meeting was held in the vestry of the 
East meetinghouse, when this committee's report was accepted, and the select- 
men were to attend to the building and have it completed "by the first 
Monday of November next." The plan was of the simplest, the house being 
about square, with a peaked roof, and the site selected was the nearest 
possible to the centre of the town geographically, and on the road leading 
from the East village to the "city," just opposite the residence of the late 
Dr. Alfred Martin. It was built by "uncle" Jacob Capron, and he was paid 
880 for the work. It cannot be considered a credit to the town as a public 
building, nor need there be any regret that it is a fast crumbling ruin. 1 

The trouble with boundary lines still continued, for during this and the 
several ensuing years committees were chosen to settle the same between 
this and a number of the adjoining towns. 

In 1830 the town appropriated $3,000 for expenses. In a warrant dated 
March 29th of that year is found the following resolution : — 

" Resolved that in the opinion of this town, the public good does not 
require any license for retailers of spirituous liquors in the town of Attle- 



It was entirely demolished some time since. 1893. 



152 A SKETCH OF THE 

borough, agreeable t<> a petition for thai purpose." This article was 
dismissed. 

April 7, 1834. "Voted to instruct the selectmen not to approbate nor 
return the names of any persons to receive licenses to sell spirituous liquors 
the ensuing year." 

In 1831 the records slate that six tithing-men were chosen by the town, 
and in 1836 four were chosen, and for the last time; for in 1837 that office 
was omitted in the annual choice of officers. In that year auditors were 
chosen for the liist time. 

April 1, 1839, the selectmen reported having erected "Guide Posts" 
during the year as follows: "Two near Senaca Sanford's, one on the Boston 
and Newport road on the plain," and recommended the erection of others at 
the following places : One at George Foster's, one at the schoolhouse near 
John Daggett's, one at the Abiathar Richardson "•Old Tavern House," one 
near Elisha Wilmarth's, one at the comer of J. and G. Bliss', two near Dr. 
Fuller's old house, one near the burying-ground near the city, one at the 
" Kail Road House," one at Mr. Holman's, one at the Falls, one at the Union 
House, one at Samuel Guild's, one at Luther Richards', one at Tully May's, 
and one near Timothy Stanley's. Many if not all of these were placed, and 
in some instances the fingerposts are still standing, which direct as before 
along quiet country roads; but in others the sparsely settled roads have 
become thickly-populated village streets, and the present generation could 
not unaided find the sites of the old guideposts. 

In 1845 town expenses were $4,000 and the appropriation for highways 
81,200. 

A special meeting was called for July 12th, 1847, just subsequent to the 
burning of the almshouse, when it was voted to build another " suitable for 
the use of the town," but not on the same site as the former. A committee 
of seven was appointed to make the necessary inquiries both as to a new 
location and the disposal "of the present Almshouse Farm " and report a 
[dan for a new building with probable cost. One of this committee, Mr. 
Joseph W. Capron, is still living. This committee's first report relating to a 
certain farm was not accepted, and later the selectmen were authorized to 
sell the old farm, which was done April 29th, 1848, for $1,600.16. Some 
time previous to this the town must have received a special gift or legacy for 
its poor, for it was about this time voted that " when the almshouse farm is 
sold, the F. Draper donation be invested in the purchase of another farm." 
In November the farm belonging to Colonel Ira R. Miller, containing 109£ 
acres, was purchased for $3,250 and is the one still used as the " poor 
farm." 

During the following year there were several incendiary fires in the school- 
houses, and the selectmen offered a reward of 8500 for the apprehension 
of the criminals, while the town resolved itself into a ''committee of the 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 153 

whole " for the protection of property. There is no further record upon this 
subject. 

In 1855 the town expenses were $10,000 and those for highways $2,000. 

Thirty-two years before the final decision the question of town division 
arose for the first time. In the warrant bearing- date Oct. 20th, 1855, Article 
5th reads as follows: "To see if the town will choose a committee to take 
into consideration the propriety of making a division of the town, and report 
at some future meeting." At the meeting " warned" by the above warrant, 
a committee consisting of the five following gentlemen was chosen, namely, 
George Price, Hervey M. Richards, Lyman W. Dean, Joseph W. Capron, 
Elkanah Briggs. 

During this year (1855) the Angle Tree line was remeasured. 

April 7, 1856, the committee on division reported as follows : — 

Your Committee, chosen at the last. November meeting, to take into consideration the pro- 
priety of a division of the Town, have attended to that duty, and submit tin- following report 

The town now contains over 5000 Inhabitants, and more than 1000 Voters, being a larger 
number than can convenient]}* assemble in one room for the transaction of business properly, 
or so as to be understood by all. And should a division be made, each part would contain a 
greater number of Inhabitants than the majority of the towns in the Commonwealth, and 
also would be entitled each to a Representative in the General Court. The town house and its 
location has ever been a subject of complaint, and now being out of repair, and insufficient in 
size, and surrounded by none of the accommodation desirable for man or beast ; and believing 
there is no immediate prospect of the Town in its present condition, agreeing upon a more 
favorable locality for the erection of a new town House that will be convenient or satisfactory 
to the whole Town. Should a location be selected further to the North. —thereby saving to 
them a portion of their travel, — it would discommode the southerly and easterly sections, 
more than it would benefit the North, therefore nothing would be gained by the whole people 
in changing the present location, which we believe all agree to be unsuitable. 

There is not now, and no prospect there ever will be a common centre to this Town, where 
it will be convenient for the whole to meet, or for the safe keeping of the Town Records, or 
for the convenient meeting of the Town Officers, for those having business to transact with 
them, or for the school committees of the several School Districts, — subjecting them to much 
time and trouble, owing to this want of a common centre, which would be avoided were a 
division made, and then a place could be centrally selected for the safe keeping of the Records, 
and the meeting of the officers, in each part, more convenient to all. 

Your Committee, in order to bring the whole subject properly before the Town, come to 
the conclusion to recommend a division by a line commencing on the west line of the Boston 
and Providence R. R. where it crosses the Mansfield and Attleborough line, — thence running 
westerly a strai(gh)t line, until it intersects the Cumberland line at Stone point northerly of 
the house of the late John Carpenter deceased. This line will pass through a sparsely popu- 
lated part of the town, and will least interrupt the present boundaries of the School Districts. 
Such a line will leave on the North, about 2,800, and on the South about 2,600 Inhabitants,— 
leaving a larger population on the north, and a larger territory on the south, — the greater 
mechanical interest on the north, and the agricultural interest on the south; — thereby insuring 
a greater sameness of interest in each part, and more harmony in the management of their 
schools, and the transaction of their public business. 

If the Town is ever to be separated, your committee believe now is the most favorable time, 

as there is now no public building of much value to be sacrificed, or other property belonging 

to the town. 

Signed, 

Attleborough, Apr. 5, 1856. J. W. Capron, 

H. M. Richards, 
L. W. Dean. 



154 A SKETCH (JF THE 

The two other members of the (jommittee wore not in favor and would not 
sign this report. At the meeting of April 7th, when this report was given, it 
was voted •• to have the moderator appoint a committee of three to present 
a petition to the Legislature for a division of the town of Attleborough." 
The committee appointed for this purpose were W. D. Whiting, James C. 
Hidden. Lyman W. Dean, and here this matter seems to have been 
dropped entirely. 

As has been seen, in 1857 names were dropped and our Senatorial Dis- 
tricts were numbered. The " First Bristol District," as it then was, included 
Taunton, Raynham, Easton, Mansfield, Norton, and Attleborough. Our 
district is still the same, excepting only that Seekonk was added in 1876. 

During the next two years the most important matters before the town 
were connected with the schools and will be noticed elsewhere. On May 
9th, 1859, 8300 were voted to repair the town hall. A week later the town 
decided to build a new town house "to be located near Robinsonville," 
appropriated $8,000 for the purpose, and chose a building committee, but 
finally acted upon the first vote and made the old building do duty a little 
Ionizer. 

A town meeting was called for February 25th, 1860, to see what action the 
town would take regarding a new boundary line between Massachusetts and 
Rhode Island, the new line having been proposed by council in the suit 
pending in the Supreme Court of the United States, which line conveyed 
several hundred acres of this town to Rhode Island. A series of resolutions, 
prepared by Joseph W. Capron and John Daggett, were submitted to the 
town and by them adopted at this meeting. They were as follows : — 

Whereas — A controversy regarding the true boundary line between Massachusetts and 
Rhode [sland bas existed for a long time, ami at every attempted settlement oi tins question 
Rhode [sland has made additional demands upon our territory until she has attained six towns 
which rightfully belong to this Commonwealth, all of which except one are bounded on Xarra- 
gansett Bay, which thus far exclude the people of this state from said waters, — And whereas, 
the council for the Commonwealth has submitted to the Governor and Council a conven- 
tional line, which takes from ns nearly all the remaining portion of said Hay. ami a line made 
without reference to any material boundary, or a better and more convenient line for occupa- 
tion, and without reference to the interest or wishes of the people affected thereby. — 

Therefore Resolved — By the Inhabitants of Attleborough in Town Meeting assembled, that 
we earnestly remonstrate and protest against the ratification of the proposed line, as the 
boundary line between -aid States, for the following reasons: — 

First, — Because by said line it is proposed to surrender a portion of this town to Rhode 
Island, in addition to the one half she has already attained, without pretending to make a more 
convenient line for occupation, or any other cause, — which is arbitrary and unjust to the 
citizens of Attleborough, 

Second, — Because as citizens of the County of Bristol, we are equally interested in retain- 
ing the jurisdiction of the shore line from Pawtucket Falls to Bullock's Neck, which is the 
only portion of Narragansett Bay to which we in this part of the county have access. — being 
:i- line a bay as there is in the world, — and when desired capable of being made one continued 
wharf bounded on navigable waters, — and where thousands of our citizens annually resort 
for health, pleasure, and recreation. 

Third. — Because Rhode Island claims and has exercised jurisdiction over more than 17,000 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 155 

acres of land, embracing $4,000,000 of property in addition to the territory granted by the 
decision of the Royal Commissioners of 1741. 

Fourth, — Because it divides Seekonk, Attleborough, Swansey and West port, by an arbitrary 
line, in such a manner, as greatly to injure those portions winch remain in Massachusetts. 

Fifth, — Because it appears to be a compromise made mainly for the benefit of Rhode Island 
and Fall River, whereby valuable interest, and important privileges belonging to this State are 
ceded away without any equivalent. 

Sixth, — Because, — as this whole matter has been brought before the Superior Court of the 
United States for adjudication, and attended by great expense, with the prospect of a speedy 
settlement : — We therefore prefer that it should be disposed of by that tribunal, rather than 
to accept the proposed line. 

Seventh, — Resolved —That it is against the interest of the people of this Commonwealth. 
and particularly of this county, to make the exchange proposed, as it would not only deprive 
us of valuable territory and of rights of fishery long exercised by the people of Massachusetts, 
and without an equivalent; but would sunder Ion-- established relations, derange the propor- 
tion between several of the Representative and Senatorial Districts of this County, and thus 
violate the existing provisions of the Constitution. 

In 1861 it was voted to appropriate the sum of $500 for the purpose of 
defeatino; the proposed conventional line between Massachusetts and Rhode 
Island. From their settlement up to 1741. Plymouth Colony and Massachu- 
setts — after their union in 1692 — " extended from the Atlantic to the 
Narragansett Bay." The towns of Barring-ton, Warren, Bristol. Tiverton, 
and Little Compton, R. I., were then a part of Massachusetts. In 1741 
Rhode Island laid claim to a portion of our State, and commissioners were 
appointed by the British Crown "to hear ami determine the controversy." 
They gave these five towns to Rhode Island and made some other changes 
in the line, hut did not make precise and exact boundaries or set up any 
monuments on them. They never saw the land, hut made the changes by 
drawing the line on paper. This was the cause which led to the subsequent 
disputes between the two States. 1 The commissioners from the two States 
disagreed in their special markings of the line. Those appointed from this 
State in 1844 "did substantially agree with the commissioners from R. I., 
and so reported to the Governor and Council in LS4.S." Their proceedings 
were, however, " with great unanimity, and no little indignation," declared 
null and void by our Legislature, "and a special commission was appointed 
in 1852 to prostrate the eighty-four stone monuments set up by the Mass. 
officers." 

The two States, though several efforts were made, failed to agree, and the 
Legislature by its "Resolve of 1848 " directed the Governor to commence 
proceedings in the Supreme Court of the United States, there to have this 
matter finally determined. The bill tiled in 1852 desired that Court to 
appoint commissioners to run the line exactly as the Royal Commissioners 
had run it on paper — as it was possible to do — and set up the necessary 
monuments. This again would easily have settled the dispute, but before 



lr rhis was the Royal Charter that took from us the town of Cumberland ceded to Rhode Island 
in 174o. 



156 A SKETCH OF THE 

there had been a hearing a proposition was made to abandon all efforts to 
find the real line and to create an entirely new and arbitrary one " by ceding 
to Rhode Island the flourishing town of Pawtucket, and the more valuable 
portion of Seekonk, in exchange for the town of Fall River, R. I., and a 
small portion of Tiverton." This seemed at the time an unfair and unjust 
arrangement, the exchange being so unequal, as by it Massachusetts lost 
2,200 people, 921 voters, and $1,610,691 worth of property. 

The people of this town did all in their power to prevent the yielding to 
this — as they considered it — extortionate demand; but their efforts, with 
those of all the others interested, were of no avail: the new line was run 
with no apparent regard lor equity or right. The line as run finally made 
no appreciable difference in our town line, and what was done by our citizens 
was done out of loyalty to the State and a neighborly feeling for the towns 
specially affected. The new boundary line was ratified by the authorities of 
the two States. — not the Supreme Court, — and the monuments which define 
it were all properly set. The result of this exchange has been different from 
what was anticipated. Pawtucket and Fall River were the two localities 
most largely interested and apparently at the time the most injured by the 
change ; but to both of these cities it has proved to be a benefit. 

The chief actions of the town during the immediately succeeding years 
related to the Civil War and will be noticed in the following chapter. 

April 4, 1864. " Voted to instruct the selectmen to complain of all sellers 
of intoxicating drinks, not licensed by the laws of the State, and all persons 
who rent buildings for that nefarious business, in this town." 

In 1865 the appropriation for current expenses was 814,000. 

May 2, 1871, the town voted not to allow the sale of "ale, porter, strong 
beer, or lager beer," the vote cast being 296 opposed, 70 in favor. " Voted 
that the town lease the Agricultural Hall for three years, at $500 per annum, 
for first, and second floors if needed." The first town meeting held there 
was on May 3d. 1872, and the meetings continued to be held there up to the 
time of the division. 

April 5, 1875. •• Voted to appropriate the sum of 8300, for the G-. A. R. 
posts, to use in decorating the graves of the soldiers and sailors of the 
Union, to include all who have ever fought for the country-" 

November 22, 1875. -'Voted on motion of W. D. Wilmarth. that the 
town consent to allow the formation of a district, under the name of ' Attle- 
borough Improvement District,' within the limits of the ' Attleborough 
Water Supply District,' by virtue of, and for the purposes set forth in 
Chapter 332, of the Acts of 1870." At the same meeting, '"On motion of 
E. Hunt, voted that the town do appoint a committee to procure exhibits for 
the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia in 1876, illustrative of the inter- 
est s, progress, and present condition of Attleborough, as requested by the 
Massachusetts Centennial Commission." It was voted that the committee 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 157 

consist of nine persons, including the selectmen, "Chose by nomination, 
J. B. Savery, John Daggett, Esq., George B. Whitney, Henry Rice, Elisha 
G. May, 8. P. Lathrop, and the select men." The latter were G. M. Horton, 
D. S. Hall, and H. C. Read. For some reason the proposed plan was not 
carried out. 

In 1877 the appropriation for current expenses was $40,000 and $8,000 for 
highways, an almost triple increase in the former in twelve years. The 
appropriation for paupers was $4,500. 

At the annual town meeting held March 17, 1879, the office of overseer of 
the poor was separated from that of selectmen and assessors, and one only 
chosen. At an adjourned meeting held April 7th of that year, it was voted 
" to instruct the selectmen to have the Old Powder House repaired at an 
expense not to exceed sixty dollars, and that the old shingles be placed 
inside the building." This year the town voted to use the entire Agricultural 
Building at a rental of $1,000. 

May 19, 1881. " Voted to subscribe to the Providence Telephone Com- 
pany, and place au instrument in the Town Clerk's office." 

An Act relative to the rights of women to vote for school committees was 
approved by the State Legislature on April 9, 1881. Four ladies in this town 
qualified and voted as soon as possible. They were Mrs. Lowell Brown, Dr. 
Laura V. G. Mackie, Mrs. Win. Thurber, and Mrs. Samuel Holman. 

The results of this Act of our Legislature, for good or ill. have not as yet 
been manifested to any great degree. We do not speak with regard to the 
motives governing the women themselves. Thus far we believe it to be quite 
true that every woman who has qualified to vote in Attleborough has done 
so intelligently and conscientiously, but it is not yet time to look for the 
effects of so recent a cause. The coming generation must pass judgment 
upon this great political change of the nineteenth century. 

In 1883 the own voted, " No license." One year after the Local Option 
Bill was passed, the town voted in favor of license, and the selectmen 
opposed the measure and prevented its being carried into effect. 

March 17, 1884. "Voted to grant the use of the school houses in the 
village of Attleborough for evening schools, to be maintained by the trustees, 
of the Richardson School Fund." 

At this meeting the question of division was again brought forward. 

"Voted that it is the sense of this meeting that it is for the best interests 
of the town, that this town should be divided : 225 votes for, 168 against." 

" Voted to commit the entire subject of the division of the town to a com- 
mittee of thirteen, to be chosen by nomination as follows: five from the 
north section of the town, five from the east section, and three from the 
south section, with instructions to report at an adjourned meeting." The fol- 
lowing named gentlemen constituted this committee : Francis S. Draper, 
Oscar M. Draper, William H. Rogers, William H. Kliug, Joseph G. Barden, 



158 A SKETCH OF THE 

William P. Shaw. Edwin A. Robinson, Elisha G. May, Charles E. Bliss, 
George A. Adams, Philip Brady, George N. Crandall, Everett S. Horton. 

At this meeting a Board of Health was elected for the fb ,s+ time. 

March 29 the committee appointed on the 17th instant reported in favor of 
division, giving several reasons as to its expediency. One was, there being- 
two especially thriving sections in the town, their " municipal and business 
interests" would be enhanced by division : another, that the educational facili- 
ties met the demand in each section ; and another that the large population of 
the town could easily have a very nearly equal division. The report further 
stated. — "That the municipal interests and prosperity of the town and the 
public welfare of its inhabitants on account of our greatly increased popula- 
tion and diverse interests cannot now be as carefully guarded and intelligently 
considered as in the past, therefore your committee find that the municipal 
business and educational interests of the town and the public welfare of its 
inhabitants demand that the town should, and we recommend that the town 
be divided into two parts, one of which shall include, and be known by the 
name of North Attleborough, and the other or remaining part as Attle- 
borough." The committee further recommended that the dividing line begin 
;t at the division line between Norton and Mansfield, and running southwest- 
erly in a straight line across the town to the point where the highway from 
Adamsdale touches the Rhode Island line, said line passing near the resi- 
dence of E. D. Parmenter, J. Crehan, W. Givens, and through the village of 
Oldtown, crossing the turnpike at the intersection of said turnpike with the 
highway leading to R. Esteu's, and then passing near the house of H. Car- 
penter north of Adamsdale to said point in the Rhode Island line." 

The valuation of the town for 1883 was $5,367,099. By said division line 
$66,720 would be taken from East Attleborough, $152,465 from South Attle- 
borough. The valuation of North Attleborough was 82,465,995. With the 
addition North Attleborough's valuation would be $2,685,180; that of East 
Attleborough $2,681,919. The committee further recommended that real and 
personal property rights of action, and public debt existing at date of division 
be divided between the two towns according to the valuation of property 
within the limits of each, to he assessed by a Board of Appraisers, or in any 
other way the town might determine. W. H. Kling, Charles E. Bliss, G. N. 
Crandall, E. S. Horton, W. P. Shaw, W. II. Rogers, Geo. A. Adams, signed 
in favor; E. S. Draper, O. M. Draper, E. A. Robinson, E. (i. May, J. G. 
Barden, were opposed to those measures (and Philip Brady must have 
opposed them, though his name was not found with these others). It was 
voted that a committee of five be appointed to employ a competent surveyor 
to survey the boundary lines of the town and report with a plan of the pro- 
posed new line. This committee were (J. A. Adams, C. E. Bliss, E. G. May, 
0. M. Draper, J. G. Barden. 

May 17. 188-1, this matter was brought before the citizens for their decision. 



HISTOEY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 159 

"Upon the question, ' Shall the town be divided?' ' No,' 225 votes, 'Yes,' 
180 votes." The matter at this time, it is said, hinged more upon the pro- 
posed line than upon division itself, and the unfavorable decision was because 
the line was not satisfactory to the town. 

March 15, 1886. Upon the license question the vote stood, "Yes," 382 ; 
"No," 4:34. 

August 27, 1886. " Voted that the town instruct the selectmen to divide 
the town into as many voting precincts as they deem proper.". This arrange- 
ment was for greater convenience in the election of State officers at the 
autumn town meetings. The annual meetings for the election of town officers 
and the transaction of town business continued to be held as before at Agri- 
cultural Hall. At this same meeting in August it was voted k - that the town 
light the main thoroughfare between Attleborough and North Attleborough 
(with electric lights) ; voted to appropriate therefor a sum not to exceed 
nine hundred dollars." 

September 18, 18<s6. The town was divided into three voting districts, des- 
ignated as North, East, and South Districts. The appropriations for 1886 
were, for paupers, 68.000; for highways and bridges, $23,000; for current 
expenses: $8,000, and for incidental expenses, $5,000. The taxes have been 
very heavy, and on the increase for several years, on account of the large 
debt the town incurred for the construction of its waterworks, and the 
expenses for repairing the damages caused by the flood of February, 1886. 

At the annual town meeting in March, 1887, it was voted — 78 to 52 — to 
authorize the construction of a tunnel under the Park Street crossing of the 
Boston and Providence R. R. Nothing of special importance came up at 
this meeting outside the usual affairs, such as acceptance of streets, building of 
bridges over highways or railroads, school appropriations, ordinary expenses 
of the town, etc. The vote at this meeting on the license question stood, 
"No," 561," Yes," 497. Appropriations were $90,000, and the entire amount 
to be raised by taxation was $128,400. The town debt amounted to 
$153,500. Of this sum, $25,000 was in notes for the balance of the loan 
deposited in the year 1883, for the purchase of the School Districts' property ; 
$30,000 was for a portion of the balance of the town's indebtedness not pro- 
vided for by taxation ; $65,000 for bonds ; and $35,500 was borrowed in 
anticipation of the taxes for 1886-M7. 

The following ladies qualified to vote, and registered in March, 1887, and 
thirty-four of the number east their ballots at the annual meeting. 

Amelia R. Amos, Emily B. Fittz, Florence Nightingale, 

Anne F. Burden, Ellen A. Franklin. Emily R. Perry, 

Cora F. Barden, Jennie F. Fuller, Louise K. Philbrook, 

Emma L. Battey, Alice D. Graham, Augee M. Porter. 

Phebe E. Boomer, Ellen G. Gustin, Ellen E. Read, 

Harriet A. Blackinlon. Deborah B. Hatch, Eliza A. Richardson, 

Zemira Blackinton, Hannah F. Hatch. Mary K. Bobbins, 



160 A SKETCH OF THE 

Lidora E. Briggs, Viola L. Hatch, Florence M. Sweet, 

Martha A. Briggs, < Ihristina A. Holmau, Lucy B. Sweet, 

Sophia 6. Brown, Eliza D. Horton, Lucy C. Sweet, 

Bhoda P. < 'apron, Eliza F. Johnston. Lydia I. Sweet, 

Rebecca M. Coombs, Betsey H. Jordan. Elizabeth Stewart, 

Cora K. Copeland, Elizabeth C. Lamb, Mary E. Sweeney, 

Martha P. Copeland, Erinina C. Lincoln, T<la B. Thacher, 

Sarahs. Draper. Arabella L. Livsey. Julia M. Thomas, 

Jennie E. Ellis, Clarissa E. Luther. Elizabeth G. Thurber, 

Cornelia Everett, Laura V. G. Mackio Helen A. Wexel, 

Hannah S. Fisher, Eliza J. Mctcalf, Ellie E. Whiting, 
Elizabeth M. Thurber, Lena F. Whitmore. 

As may be seen by the last annual report previous to the division, the fol- 
lowing officers were deemed necessary for the proper attention to the various 
affairs of this town, and the transaction of its public business: Selectmen, 
three, one from each district ; Assessors, five ; Overseers of the Poor, three ; 
Treasurer, one ; Town Clerk, one ; School Committee, nine members ; Tax 
Collectors, three, one from each district ; Road Surveyors, twenty ; Constables, 
twenty-five; Board of Health, five members; Sinking Fund Commissioners, 
three ; Treasurer of same, one ; Sealer of Weights and Measures, one ; 
Fence Viewers, live; Surveyors of Wood and Bark, ten; Weighers of Coal 
and Hay, ten; Surveyors of Lumber, six; Auditors, three; Pound Keeper, 
one; Truant Officers, three; Special Police, eleven; Fire Police, nine; For- 
est Firewards, nine, three in each district; Board of Registrars, four mem- 
bers ; Wardens, nine, three for each district. Total, one hundred and sixty. 

During 1886 the vexed question of dividing the town again came up, and 
for many months it was the theme for general discussion throughout the 
entire territorial limit. The movement in this matter started in East Attle- 
borough. The first perhaps to agitate the question publicly was Lyman M.. 
Stanley, and he, Everett S. Hortou, and Charles E. Bliss, were the chief 
promoters of the movement in that part of the town. 

A petition asking for a separation, or division, was circulated, and was at 
first signed by about three hundred (300) persons. Later, this number was 
increased to five hundred and ninety-seven (597). Of these 597 petitioners, 
97 were not voters ; 158 were resident north of the proposed dividing line, 
and represented $250,000 worth of property ; and those south of the line 
represented $775,000 worth of property. 

A remonstrance was also circulated, and signed by a large number disfav- 
oring division. The property represented by the whole number of remon- 
strants on both sides of the line was $2,081,887, and that of the whole 
number of petitioners, $883,236 — less than half as much. 

The petition — signed by Mr. O. M. Draper and twenty-five other citizens 
of the town — asking the Legislature to provide for a division of the town 
and to authorize the incorporation of the northerly portion as a new town, 
was as follows : — 



HIS TOE Y OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 161 

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth 
of Massachusetts, in General Court Assembled: 
The undersigned petitioners, citizens of the town of Attleborough, respectfully represent 
that the convenience and best interests of the inhabitants demand a division thereof; therefore 
we pray that that portion of the town lying northerly of a line commencing at a stone monu- 
ment situated in the westerly line of the town of Attleborough, on the northerly side of the 
road leading westerly from the Polly Chace place, thence easterly in a straight line to a point 
on the east side of the road one hundred feet southerly of the house of Howard E. Rhodes, 
thence deflecting to the north and following a straight Hue passing midway between Leprilete 
P. Fisher's house and the house of the late Tisdale E. Fisher, thence in the same course to the 
Mansfield line at a point about Ave thousand four hundred and fifty feet northerly of a monu- 
ment at the corner of the towns of Mansfield and Norton, be incorporated as the town of North 
Attleborough : 

O. M. Draper, Edwin Richards, F. A. Newell, 

D. D. Codding, ~ C. E. Smith, L. Z. Carpenter, 

J. D. Richards, G. M. Horton, S. W. Carpenter, 

Geo. W. Cheever, John \Y. Luther, G. N. Crandall, 

T. I. Smith, J. L. Wells, L. W. Dean, 

0. B. Bestor. L. M. Stanley, G. T. Holmes. 

Chas. W. H. Day, Chas. E. Bliss. A. M. Everett. 

John P. Bonnett, E. S. Horton. James J. Horton, 

E. B. Bullock, A. B. Carpenter. 

Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

Secretary's Depaktment. 

Boston. November 18, 1886. 

I direct the publication of the above petition in the Attleborough Chronicle and Attle- 
boro Advocate. Henry B. Peip.ce, Secretary. 

After many delays and postponements which extended over a period of six 
months, the matter was finally given a hearing on May 10th, 1887, In the 
Committee on Towns, in the Bine Room of the State House. The following 
citizens were present on that occasion : Ex-Senator F. L. Burden, Repre- 
sentatives A. T. Wales and T. G. Sandland, C. T. Guild, Chairman of the 
Selectmen, Randolph Knapp. Town Treasurer, Rev. John Whitehill. Post- 
master P. E. Brady, George N. Crandall, S. P. Lathrop, Charles E. Bliss, 
Lyman M. Stanley, Francis G. Pate, Charles E. Smith, William H. Gould, 
Philip M. Carpenter, Philip Brady, Oscar M. Draper, Henry Wexel, AVilliam 
J. Luther, Lucius Z. Carpenter, Albert W. Sturdy, Charles H. Wetherell, 
George Asa Dean, Dr. John R. Bronson, Edward R. Price, J. Lyman Sweet, 
William 31. Fisher, Henry F. Barrows, Everett S. Horton, John Thaeher, 
Handel N. Daggett, Elijah R. Read, Arthur B. Carpenter, Edgar Perry, 
George Randall. 

At that time the State had but one larger town than Attleborough, and 
that was Pittsfield. A statement was made to the committee regarding the 
prior actions of the town upon the division question, and various statistics 
were also given relating to the size, population, etc., by the Attorney for 
Division. Upon the first day the evidence was confined to those favoring 
division, and the case was conducted by Attorney F. H. Williams. The first 



]02 A SKETCH OF THE 

person called upon to give testimony was Charles E. Bliss. The hearing 
extended over two days. The attorneys employed by the anti-division peo- 
ple were Mr. Story and Mr. Sherman Hoar. A large number of the citizens 
above mentioned gave their testimony upon one side of the question or the 
other, expressing their opinions as to the expediency or non-expediency of 
a separation, furnishing statistics upon a variety of points, etc.. lmt it is not 
necessary to give their statements in detail here. Several expressed as their 
reason for desiring division the firm conviction that economy in government 
would of necessity follow; others as positively, with reasons, their conviction 
that expenditures would lie increased. One gentleman from East Attle- 
borough, in speaking of a fellow-citizen, said: kt He is from North Attle- 
borough, which is four miles away, and which is connected with us geographi- 
cally, and in no other relation;" another, in reply to a lawyer's question as 
to how the two sections were connected, said: "Very much as the Siamese 
twins were; each does just as it pleases, but they are held by a ligament 
which is very disagreeable ; " and his special reason for desiring separation 
was in a word u Home Rule." On the other hand facts were brought forward 
to show that there were many more bonds of union between the two parts 
than those affected by geographical lines, those of business and social inter- 
ests being especially strong in the estimation of many, and one gentleman, 
a resident in East Attleborough for fifteen years, made the following state- 
ment: " When 1 came to Attleborough there was no railroad to North Attle- 
borough. I have seen Falls Village and North Attleborough become one vil- 
lage, and Falls Village and Robinsonville joined together. The two sections 
are connected somewhat as the Siamese twins, but let them alone and the liga- 
ment will be larger than either." Thus the unity and diversity of interests 
between the two chief villages was discussed until the end of the hearing. 
This was concluded by the vote of the Committee on Towns to act upon the 
suggestion of the attorney for division and visit Attleborough. 

The vote was carried into effect on May 23, upon which day the members 
of the committee with Mr. Fred. H. Williams, the attorney for division, and 
Mr. Sherman Hoar, attorney for the opposition, arrived in town. They were 
received by a committee of six geutlemeu — Messrs. E. S. Horton, C. E. 
Bliss, and O. M. Draper, representing the petitioners, and Messrs. J. L. 
Sweet, John Whitehill, and Burrill Porter, Jr., the remonstrants. The two 
town representatives, T. G. Sandland and A. T. AVales, with Messrs. G. N. 
Crandall, L. M. Stanley, W. H. Gould, J. L. Wells, and a representative of 
the Advocate, were also of the party. A large barge to which four horses 
were attached was provided by R. D. Manchester, and the gentlemen were 
very comfortably and rapidly conveyed over the selected route, which com- 
prised the principal streets of East Attleborough, the drive thence by North 
Avenue and Falls Village to North Attleborough, which was traversed, and 
later in the day — Mr. E. R. Price having joined the party — the drive to 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 



168 



West and South Attleborough, and from there through Hebronville and 
Dodgeville back to the starting-point. It may interest future generations of 
readers, should these lines ever meet their eyes, to know that at one o'clock 
an interval of relaxation in the more active occupations of the day occurred, 
and a dinner was served to the members of tins party at the Wamsutta 
House — a good one, the chronicler adds, who was one of the partakers. The 
committee, after this visit to the town, reported unanimously in favor of 
division, a rather unusual occurrence in such matters, it is said. They 
further introduced a bill into the Senate providing for the requested division, 
with an amendment which placed the expense attending the same upon the 
entire town as it was before the change. 

The following table of figures ' shows the relative size of the two towns, 
and the advantages each one may possess in certain directions, as these were 
estimated before the division was effected, though the two portions were to 
be made as nearly equal as possible in every respect. 

North Attleborough. Attleborough. 

Acreage 10.143 acres, 11.166 acres. 

Population (estimated) 7,100 6,900 

Valuation. Personal Estate *756,o95 -7.V1.S97 

Valuation, Real Estate $2,581,195 $2,360,862 

Polls b623 1-630 

Voters (estimated) 972 900 

Houses I486 929 

High Schools 1 1 

High School Scholars 41 15 

Schoolhouses H 13 

Scholars (excepting High) 1.258 1,265 

Churches and Chapels 8 S 

National Banks, Savings and Loan Fund Associa- 
tions, Water and Gas Companies, Fire Depart- 
ments, Libraries 1 of each 1 of each. 

Savings Ranks 1 

Hotels 2 2 

Railway Stations 3 3 

Postoffices 2 5 

Public Property : — 

Lock-ups 1 1 

Almshouses 1 

Stone-crusher 1 

Schoolhouses 11 13 

Towns in State having smaller valuation .... 2*1 278 

Towns in State having smaller number of polls . . 296 296 

Following is the Act of Division, with the exception of Section 11, 
which provides that the act shall take effect before November 1, 1887, in 
case a majority of the voters of the town accept it. 

Section 1. All that part of the town of Attleborough comprised within the following 
limits, that is to say, beginning at a stone monument situated in the boundary line between the 



'Taken from the Attleboro Advocate. 



104 A SKETCH OF THE 

town of A.ttleborough and the town of Cumberland, in the state <>f Rhode Island, and ou the 
northerly side of the road leading westerly from the Polly Chace place, so called; thence run- 
ning easterly in a straight line to a point on the easl side of the road one hundred feet 
southerly of the house of Howard E. Rhodes; thence deflecting to the north and following 
a straight line passing midway between Leprilete P. Fisher's house and the house of the late 
Tisdale E. Fisher; thence in the same course to a monument in the boundary line between the 
towns of Attleborough and Mansfield five thousand four hundred and fifty feet northerly of 
a monument at the eorner of the towns of Mansfield anil Norton: thence northwesterly on the 
boundary line as it now exists between the towns of Attleborough and Mansfield till it comes 
to a corner marking the boundary of the towns of Attleborough. Mansfield and Wrentham; 
thence southwesterly by the boundary line as it now exbt- between the towns of Attleborough 
and Wrentham to a eorner marking the boundary of the said towns of Attleborough and 
Wrentham and the town of Cumberland in the state of Rhode Island; thence about southerly 
along the boundary line between the said towns of Attleborough and Cumberland to the point 
ut beginning, is hereby set off from Attleborough and incorporated a town under the Name of 
North Attleborough; and the town of North Attleborough is hereby invested with all the 
powers, privileges, rights and immunities, and made subject to all the duties and liabilities of 
other towns of the Commonwealth. 

Section 2. The inhabitants and estates within the territory hereby set off and the owners 
of such estates shall be holden to pay all taxes assessed and in arrears to the same persons, 
and such taxes may be collected in the same manner as if this act had not been passed; and 
until the next state valuation the town of North Attleborough, annually, in the month of 
November, -ball pay to the town of Attleborough the proportion of any state or county tax 
which the said town of Attleborough may be required to pay upon the inhabitants or estates 
hereby set off, said proportion to be ascertained by the last valuation next preceding the 
passage of this act, ; and the assessors of Attleborough shall make returns of said valuation, 
and the proportion thereof in the towns of Attleborough and North Attleborough, respect- 
ivelj . to the secretary of the Commonwealth and to the county commissioners of the county of 
Bristol. 

Section 3. The towns of North Attleborough and Attleborough shall be liable, respect- 
ively, for the relief and support of all persons now or hereafter needing aid as paupers, or 
who may derive or acquire, or who have derived or acquired, a settlement within their 
respective limits. And the town of North Attleborough shall pay annually to the town of 
Attleborough such proportion of all costs for the relief and support of persons now or here- 
after needing aid as paupers who may or have derived or acquired a settlement by reason of 
military service as part of the quota of Attleborough, or who cannot be located ou the site 
whence their settlement is derived or whence it was acquired, as the valuation of the town of 
North Attleborough bears to that of Attleborough as it is now bounded, according to the last 
state valuation prior to said relief and support. 

Section 4. Existing rights of action in favor of or against the town of Attleborough may 
be instituted and prosecuted or defended by said town in the same manner and with like effect 
as before the passage of this act. and the amount recovered therein shall be paid or received 
as the case may be by the town of Attleborough, and reckoning costs and expenses, including 
counsel fees, shall be divided between the towns in the ratio of one-half to North Attle 
borough and one-half to Attleborough. 

Section 5. The corporate property of the town of Attleborough, both real and personal, 
in being at the time of the passage of this act, and the town debts then existing, shall be 
divided between the towns of Attleborough and North Attleborough according to the valua- 
tion of the property within their respective limits, as assessed May first, eighteen hundred and 
eighty-six. The towns shall severally retain and hold all the real and personal property now 
within their respective limits, upon a valuation to be agreed upon by the boards of selectmen 
of both towns in concurrence, and differences in valuation shall be equalized and balances 
adjusted by apportionment of the town debt. In case of a failure to agree upon a valuation or 
division of the assets and liabilities, the same shall be determined by a board of three commis- 
sioners, neither of whom shall be residents of either of said towns, to be appointed by the 
superior court for the county of Bristol in term time or vacation, upon petition of either town 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 165 

with notice to the other. The commission so appointed shall sit ami, after hearing both parties, 
determine the matters of disagreement aforesaid, and return their award into said court, and 
the award of the majority, when accepted by the court, shall be final; and said court may 
issue any writ or make any order thereon necessary to carry the same into effect. The award 
maybe set aside for fraud or manifest error, but for no other cause, and thereupon may be 
recommitted to the same or other commissioners to be appointed for the same purpose, with 
like powers and duties as aforesaid. 

Section 6. The town of North Attleborough shall, until otherwise provided by law, con- 
tinue to be a part of the second congressional district, of the second councillor district, of the 
first Bristol senatorial district and the first Bristol representative district; and at all elections 
the inhabitants of the town of North Attleborough shall vote at polling places to be furnished 
within the town. The selectmen and clerk of the town of North Attleborough shall make 
returns of elections as if the town had existed at the time of the formation of said districts. 

Section 7. Any justice of the peace within and for Bristol county, residing in the town 
of North Attleborough, may issue Ins warrant, directed to any inhabitant of said town, 
requiring him to notify and warn the inhabitants thereof qualified to vote in town affairs, to 
meet at the time and place therein appointed, for the purpose of choosing all such officers as 
towns are by law authorized and required to choose at their annual meetings, and said warrant 
shall be observed by posting copies thereof, attested by the person to whom the same is 
directed, in three or more public places in the town of North Attleborough, seven days at 
least before the time of such meeting. Such justice, or in his absence such inhabitant required 
to notify the meeting, shall preside until the choice of a moderator in said town meeting. The 
selectmen of the town of Attleborough shall, before said meeting, prepare a list of voters in 
the town of North Attleborough qualified to vote at said meeting, and shall deliver the same 
to the person presiding at such meeting before the choice of moderator thereof. 

Section 8. The towns of Attleborough and North Attleborough shall bear the expense 
of making the necessary surveys and establishing the lines between the towns of Attleborough 
and North Attleborough. 

Section 9. The town of Attleborough shall pay to the town of North Attleborough 
a half part of whatever amount may hereafter be refunded to said town of Attleborough from 
the state or United States, to reimburse it for bounties to soldiers or state aid heretofore paid 
to the families of soldiers after deducting all reasonable expenses. 

Section 10. All lights heretofore secured to existing corporations upon the territory 
hereby incorporated shall continue as though this act had not passed. 

The arguments brought by the petitioners for a division were chiefly that 
the size of the town was too great; that there was not one centre, but two; 
that these were practically the centres of two towns, as they were separated 
both by distance and diversity of interests; that the inhabitants already 
numbered too many to be properly managed by one official body, this body 
having for some time been broken into sectional parts ; that the voters were 
too numerous to be satisfactorily handled at one meeting-place for the trans- 
action of public affairs ; that the rivalry existing between the two largest 
villages had already caused much legislation for improvements, and that the 
result of this legislation had been to impose burdensome taxes upon the 
entire town ; that these and future similar burdens would be much lightened 
by hsfvrng two towns in place of one ; in fact, that economies impossible 
with We town could easily be practised with two, etc., and it was the opin- 
ion of some that the only alternative to division was municipal government 
with all its attendant expenses in the not far distant future. To each of 
these arguments those opposing division said in a word: " It is not so," or 



166 A SKETCH OF THE 

kk It will not be true." They argued that there was no more reason for mak- 
ing two towns on account of size than when Attleborough was a part of the 
Rehoboth North Purchase, its territory being in fact less than at that time bv 
the removal of the Gore, now the town of Cumberland, R. I.; that voters 
could In- accommodated and town business properly transacted under the 
existing conditions ; that the two more populous sections were not " united 
only geographically," but that their interests were decidedly in many ways 
one and the same : and so on to the end of the list. 

The day appointed for deciding this long talked of and important matter 
was July 30th, 1887. Previous to this time great efforts had been made bv 
each side to turn the tide of the popular vote in its direction. Party spirit 
had run high, and party feeling was very deep. To both sides equally this 
seemed a question of vital interest to the good of the town, and in the eyes 
of the one side and of the other, whichever way the scales should turn, so 
strong were the convictions and so bitter and pronounced was the partisan- 
ship, it seemed as if the life of the town hung upon the balance, and its 
whole future prosperity depended upon the issue. Such being the conditions, 
it is greatly to the credit of our citizens that when the momentous day arrived 
they conducted the necessary business in the most quiet and courteous man- 
ner. One says: "In all the precincts it was very orderly and quiet. Offi- 
cers were present to enforce order if necessary, hut they had literally nothing 
to do but to kill time." 

In North Attleborough little if any opposition work was carried on during 
voting hours. The voting was done in the old Universalist Church building, 
and the polls in that precinct were closed at 4.10 p.m. At Attleborough 
the gathering was a larger one. Several gentlemen opposed to division 
did considerable " quiet work," while others were active upon the opposite 
side. Here the polls were opened in the Engine House on South Main 
Street and were closed at 4.30 p.m. At South Attleborough one man espe- 
cially was very active in bringing opposition voters to the polls at Merry 
Hall. The citizens there and in the west part of the town had been decid- 
edly against division from the commencement of the last movement in that 
direction. The polls there closed at 4 p.m., and the result was no uncertain 
one. 

We again quote the words of another: ■• It was noticeable at the polling 
places that most every man who voted was decided in his mind, ami while 
attempts were made by both sides to influence, they were practically aban- 
doned early in the day. Another pleasing thing to record is that the utmost 

g 1 humor prevailed. There was irood-natured < • 1 1 m 1 1 i 1 1 -_l . and < >i^H|n;i ll\ 

some .me was excited into a little louder torn- ,,\" voice than <-<^Km\. but 
considering the importance of the occasion and the earnestness on both ^ides 
it was remarkably quiet, and highly creditable that it was so." 

The official count stands as follows : — 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 167 

Yeas. Nays. Total. 

North Attleborough 234 371 605 

East Attleborough 4U 180 594 

South Attleborough 1" M 108 

Total Yeas 665 

Total Nays 642 

Whole number of votes east 1,307 

Majority in favor of division 23 

Thus by a small majority this great question was decided, and out of the 
single town which had lived and prospered for almost two hundred years two 
entire towns "fully armed and equipped" were called into existence. Ap- 
parently the matter was settled, and it was generally supposed that it only 
remained for the citizens of each section to assemble and in due form to 
elect the several officers required, when the whole of two small but separate 
governments would be set in motion. This was accordingly soon done. On 
the tenth of August the new officers for Attleborough were duly nominated 
at a meeting held on the evening of that day in Park Hall. On the following 
evening the citizens of the new town assembled in Engine Hall and nomi- 
nated the officers for North Attleborough. The first town meeting of the 
new town was held in the old Universalist Church at ten o'clock a.m., August 
thirteenth, and the officers previously nominated were elected with a few 
changes. In Attleborough the first meeting was held on the same day in the 
South Main Street Engine House, when the officers already nominated were 
elected by an almost unanimous vote. At this meeting on motion of A. T. 
Wales the following vote was passed: "■ As the Agricultural hall, where we 
have formerly held town meetings, has ceased to be within the limits of the 
town of Attleboro, by reason of the setting off of part of the territory, the 
selectmen are instructed to notify the Attleboro Agricultural Association that 
the occupation of their property by the town of Attleboro, will be discon- 
tinued from this date." 

The new officers were not however allowed to commence their duties at 
once. The result of the decision made on July thirtieth had scarcely been 
announced when rumors of attempts to challenge the legality of the vote 
were heard, and two days thereafter it was stated that the town treasurer 
would decline to turn over the funds in his hands to any other official. It 
was also stated that, should the citizens attempt to hold meetings for the 
nomination and election of uew officers, injunctions would be issued against 
them. Nine gentlemen from North Attleborough and one from Attleborough 
united in petitioning for an injunction against both the officers who proposed 
to hold the meetings and those who were to serve the necessary warrants for 
the same. A delay occurred, and the injunction was not obtained in time. 
All that could then be done was to give form^Lnotice of the expected injuuc- 
tion^^W such notices were^^t to the meetiSP in both places. As has been 
set4j^owever. the meetin^^^ere held and the officers nominated and elected. 



168 A SKETCH OF THE 

After this the petition for an injunction was amended, and it was requested 
that the new officers should be forbidden to act and the old ones directed 
not to recognize them by transmitting any public funds to their hands. The 
ten gentlemen who presented the petition were Edward R. Price, T. A. Bar- 
den, H. F. Barrows, Lafayette Draper, C. B. Thompson, J. G. Barden, 
E. S. Williams, John B. Curtis, John S. Follett, and H. M. Daggett; and 
Officer Brown served notices upon F. I. Babcock, C. T. Guild, O. M. Draper, 
Elijah Capron, J. T. Bates, and R. Knapp, summoning them to appear 
before the Supreme Judicial Court, in Taunton, upon the first Monday in 
October, 1887, to answer to the complaints preferred by the petitioners. 
The hearing was given upon this petition by Mr. Justice Holmes of the Supreme 
Bench, but he ruled it out of court on the ground that a few citizens were not 
sufficient to bring an action under such circumstances. 

Following this decision, Mr. Knapp petitioned as town treasurer " for a 
writ of mandamus to compel the three collectors of the old town, who still 
continued as collectors under the act authorizing division, to pay over to him 
whatever public funds they might have in their possession." Messrs. Ben- 
nett and Teel were the attorneys engaged for Mr. Knapp by his supporters : 
and the collectors, though still nominally the defendants, "authorized 
Messrs. Gaston & Fales, through the selectmen of the two towns, to act 
for them." Mr. Gaston entered a demurrer to the effect that, the collectors 
having given bonds not to any one person but to the town, legal proceedings 
against them must therefore originate with the town, and Mr. Knapp's 
petition could not for that reason lie legally granted. This case, with the 
demurrer, it was decided should he reported to the full bench. 

Finding a final decision thus still unreached satisfactorily, the gentlemen 
who originated these steps toward undoing the action of the town made one 
more attempt in favor of carrying out their project. They were gentlemen 
whose motives were well understood. They saw only injury and no benefit 
to their native town in division and honestly deemed it to be their duty to do 
all in their power to prevent the action from going into effect. Their reasons 
were respected, though their course may have been deprecated by many as 
unnecessary and unwise. Following the last-mentioned proceedings, a writ 
of quo warranto was sued for in the name of the Attorney-General. The peti- 
tion for this alleged that .Mi-. Knapp was acting illegally as Town Treasurer. 
Messrs. Bennett & Fales were Mr. Knapp's counsel in this case, and F. B. 
Byram was selected to represent the Attorney-General. The counsel, though 
nominally opposed, were " in reality representing but one side." The attor- 
neys agreed upon a statement of facts, which they presented to Judge Holmes 
for a decision. One of the facts alleged was that some fifty or more persons 
who desired to register were^llegally deprived of their right to do so ; 
another, that the meetings wwP not held at (&&' same time" in 'fue^hree 
precincts because thev closed at different hoWL Judge Holmes n^pice 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 169 

decided that this new presentation and the connection its counsel had with 
the former petitions to the court involved complications, and he therefore 
requested Mr. Gaston, also previously connected with it. k " to enter into the 
case for the Attorney-General." This he consented to do and proceeded to 
dispute " the alleged facts," disproving the one in which it was stated that 
a certain number of voters were unlawfully deprived of their right. Upon 
the suggestion of the judge that this was not material to the points in dis- 
pute, Mr. Gaston " finally assented to the proposition that that number 
might have registered had the opportunity been given." This point was 
immaterial because there was no means of deciding that the result would 
have been changed had fifty or more other voters cast their votes. Testi- 
monv was given to the effect that the two towns were then acting as such, 
and it was admitted by one of the counsel that they were "two towns de 
facto." The ruling of Judge Holmes was " that the provisions of the divi- 
sion act were declaratory and not mandatory. That is, while certain things 
were provided to be done the failure to do them did not render the division 
invalid." The natural further ruling was therefore that the office of town 
treasurer formerly held by Mr. Knapp was legally vacant, and this involved 
a further ruling in favor of the collectors, who could not be ordered to pay 
any moneys into the hands of a man thus unauthorized to receive them. 
This decided the case " in favor of the respondents who thereupon appealed 
to the full bench." 

The case was practically ended, and the work of the two towns went on 
under the officers duly elected. Before it "was reached in the full court 
the legislature intervened and by their act ratified the proceedings, and ren- 
dered any further action by the court unnecessary." 

Acts and Resolves. March, 1S88, Chap. 98. An Act to confirm the proceedings of the 
town meeting of the town of Attleborough, held on the thirtieth day of July in the 
year eighteen hundred and eighty-seven. 

Be it enacted , etc., as follows : 

Sect. 1. The proceedings of the town meeting of the town of Attleborough held on the 
thirtieth day of July in the year eighteen hundred and eighty-seven for the purpose of accept- 
ing the provisions of chapter four hundred and twelve of the acts of the year eighteen hun- 
dred and eighty-seven, being an act to incorporate the town of North Attleborough, shall not 
be invalid by reason of a failure to designate polling places in the several voting precinct* of 
said town of Attleborough, or of a failure to make any necessary registration of voters; and 
the acceptance of said act by said meeting is hereby ratified and confirmed. 

Sect. 2. This act shall take effect upon its passage. [Approved March 6, 1888. 

Shortly subsequent to the decision of Mr. Justice Holmes on the division 
question, the annual town meetings for the election of State officers occurred. 
Attleborough continued the Republican majority so long maintained in the 
community of East Attleborough, and the Republicans of North Attlebor- 
ough were especially desirous of establishing the record of their new town 
with a Republican stamp. The meeting there was a very lively one, both 
parties being determined to score a victory, and the result was an unusually 



170 A SKETCH OF THE 

large vote, seventy-seven per cent, of the whole possible number of votes 
being cast. The majority was a good one in favor of the Republicans, and 
the whole party there was properly highly jubilant over their success. Red 
fire and fireworks were displayed in great abundance; a band — White's — 
was secured, and a torchlight procession was formed, which, under the able 
marshalship of Mr. John B. Peck, pursued its brilliant and enthusiastic 
march through all the principal streets of the village, which were well filled 
with interested spectators. 

When the result of the vote was made known, from all sides the new town 
received cordial welcomes and hearty congratulations from sister towns, and 
many good wishes for a future of ever continuing prosperity were expressed. 
So North Attleborough started on her new career under most fair and prom- 
ising circumstances. We too wish her every measure of true success and 
as honorable a record of her own as has been heretofore the record of the 
mother town ; but most of all we wish she was still a part of the one old 
town, and that the long talked of question had been one of closer union, not 
of dismemberment. 

In telling the story of Division we have endeavored to simply relate facts 
as they have been presented to us, adding but few comments. It is not yet 
time (1888) to pronounce upon the merits of this decision. All opinion, 
even the most decided, upon resulting benefits or injuries is only conjectural; 
all prosperity upon the one hand, or all adversity upon the other, can be 
equally only prophetic. From the nature of the case, it must be years before 
the results can be accurately known and measured, therefore upon the next 
generation will devolve the duty of pronouncing a correct judgment as to the 
good or ill of this act of their fathers. We cannot pretend, nor is it neces- 
sary here, to express an opinion upon the arguments so strongly urged in 
favor of a separation, but we have no doubt that the great majority on both 
sides of the question were entirely sincere in the opinions they severally 
held and in what they said and did looked to the good of their communities 
and the town or prospective two towns. We have no doubt also that many 
in all parts of both the towns, while properly acquiescing in the decision 
made by the citizens and yielding their allegiance honestly to the new town 
or the old as it may be due, still wish most strongly and deeply that no 
change had been made, and that Attleborough was still one in territory and 
in name. 

To record the fact of division is the one sad task that devolves upon us in 
our attempts to complete this historical sketch commenced so many years 
ago. We can but think somewhat of our own personal regrets in the matter, 
but most of all we think as we write of the deep sorrow it would have caused 
him whose work this book is. His efforts would have been tireless and 
unceasing to prevent this act ; he would have seen in it no possible good, but 
every possible ill. Had he lived until the day of its completion, that would 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 171 

have been one of the saddest of his long life, and the fact that the house in 
which he was born stands not in the old town, but in the new, would have 
deepened and intensified his sorrow. He loved every iuch of the great 
town's territory as a ivhole, and to divide it asunder would have savored of 
cruelty to him ; and though he would have been glad that the portion in 
which he for the most part lived — where his personal interests were most 
deeply centred — still retains the well-loved name, the fact could never have 
brought to his mind any adequate compensation for the change which he 
would have looked upon as one promising only irreparable deterioration and 
loss. Since it was so to be, we can but rejoice for his sake that his hand, 
which penned so many of these lines with pride and pleasure, was spared the 
pain of making such an ending to his work, and that this deed was not done 
until his voice, always raised in urging forward everything that would benefit 
the town so dear to his heart, had been silenced in the grave. 



172 .4 SKETCH OF THE 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE CIVIL WAR. — PROCEEDINGS OF THE TOWN. EXPERIENCES AND 

REMINISCENCES OF SOLDIERS, ETC. 

APRIL, 1861, saw the opening act of a great drama, the greatest of 
modern times. Rebel guns opening fire upon Fort Sumter gave the 
signal, and the curtain rose. Four years this play was acting, one grand 
scene after another forming itself upon the stage before the eyes of an 
observant world. April, 1865, saw the closing act. The sword of one 
great general, offered by him to another, gave the signal for the curtain to 
fall. The awful tragedy was ended, and again, as before in the days of our 
forefathers, all our people were free. Even the children of that day can 
recall how the booming of those first guns startled the whole land. Through 
its length and breadth the echoes rolled, sounding their evil tidings, and from 
every section of the North and every station in life men hurried to offer 
themselves both to do and to die for their imperiled country. As in the 
days of the Revolution the men of our town were foremost in opposing 
oppression and wrong, so now when danger threatened the Union they 
responded promptly to the call for help. Scarcely had the echoes of those 
cannon died away when our citizens took measures to assist in maintaining 
the existing government. 

The selectmen of the town at that time were H. N. Daggett, A. H. 
Robinson, and Lewis L. Read. They issued a warrant for a town meeting, 
which bears date April 24th, 1861, in which one of the articles is to ascertain 
whether the town will do anything for the men who may be called to enter 
upon il actual service in the defence of our country, in addition to what is 
offered by the United States." A town meeting was held May 3d, and the 
following article w T as passed : — 

Article II. " Voted that the treasurer of Attleboro' be authorized to 
borrow the sum of Ten Thousand Dollars, ($10,000) to be appropriated for 
military purposes as far as required. That from the above sum those men 
who enlist in this town and are called into actual service, shall be paid a 
bounty of Fifteen Dollars, ($15.00) and Fifteen Dollars a month in addition 
to the sum to be paid by the United States ; and that each man who is 
accepted for service shall be paid Ten Dollars a month while drilling, and 
shall be furnished with such uniform as the military authorities require." 

A warrant bearing date May 17th was issued, iu which one of the articles 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 173 

was to see if the town would appoint a committee to appropriate the military 
fund which had been raised. Agreeably to the call a town meeting was held 
May 25th. Among the votes taken at that time was the following : — 

Article V. " Voted and chose the Selectmen a Committee to appro- 
priate the Military Fund raised under a vote of the town on the third day 
of May, 1851." 

In a warrant dated June 4th, 1861, were the following articles : — 

Article II. "To see if the town will vote to furnish each volunteer in 
addition to the garments already furnished, one Flannel Blouse, Fatigue Cap, 
a Havelock, Eye Protectors, and one pair thin Pants, agreeabby to a petition." 

Article III. "To see if the town will vote to furnish a drum and fife 
for the musiciaus of the Company, agreeably to a petition." 

Article IV. "To see if the town will vote to uniform the Commissioned 
Officers, and furnish them with Regulation Swords, Pistols, and such other 
equipments as they require for service, agreeably to a petition." 

Article V. "To see if the town will vote to instruct the Selectmen to 
pay the Volunteers while drilling, agreeably to a vote of the town passed on 
the third day of May last, agreeably to a petition." 

Article VI. "To see if the town will vote to raise a committee to carry 
into effect the foregoing provisions, and authorize them to draw upon the 
Military Appropriations for the expenditures." 

The town meeting was held June 12th, and the selectmen were instructed 
"to furnish such additional items of uniform" as they could legally do under 
the appropriation. Articles III and IV were dismissed. The selectmen were 
further instructed to pay the men at the rate of ten dollars a month while 
drilling, and they were the committee chosen to carry these votes of the town 
into effect. 

Previous to this time, in response to President Lincoln's Proclamation of 
May 3d, 1861, a company had been formed in this town, the enlistment 
being for three years — or more — from the time of being mustered into 
service, which was June 15th. This was Company I, Seventh Regiment 
Massachusetts Volunteers. For a month these men had been drilling, paying 
from their own pockets for instruction, two " Boston Cadets" being hired to 
come to town for that purpose. The officers were : captain, John F. Ashley ; 
first lieutenant, William W. Fisher ; second lieutenant, Charles B. Des 
Jardins ; third lieutenant, Eben L. Sylvester; sergeants, E. E. Kelly, Baylies 
B. Richards, P. M. Whiting, William II. Wade ; corporals, John E. Paige, 
John N. Hall, James M. Day, Charles W. Snell, and eighty-five privates, 
only two of whom were from another town. 

In August, 1861, a warrant was issued, in which it was suggested that the 
town vote upon the question of aiding the wives, children, and parents of 
volunteers, both in the militia and in active service, when they were in need 
of such aid, also as to the propriety of extending such aid to other relatives 



174 A SKETCH OF THE 

in case of their dependence upon the volunteers. At the town meeting held 
September 5th it was voted to authorize the treasurer to anticipate the taxes 
to be levied and borrow a sum of money sufficient to aid wives and children 
and others dependent upon the volunteers, both in the militia and in active 
service. 

In 1862 the selectmen were H. N. Daggett, A. H. Robinson, and J. A. 
Perry. In July of that year a warrant was issued, calling upon the citizens 
to meet and decide what bounty should be offered to encourage enlistments 
to fill the quota of the town under the President's then recent call for more 
troops, to decide upon the manner of furnishing these bounties, and " to see 
if the town will vote to pay their Volunteers who enlisted in June 1861, to fill 
up Co. I, 7th. Reg. agreeably to a petition." 

The town meeting was held July 21st, when it was voted " to adopt the 



Resolved; — Tbat we the inhabitants of Attleborough, fully appreciating the value of the 
free institutions under which we have so long lived and prospered, and alive to the dangers 
which threaten the existence and dismemberment of the Republic, are ever ready to do our 
part in sustaining those institutions and transmitting them unimpaired to those who shall 
come after us. 

Resolved: — That we deem it our duty to take immediate measures to furnish the quota of 
Volunteers for this town under the recent call of the President of the United States. 

Therefore resolved; —That the Selectmen be, and they are hereby authorized aud instructed 
to pay from the Treasury of the Town a bounty of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) to each and 
every person who shall enlist in this town as a Volunteer in the Service of the United States. 
under the late call of the President, and shall be duly enrolled and accepted as such. 

Resolved; — That the Treasurer of the Town be, aud he is hereby authorized to borrow the 
sum of Six Thousand Three Hundred Dollars (S6.300) for this purpose, and to give his notes 
therefor. 

" Voted to authorize the payment of Fifteen Dollars bounty to those who 
enlisted from the town to fill up Co. I. 7th Reg. in June 1861, if they are 
still in the service, or have been honorably discharged." It was also voted 
that the treasurer should borrow a sufficient sum of money to carry these 
measures into effect, and that a committee of nine men, three from each part 
of the town, should be chosen to assist the selectmen in recruiting. This 
committee were the following gentlemen : Willard Blackiuton, E. Ira Rich- 
ards, Elisha G. May, L. W. Dean, L. W. Daggett, H. K. W. Allen, Ira M. 
Conant, Stephen Richardson, Stephen A. Knight. 

"Voted to request the Selectmen to extend aid to those sick soldiers who 
have been discharged from service." 

" Voted the thanks of the meeting to Hon. John Daggett, for his address 
and services on this occasion." 

"Voted that H. N. Daggett be a committee to have the proceedings of 
this meeting published in the Union Gazette and Democrat.'''' 

It soon became evident that a higher bounty must be offered, to enable the 
town to supply the necessary quota, and a town meeting was called for 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 175 

August 6, 1862. It was then voted to offer a bounty of $200,000 and the 
treasurer was authorized to borrow the necessary sum of money. This 
bounty was to be paid to all who should enlist u on or before the 15th day 
of August." The selectmen were authorized to see that these measures were 
effected, and instructed to pay no bounties later than the date appointed. 
It was also voted "to choose a Finance Committee of three," and Ezekiel 
Bates, L. W. Dean, and E. Ira Richards were the gentlemen chosen. 

August 14, 1862, the following warrant was issued : — 

Article II. " To see if the town will vote to pay a bounty of One Hun- 
dred Dollars to each inhabitant thereof who shall volunteer and enlist into 
the service of the United States on or before the first day of September next, 
towards filling up the quota of said town under the present draft of the 
President for Three Hundred Thousand nine-months men; agreeably to a 
petition." 

Article III. "To see if the town will vote to pay a gratuity of One 
Hundred Dollars to each inhabitant thereof who enlisted in Co. I., 7th Mass. 
Reg. and is now in the service of the IT. S., or to his family if deceased before 
or since his honorable discharge ; agreeably to a petition." 

Article IV. " To see if the town will vote to pay a gratuity of One 
Hundred Dollars to each inhabitant thereof who has enlisted in any other 
Mass. Reg. and to his family or those dependent upon him for support, if 
deceased before or since his honorable discharge ; agreeably to a petition." 

Article V. "To see if the town will vote to authorize their Treasurer 
to raise sufficient money for the town, and to transact such other matters and 
things as may be required to carry into effect the above articles." 

At the town meeting held August 23d, it was voted to pay the men who 
should enlist for nine months before September 1st, the bounty of $100. 
Frank S. Draper and L. T. Starkey were chosen a recruiting committee for 
these nine-months men. Article III was referred to the military committee 
which had been chosen. Article IV was also referred to some committee to 
report at some future time and place. The treasurer was authorized to bor- 
row such sums of money as should be needed to pay the bounties for these 
nine-months men and " to pay all bills for examining recruits, and charge 
the same to the Military Account." Some resolutions presented by Mr. 
Lyman W. Dean were adopted, and a copy of the same ordered to be sent 
to the Captain of Co. I, and to be printed in the Taunton Gazette and Demo- 
crat. These resolutions were as follows : — 

Resolved; That we the Citizens of Attleboro' in town meeting assembled do highly appre- 
ciate the Military Services of the members of Co. I, 7th Mass. Reg. ; that we remember with 
gratitude that they promptly responded to the call of our country, when the shrill clarion of 
war sounded to arms for the purpose of crushing out a wicked rebellion. 

Resolved; That we hold in grateful remembrance the sacrifices which they made when 
they left behind them the loved ones at home, and all the endearing associations that clustered 
around the domestic altar, and exchanged these comforts and pleasures for the stern duties of 
the camp and the battlefield. 



176 A SKETCH OF THE 

Resolved; That we hold said Co. in grateful remembrance and that we will do what we 
can by our influence and means to encourage their hearts and awaken in their bosoms the true 
tire of patriotism which they rightfully inherit from a noble ancestry. 

Resolved; That a copy of these resolutions be furnished the Acting Captain of Co. I, and 
published in the Taunton Gazette. 

A warrant with various articles was issued September 11th. The questions 
arose as to the number of men (if eighty-three) to whom the hundred-dollar 
bounty should be paid, as to instructing the treasurer to arrange for the neces- 
sary funds, and as to instructing the selectmen to pay the recruiting and other 
necessary charges and collect the amount from the State. Several of the 
articles of the above-mentioned warrant were dismissed, but the town voted 
" to instruct the selectmen to pay the bounty to the nine-months volunteers 
to the number of thirty-five as the quota of the town." 

During this spring and summer a eompan}' of nine-months men had been 
forming in town. There were seventy-six members exclusive of commis- 
sioned officers, and they were claimed by the city of Boston as a part of its 
quota. This company went into camp at Boxford, this State, and there on 
September 18th, 1862, they elected their officers : captain, L. T. Starkey ; 
first lieutenant, F. S. Draper; second lieutenant, E. S. Horton ; sergeants, 
H. A. Burchard. .1. H. Godfrey; corporals, H. S. Adams, S. G. Bassett. 1 
September 23d they were mustered into the service of the United States and 
organized as Co. C, 47th Reg. Mass. Vol. Infantry. 

The selectmen for 1863 were H. N. Richardson, A. H. Robinson, and 
J. A. Perry. In July of that year came an order from the War Department 
for a draft. This town was in the second district, and the draft took place 
at Taunton. Attleborough was the first town called on the drafting for sub- 
districts. Four hundred and four ballots were put into the box, and from 
these one hundred and twenty-one were to be drawn. Of this number fifty- 
three were exempted under the law. The names of these men will be found 
in the succeeding chapter. 

A warrant for a special town meeting was issued July 27th, 1863, contain- 
ing the following articles : — 

Article II. "To se« what action the town will take with regard to reim- 
bursement by the State of bounties paid to volunteers as provided in 
Chapter 218, of the Acts of the Legislature, approved April 29, 1863." 

Article IV. " To see if the town will vote to aid the families of drafted 
men, as provided in Chapter 176, of the Acts of the Legislature, approved 
April 23, 1863." 

Article V. "To see what measures the town will adopt for rendering 
assistance to such of our citizens as may be called into the service of the 
United States under the Act of Congress approved March 3rd, 1863, in such 



1 The remaining sergeants and corporals were not found on the list of soldiers as from this town. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 17 



it 



manner as may be deemed expedient, and also to their families while they 
may be absent in said service. Also to take any legal measures that may be 
deemed expedient to carry any vote the town may adopt in relation thereto 
into effect ; agreeably to a petition." 

The town meeting was held August 3d, and under Article III the follow- 
ing resolution was passed : — 

" Resolved ; That the town elect to raise and pay its proportion of the tax 
provided in Chapter 218 of the Acts of 1863, in accordance with the 9th 
section of said Act. 

" Voted that the town furnish aid to the families of drafted men as pro- 
vided in Chapter 176 of the Acts of the Legislature approved April 23, 1863. 

" Voted to dismiss Article V from the warrant." 

November 18th, 1863, Captain Everett S. Horton was appointed "Recruit- 
ing Officer for the 58th Reg. of Infantry" (3d Veterans) by order of " His 
Excellency, John A. Andrew, Governor and Commander-in-Chief" of this 
State. Forty-nine men enlisted in town in this regiment, thirty-seven of 
them in Co. C, of which Captain Horton became chief officer. 

The same selectmen were chosen for 1864. March 29th of that year a 
town meeting was held, at which it was voted to refund the money subscribed 
by citizens for recruiting purposes, and that the "treasurer should be author- 
ized to borrow sufficient sums to carry the vote into effect. 

April 4, 1864. At a town meeting lawfully warned it was voted " that the 
town raise a sufficient sum of money by taxation, to be applied under the 
direction of the Selectmen, in aid of, and to procure its quota of Volunteers 
under the call of the President, dated March 14, 1864: Provided that the 
amount of money so raised and applied, shall not exceed the sum of One 
Hundred and Twenty Five Dollars for each Volunteer duly enlisted and 
mustered into the service of the United States, as a part of its quota." 

" Voted that the Selectmen be, and they are hereby instructed to cause the 
amount of money so raised and applied, to be assessed upon the inhabitants 
of the town in the annual assessment for the current." 

" Voted that the treasurer be instructed to borrow a sufficient sum of money, 
on temporary loan, (and issue notes of the town therefor,) to carry out the 
foregoing vote, and hold the same subject to the orders of the Selectmen for 
this purpose." 

"Voted that the Selectmen be instructed to act as recruiting agents in 
filling the quota of the town under the present call, and that they be author- 
ized to employ such means as are necessary to accomplish the purpose." 

At a special town meeting lawfully warned and held May 24th it was voted 
to reimburse the subscribers to a recruiting fund raised after the call of the 
President, February 1st, 1864, for 200,000 troops, and the treasurer was 
authorized and instructed to take proper means to pay the necessary sums to 
the citizens. At the same time the town took the following actions : — 



178 A SKETCH OF THE 

"Voted to choose a Recruiting Committee of three persons to assist the 
Selectmen in filling up the quota of the tovvu. Chose H. N. Daggett, J. R. 
Bronson, G. D. Hatch." 

"Voted that the Recruiting Committee be instructed to fully investigate 
the matter of the deficiency of the credits to the quota of the town." 

•• Voted that the Selectmen be instructed to cause the amount voted this 
day to be reimbursed, to be assessed upon the inhabitants of the town in 
the annual assessment of the current year, provided it can be legally done, 
and not to exceed Three Thousand Five Hundred Dollars, or the amount 
reimbursed." 

A warrant was issued June 6th, 1864, and the town meeting was held June 
14th. At this time the joint committee appointed at the previous meeting 
made their report as follows : — 

The committee proceeded to Boston, and ascertained that the deficiency of our quota under 
the three calls, was 25 men, according to the account as kept by the Provost Marshal, and that 
a draft had actually been made for that number. After making up our account and comparing 
it with the Muster Rolls at the Adjutant General's office, we discovered that the names of 
eleven men had not been passed to our credit. We presented our account to the Provost 
Marshal, claiming additional credits for that number, and succeeded in having the allowance 
made, thus reducing the actual deficiency to 14 men. To cancel this balance and till the quota, 
the committee have paid the commutation of six men at $300 each, and of one man in part 
$175, making §1975. out of the funds reimbursed to subscribers. The committee have also 
recruited and obtained credit for 10 1-3 volunteers, which together with the 11 additional 
credits makes 28. leaving a surplus of 3 towards another call. 

"Voted to accept report of committee." It was also voted that the town 
should reimburse to the subscribers to the recruiting fund a sum not to exceed 
$125 to each volunteer, provided the subscribers should order the sura to be 
held by the treasurer subject to the order of the selectmen, to be used to 
obtain volunteers, should future calls for troops be made. The selectmen 
and treasurer received the proper authority to cause this measure to be car- 
ried out, and the town also voted that the committee of three chosen should 
be " a Recruiting Committee to act in conjunction with the Selectmen." 

A legally warned town meeting was held August 2d, 1864. 

"Voted that the town raise a sum of money not to exceed One Hundred 
and Twenty Five Dollars (8125) per man, to procure the quota of the town 
under the last call of the President of the United States, dated July 18, 1864, 
for 500,000 troops." 

"Voted that the sum of mouey necessary to carry the above vote into 
effect, be assessed in the annual tax of 1864, and the treasurer be authorized 
to borrow money in anticipation of receipts from the same." 

A special town meeting was held November 19th, 1864, to hear a report 
of the recruiting committee. The " majority report " was made by five of 
the six gentlemen forming that committee, and following are some extracts 
from it : — 

" The committee finding it impossible to obtain recruits at home except at 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 179 

most exorbitant prices, and learning that there was a prospect of obtaining 
them at Washington and vicinity at very low rates, met and chose Mr. George 
D. Hatch, and Dr. J. R. Brouson as a sub-committee and as agents of the 
town to proceed to Washington at once, and recruit our town's quota, upon 
the best terms possible." At this meeting it was voted tk to pay Messrs. 
Hatch and Brouson their traveling expenses, and other proper expenses, and 
a reasonable compensation per day for their services ; and Messrs. Hatch and 
Brouson accepted the proposition and proceeded at once to Washington." 
They met with but little success, as the Secretary of War had issued an 
order forbidding agents from the States to recruit in the District of Colum- 
bia, and Dr. Brouson returned home. Mr. Hatch, having learned that men 
could be obtained at the front, secured the proper pass and proceeded to 
the Army of the Potomac at Petersburg (on his own account), where he 
enoao-ed sixty men and had them mustered into service to the credit of the 
town. Returning to Washington, he telegraphed for $9,000, which was 
sent him by the committee. Then he returned home, subsequently, how- 
ever, making three other trips for recruiting purposes. From this time 
complications seem to have arisen as to the number of men, the charges 
for them, etc., all of which matters are set forth at length by the committee. 
Upon the presentation of Mr. Hatch's claim for enlistment bounties and his 
services in obtaining the same, the committee agreed that it was exorbitant 
in its amount and therefore in violation of his agreement with them, and 
they referred the entire matter back tk to the town for their consideration 
and disposal." This report was dated November 19th, 1864, and signed 
by H. N. Richardson, A. H. Robinson, J. A. Perry, H. N. Daggett, 
J. R. Brouson. 

The minority report was also presented to the town at this meeting, and in 
it Mr. Hatch gave an account of his work upon the trips made for the purpose 
of recruiting soldiers, giving the number of men obtained, circumstances, 
etc., detailing his reasons for actions taken, stating clearly the position he 
had taken and his reasons therefor, and offering to submit the decision in 
the matter to a committee of disinterested men or to a court of law. This 
report was signed by George D. Hatch. This matter remained unsettled for 
several years, but was finally adjusted. Further details would be of no 
special interest, and enough has been said to explain the presence of ' k Reg- 
ular Army" soldiers credited to our town, for whose services considerable 
sums of money were paid. 

December 19th, 1864, the President issued a call for 300,000 troops, and 
a town meeting was called to take necessary action on the matter. 

January 21, 1865. " Voted that the Recruiting Committee be, and are 
hereby instructed, to use whatever money or moneys they may have in the 
Town Treasurer's hands, subject to their drafts, to procure volunteers in 
anticipation of a call from the President for men." 



180 A SKETCH OF THE 

The selectmen for 18(55 were Willard Blackinton, A. H. Robinson, aud 
J. A. Perry. The annual town meeting was held April 3d. 

" Voted that the Treasurer be authorized to borrow money to continue the 
payment of aid to families of volunteers. Voted to raise Three Thousand 
Dollars ($3,000) to be applied in part payment of the indebtedness of the 
town on Military Account." 

A town meetiug lawfully warned was held April 2d, 186(3. " Voted to con- 
tinue the payment of state aid to the families of volunteers." A warrant 
dated March 21st, 1867, contained an article with reference to appropriating 
money to pay men who were drafted and furnished substitutes for them- 
selves. At the meeting held April 1st it was voted to discharge that article 
from the warrant and to refer the continued payment of State aid to families 
of volunteers "to the judgment of selectmen." 

At the annual town meeting held April 6th, 1868, it was voted "to continue 
to pa} T State aid to the families of soldiers in accordance with the provisions 
of the Laws of the Commonwealth." A meeting was called during the same 
month to see if the town would vote to pay a balance due to members of Com- 
pany I who enlisted prior to May 23d, 1861 , but no action was taken. A special 
meeting was called for May 4th, at which the following action upon this matter 
was taken : " On motion of L. TV. Dean it was voted : That the members of 
Co. I, 7th Regiment, Mass. Vol. who enlisted in the service of the United 
States, and the widows, fathers, and mothers of said soldiers who died in 
said service, who enlisted prior to May 23d, 1861, be paid the balance due 
each of them for their first three months service agreeably to a vote of the 
Town, aud the Law of the State passed May 23d, 1861. Amended as follows 
and voted : That all honorably discharged members of Com. I, Seventh Reg. 
Mass. Vol.. who were or are citizens of Attleboro', and who enlisted in the 
service of the U. S. prior to May 23d, 1861, and the widows, fathers, and 
mothers of any of said soldiers who died in said service, be paid the balance 
due each of them for their first three months' service, agreeable to a vote of 
the Town, and the Law of the State passed May 23d, 1861." 

"On motion of F. Gr. Whitney it was voted that a committee of three be 
appointed by this meeting to ascertain who the members are, also the 
amounts due them, and that Charles Faas and John C. Thayer be included 
among said members. Voted that the committee be appointed by nomina- 
tion. L. TV. Dean, J. R. Bronson, and H. N. Daggett were nominated, and 
by vote declared elected." 

Annual town meeting for 1869, held April 5th, " Voted to pay State aid to 
the families of disabled soldiers as last year." 

Annual town meeting held April 4th, 1870, " Voted to pa}' State aid as last 
year." 

The following records may be of interest to some persons as reminders of 
occurrences during the war, and they are therefore given. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 



181 



We the undersigned who have subscribed and paid to the fund to aid in procuring the 
quota of Attleborough under the call of the President for 500,000 additional troop- dated Oct., 
1S63, and Feb., 1864, hereby authorize and order the Treasurer of the town, in case the 
amount we voluntarily contributed to promote enlistments should be ordered to be reimbursed 
to us by vote of said town, under a Statute approved March 18, 1864, to pay said amount- to 
the Selectmen or other recruiting officer, or officers legally appointed for the town, to obtain 
the quota of the town under the last call of the President for 200,000 more troops, and this 
order with the receipts of the recruiting officer or officers shall lie your vouchers therefor. 

Albert 0. Jillson. Geo. F. Knowles, 



James II. Ilortou, 
F. W. II. Knowles 
D. O. Stanley. 
Arnold Jillson, 



Albert A. White, 
Eliphalet White, 
William P. Shaw, 
George W. Sadler, 



.1. ( laxton Wightmau. 
Isaac Diaper, 
John Doran, 
A. M. Read. 



Another paper similar to the above, bearing date June 7, 1864, was prepared, in which the 
call of Oct. 17, 1863, for 300,000 troops only is mentioned, and the subscribers? authorize the 
treasurer to pay the money to the selectmen or recruiting officers, in anticipation of a future 
call. This was signed by the following citizens : — 



A. M. Everett, 
G. A. Dean, 
O. S. Thayer. 
F. Bobbins, 
A. F. Lee, 

A. Robbins. 
J. Sweet, 

H. A. Capron, 
Peter Nerney, 
Nelson Smith, 
JYlace B. Short. 
Frederic D. Bliss, 
John Dennis, 
George W. Curren, 
George M. Leonard. 
George W. Lee, 
Charles E. Bliss, 
Hiram Jones, 
Horace G. Cutting, 
David L. Tucker, 
Nelson < larpenter, 
J. B. Briggs, 
Samuel Bromley, 
Cyrus Briggs, 
Joah Briggs, 
Milton Freeman, 
Joseph II. Witherell. 

B. C. Ingalls. 
<;. J. [ngalls, 
James Mugg, 
William Slater, 
B. Harvey, 



Addison M. Knight, 

C. B. Des Jardins, 
P. H. Short, 

W. S. Lincoln. 
H. S. Adams, 

E. Bart ley. 

W. E. Robinson, 
J. M. Cummings, 
C. H. Sturdy. 
George W. Handy, 

D. Claflin, 

B. A. Cummings, 

F. L. Cummings, 
S. E. Brig--. 
Jacob Briggs, 
Israel N. Williams, 
Jonathan Fuller. 
N. H. Bliss, 

G. N. Bacon. 
William Bowen, 

A. E. Walton, 

B. B. King, 
G. R. Adams, 
Aimer Witherell. 
Darius Briggs, 
G. H. Cummings, 
G. D. Hayward, 
H.N. Daggett, 
A. Capron, 

S. B. Staples, 
Edwin E. Weaver, 
Chas. A. Weaver, 
Patrick Butler. 



John Cooper, 
E. Sanford, 
James L. Briggs, 
Albert E. Brig--. 
A. S. Blackiuton, 
Wm. P. Shaw. 
J. H. Sturdy, 
E. S. Capron, 
S. W. Carpenter, 
N. J. Smith. 
Caleb E. Parmenter, 
Arthur B. Carpenter. 
Z. B. Carpenter, 
H. D. Parmenter, 
Dexter Parmenter, 
S. A. Knight, 
A. Chatterton, 

Michael Mc . 

Edward Corbett, 
Nelson Briggs, 
Elisha E. Wilmarth, 
Benjamin Bowen, 
Seabury W. Bowen, 
Simeon Baker, 
Abner Witherell, Jr. 
Jonathan Follett, 
R. Thayer. 
Geo. O. Dunham, 
Wm. M. Fisher. 
Ela Door. 
Hiram Fisher. 
Thomas Fuller, 
H. M. Daggett. 



Vouchers on file on account of Reinforcements of Bounty to Attleborough. 
The number of men enlisted from the town in three years service is 320. 
The aggregate bounty paid is $20,505. A bounty of $15 has been paid to 107 volunteers. 
A bounty of $300 has been paid to 63 — total 170. 



182 A SKETCH OF THE 

The number of men enlisted in 9 months service is 51. Amount of bounty paid, $5,100. 

The City of Boston has paid 20 of the no. $2,000. 

Xo private associations have paid bounty in this tow n. 

Signed, H. X. DAGGETT, 



Attleboro', dan. 1st, 1863. 



Chair.' of Selectmen. 



The whole number of men enlisting in the town of Attle'o' under call of the President for 
troops for nine months service is sixty-five (65) prior to the 25th day of Sept. L862. 

signed H. X. Daggett, Selectmen of 

J. A. Perry, AtUeborough. 

Attleborough, 
Sept. 27. 1862, 
Enlisted in Co. " C." 47th. Regiment. 

Mayor's Office, City Hall, 

Boston, Octobers, 1862. 

This certifies that there has been enlisted in the 47th Reg. — Mass. Militia — men whose 

name- are hereunto annexed belonging to the town of Attleborough (whose quota has been 

duly filled) for the quota of the City of Bo-ton, under the draft, by order of the President. 

for 300,000 Militia. 

If another draft should be ordered, and these men claimed by the said town of Attle', for 
their qimta, it is understood and agreed that the said City of Boston shall be refunded any 
bounty which may have been paid by the City of Boston, otherwise they shall remain a part 
of the quota of the City of Boston. 

Signed Joseph M. Wightmax, 

H. X. Daggett, Selectmen Mayor of Boston. 

A.H.Robinson, of 

.T. A. Perry, AtUeborough. 

Mayor's Office, < ity Hall, 
To the Selectmen of Attleboro' Boston, October 27, 1S62. 

Gentlemen ; It appears by the returns to the Adjutant General's office, that the City of 
Boston does not receive credit for sixteen out of the forty— even men reported as having been 
transferred from Attleboro'. Please call at this office as soon as possible, in order that the 
matter may be adjusted. I am etc. 

James M. Bugbee, 

Mayor's Clerk. 

City oe Boston, 

Mayor's Office, City Hall. Nov. 25. 1862. 

Sir: [t appears by a statement from the Adjutant General that he has withdrawn 25 men 

transferred by you to the quota of the City of Boston. Please furnish information to this 

ottiee forthwith, a- to whether you propose to recall these men and refund the bounty paid by 

this city, or make up the number by new enlistments. If any are to be recalled, you will 

please designate them by name. 

Joseph M. Wightmax. 31<r>j<>r. 
To ( lhairman of the Selectmen. 

Mayor's Office, City Hall. 

Boston, Jan'y 27. 1st;: 1 ,. 

Received of Mr. II. X. Daggett, Chairman of the Selectmen of the town of Attleborough, 

twenty eight hundred dollars, being the amount paid by the City of Boston for twenty eight 

men, who are hereby re-transferred to the -aid town as a part of its quota, in conformity with 

the agreement aeeompauying their original transfer to the quota of Boston, dated Oct. 8, 18C2. 

F. W. Lincoln, Jr. 
Mayor. 

The number of men in Company I to whom the sum of $23.75 was given as 
additional pay, those who enlisted at an early date, was sixty-six. In 186] 
the number of families assisted was fiftv or fiftv-two. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOEOUGH. 183 

These records of the war are very incomplete, for they show only the out- 
line of the work accomplished by our citizens at home and nothing of what 
was done by our soldiers in the field. It must always be deeply regretted 
that someone connected with the public work of the town did not realize the 
importance of keeping full accounts of the actions of those stirring times 
as thev were transpiring. Such accounts would be of great interest not only 
to the actors themselves now at the close of a quarter of a century since 
the events took place, but of ever increasing interest and importance to the 
coming generations, who must learn by records or tradition of what their 
fathers did to preserve the union of our great country. 

We have seen how prompt our men were in avowing and proving their 
patriotism in the days of the war, and the women of our town were ecpially 
so. Thev freely gave of their best to their country, bravely bade Godspeed 
to husbands, brothers, and sous as they left their homes, and then set to work 
with willing hands, though aching hearts, to furnish such comforts as they 
might to those who had gone to serve in the field. 

At a town meeting held May 3d, 1861, the following communication was 
presented : — 

The ladies of Attleborough wait only an opportunity of testifying their deep interest 
in the cause of freedom, and their earnest faith that our flag shall he kept unsullied. They 
rejoice that the present crisis has proved beyond doubt that brave, unselfish heroism still exists 
in our land, roused by no pulse of passion, hut heating with the calm, determined will that 
treachery has roused, and only victory shall appease. Their wishes and sympathies are with 
our brave troops, and in preparing clothing for those who go from their midst, they offer- 
speedy, cheerful, and zealous hands. 

Abby W. (apron, Mrs. Cherra M. Blackinton, 

Molina S. Capron, Mrs. Lydia 8. Bliss. 

Mary J. Capron, Mrs. Ann J. Hodges, 

Mrs. Angelina Daggett, Miss Sabra C. Peck. 

Mrs. Lucy F. Daggett, Miss Sally M. Peck, 

Mrs. Sally Daggett, Miss Nancy M. Drown, 

Mrs. Lydia M. Peck. Miss Sarah F. Drown, 

Mrs. Kebecca C. Blackinton, Mrs. C. J. Holman, 

Mrs. Mary D. Richardson, Mrs. M. Dean, 

Mrs. Harriet A. Blackinton, Miss Mary A. Wheelock, 

Miss Lizzie C. Blanding, Mrs. Emily E. Cooper, 

Miss S. J. Mann, Mrs. Clarissa Blackinton, 

Miss Lizzie W. Martin, Mrs. C. E. Blackinton, 

Mrs. A. Allen, Mrs. P. F. Blackinton, 

Mrs. C. F. Bronson, Miss Belle Capron, 

Miss Lizzie Thompson, Miss Sarah S. Kelly, 

Miss Mary McCIatchy, Miss Mary Nerney. 

At the same town meeting the following vote was adopted : — 
"Voted to present a vote of thanks to the Ladies of Attleboro, for their 
kind assistance offered to prepare clothing for those who may leave this town 
to serve their Country, and record the same with names attached." 

Just as our men worked all through the war with unflagging zeal, so our 
women were tireless in their efforts to supply some of the needs of sick and 



184 A SKETCH OF THE 

wouuded soldiers in the hospitals or to add little comforts to brighten and 
cheer their hard, dreary lives in camp and Held. Sewing societies were 
formed in various parts of the town : at the North, the South and West, and 
at the East villages; at Dodgeville ; and doubtless in other villages or neigh- 
borhoods. These met at the churches or at the homes of some of the 
ladies and were attended by those of all ages. Children helped to pick lint 
or make bandages, the elders cut and made garments, " and old ladies of 
eighty years knitted socks at their homes." Unfortunately no records have 
been kept of this work, but many barrels of comfortable, well-made clothing, 
many thousands of yards of soft bandages, and many pounds of lint were 
prepared by those clever, eager hands and sent to the front. 

In the East village, as no doubt elsewhere, the society was called the Sol- 
diers' Aid Society, and it met weekly in the vestry of the church. Mrs. 
Belden, Mrs. Lyman Dean, Mrs. X. C. Luther, Miss Molina Capron, Miss 
Sally Peck, and others were among the leaders in the work. The ladies here 
arranged fairs, which were very successful, and several times a hundred and 
fifty dollars were made at these. A reading circle was in existence at that 
time, which met once a week, and at this the ladies alwa3 T s busied themselves 
with knitting stockings, the tops of which were red and white to form the 
patriotic combination. 

All the work done was not done in common at the frequent society gather- 
ings. Many who could not leave their homes had work given them to do 
there, and not the least earnest in this labor of love were those women upon 
whom, in the absence of husbands and sons, had fallen the chief burden of 
the support of their families. Facts and figures may and should be compiled 
and preserved, but the real history of such labors as these can never be 
written by any human pen. Who shall say, however, that they are not in 
every such case important factors in working out the grand result? While 
we honor our soldiers and citizens for their noble record of the War of the 
Rebellion, we will honor our women also, for '• they did Avhat they could." 

REMINISCENCES, EXPERIENCES OF SOLDIERS, ETC. 

A few reminiscences of the early days of the war have been obtained from 
some of the ladies who were engaged in the fitting out of the soldiers who 
first enlisted in town, and several old soldiers have kindly given us an outline 
of their companies' marches and actions, adding some personal experiences 
of their times of active service. 

As has been seen, enlistments began very early. General Orders No. 8 
was issued by Governor John A. Andrew on April 22d, 1861, and under these 
orders Company I was formed in this town. Arms being supplied, the next 
want was proper clothing. "The town was very liberal in furnishing all 
that was required" in the way of material, and the ladies agreed to make it 
up. In North Attleborough they met in the hall of the Masonic building; 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUfiH. ] 85 

those ladies who were able to do so, and others, took work to their homes, 
while the old ladies whose eyes were too dim for sewing at once began to 
knit socks. The uniforms were cut by a tailor. They were of gray cloth, 
with short, close coats, and military buttons. They were to have been 
trimmed with red, but that order was countermanded, as it was thought the 
color " might be a mark for the rebels." Mrs. Benjamin Pratt was one of 
those most active and efficient in that part of the town and held many meet- 
ings at her house, where subsequently undergarments, lint, aud bandages were 
also prepared. 

In East Attleborough the ladies met iu what is now "Union Hall" ; Miss 
Abby Capron was the head of the committee, a position she was well quali- 
fied to occupy, and upon her devolved the care of the undergarments. The 
tailor came from North Attleborough to cut the suits, and Miss Angenette 
Starkey took charge of the basting, which occupied her for eight days, even 
with the able assistance, a portion of the time, of Mrs. Stephen Pierce, whose 
efforts deserve special mention, because, as some may remember, it was with 
great difficulty that she could get to the hall to work, owiug to the disap- 
proval of some members of her family. To this day Miss Starkey remem- 
bers thankfully her "happy thought" in having the name of each soldier 
pinned to the various portions of his suit, in order to insure the proper 
coming together of the right legs, arms, and bodies. But for this, it is easy 
to imagiue the mixtures that would have resulted, mixtures which no shaking 
— though as vigorous as that iu the "•Valley of Dry Bones" — would have 
been able to make right. There were several sewing machines in the hall, 
one a Mrs. Wilkinson's, another Mrs. Dr. Sanford's, and, if the memory of 
our informant is correct, the doctor himself helped to use it in the good 
cause. Men, women, and children were all eager to work and " did with 
their might whatever their hands found to do." Any work was man's work, 
any work woman's work, that either could do. The ladies, it is said, brought 
" spider web silk " to make the clothes with, and Major Holman went to 
Providence to procure the proper kind, and " Alcott Hardin was press man." 
The work went on here for over forty days with " the hall full in the after- 
noons," and the story for North Attleborough would doubtless be much the 
same, for nearly a hundred men had to be made ready. Besides his suit, 
each soldier was supplied with two flannel shirts, two pairs of drawers, socks, 
a havelock, and a bag " containing all the necessary articles for mending his 
clothing." The ladies attended also to providing the blankets. Mr. Lyman 
Dean presented the insignia for the caps, which were raised gold letters and 
were made iu Taunton, and to each soldier he gave Si. 50 worth of postage 
stamps. 

Of the one hundred and five men in Company I, only nine were not of our 
town. The company's drill ground was on the " old Tom French place," as 
it was then familiarly called, on the road from the Farmers to Robinsonville, 



186 A SKETCH OF THE 

where there was a racing track of a mile in length, and before leaving home 
"the company could march around the track iu fifteen minutes." This 
shows the zeal with which our citizens went to work to make soldiers of 
themselves when the necessity came, and the result was certainly credit- 
able for a month's time with men wholly unaccustomed to such exercise. 
Their gymnasium was in the basement of Whiting's new shop at North 
Attleborongh. 

The day before they left town for camp, Sunday, Captain Ashley preached 
to the company in the Baptist church, and the following morning they met 
at four o'clock on the common in front of the church. Many can recall the 
sad scenes of that early morning, for almost everybody in that part of the 
town came there to say "good-by" and "Godspeed." The company 
marched to East Attleborongh, where in Union Hall they found a fine spread 
awaiting them, " but the boys did not feel much like eating." The clerk, 
Mr. Wade, was obliged to take charge of calling the roll, "the orderly ser- 
geant not feeling it was his duty." No one can wonder at that sergeant's 
feeling or blame him for shifting such a duty in such surroundings, for the 
whole story is told in the simple phrase of the clerk himself, a man whose 
bravery was unquestioned, and he says : " It was the hardest work I ever did." 

The Seventh went into camp first at Taunton, where they remained for 
a mouth — from June 12th to July 12th, 1861 — and where on June loth they 
were mustered into the service of the United States, the regiment promising 
"to serve for the war, or for three or five years." Four of the companies 
were stationed in the old Exhibition buildings, I and K together, and just 
opposite them Company E, who were called " the Dorchester Owls," because 
they were always awake at night. The first night there was no sleep for any- 
body. Boots flew here aud there to the accompaniment of every variety of 
catcall, and there was a general aud lively "good time." Whenever officers 
called for quiet, of coarse a few seconds sufficed to set every man snoring 
lustily for the time being. All this fun, hoAvever, did not make careless 
soldiers, but quite the contrary. Indeed, only recently, Colonel CoUch in 
referring to the Seventh Regiment said that its discipline and attendance to 
duty were the same during those few days in camp before it entered the 
United States service as they were afterwards, and its reputation in those 
respects is too well known to need comment here. 

In July came orders to proceed to Washington. Very many can remem- 
ber the twelfth day of that month. The hour when the train bearing the 
Seventh was to pass through the East village was known, and from all over 
the town people collected at the station. The old depot platform was 
crowded with pale-faced women and excited children, all eager for a hand- 
shake and good-by with those who were now to go to the front and learn the 
terrible lessons of real war. The train stopped some moments at a little 
distance from the village and then rushed swiftly through it, and the waiting 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 187 

ones had only the merest glimpse of loved faces, and the echoes of a hun- 
dred voices mingled in parting phrases. This was the last seen of, alas ! too 
many a dear one, for the Seventh reaped the reward of active service and 
returned from that journey with sadly thinned ranks. 

In passing through Baltimore " they were obliged to load up " and had 
no opportunity to appease their hunger. Their first night in Washington was 
spent in the Capitol, where rations were served them. One of the men says : 
" We slept in marble halls, and did not need to dream of them." The first 
permanent camp of the Seventh was Camp Kalorama in the hospital grounds, 
where they remained until August 5th and then removed to Camp Bright- 
wood, a temporary camp near Brightvvood, on the right side of Seventh 
Street. Upon a certain occasion here one of the courses on the bill of fare 
proved to be " meat rather lively." The regimental taste not being suf- 
ficiently educated to enjoy that as an article of food, it was decided to make 
another disposition of it, and the Fall River companies A and B got out 
their drums and to the " Dead March in Saul," or something else, " buried 
it with appropriate ceremonies." Later the camp was changed to a spot 
between Seventh and Fourteenth streets, on which latter street was the 
hospital, then a hotel, the place being now occupied by a race ground. 
While here Company I had the measles and Henry Davenport died. 

The winter was passed in this place and barracks had to be constructed. 
The trees were found in the woods not far away. Trunks were dug out, 
logs set down in them, and the chinks filled in with mud. Some of the ends 
were run up together to form peaked roofs, and the tents were opened and 
spread over these as a covering. The chimney to each barrack was built 
with logs and mud, cobhouse fashion, and had a fireplace. Each company 
had four buildings, and each squad had a sergeant and two corporals in it. 
Before the barracks were erected the men had had A tents, but after leaving 
camp they had only shelter tents, of which each man carried a portion. Even 
these they were without for some time and were obliged to form shelters 
for themselves as best they could by putting two of their rubber blankets 
together and fastening them with wooden pins. 

In March, 1862, the regiment was sent to Prospect Hill, as a forward move- 
ment was expected. Here they had " rain, mud, and no shelter " ; so our 
men occupied themselves in building huge fires of whole trees and drying 
one side while the other side was getting wet. The return march to camp 
was through mud knee-deep, with a little variety in wading Rock Creek in 
water waist-high. Company I, however, were most cheerfully welcomed at 
their barracks with roaring fires, hot coffee, etc., prepared by Mr. Des Jar- 
dins, who, being ordnance officer, had been left in camp and so "• could look 
out for his men." We fancy some of the Company I " boys " can feel the 
warmth of those fires and smell the fragrant odors of that steaming coffee 
even now. The last of March orders were received to start for the Penin- 



]88 A SKETCH OF THE 

sula. These were obeyed so promptly that the regiment was at Columbia 
College too soon, so after remaining in the grounds for a time it returned to 
camp. The morning following their return, however, transports were taken 
for Fortress Monroe and the Seventh quartered at Camp Smith, beyond 
Hampton, near Big Bethel. The next camp was Warwick Court House, in 
the woods, where picket duty was done until the evacuation of Yorktown. 
Thence our men proceeded to the fight at Williamsburg, and the night 
preceding they camped in a cornfield, where the rain took a cheerful way of 
announcing itself by trickling down their backs. 

Not long after this our informant, then the First Sergeant of Company I, 
had to make a little digression. After an exposure to the rain of thirty-six 
hours' duration, he was compelled to submit to a siege of toothache, and just 
about the time the southern army was evacuating its position several of his 
hitherto reliable dental members were by order of their commander quitting 
their stronghold, like the '' rebs," never again to become possessed of their 
former fortifications. 

The day following this battle of Williamsburg, which was a hard one, 
though the number of troops employed was not very large, the regiment had 
a march of twenty-five miles, a most severe one. for the day was intensely 
hot and many fell out by the way on account of the heat and lack of water. 
From this time on the regiment was actively engaged in the skirmishing line 
all along the Peninsula. This line of drill had been that of the Seventh, 
and our Attleborough "boys" were especially interested in it. Upon one 
occasion, when two companies had been ordered out, and one of them was 
too slow, it was with pride and pleasure that Company I obeyed an order 
from their colonel to " go out and go faster." Company I took part in the 
battle of Fair Oaks, which began May 31st, 1862, and this was their first 
experience of real fighting. At this time Lieutenant Des Jardins was com- 
manding the company, and here Sergeant Faas lost his leg by being in what 
would ordinarily have been another man's place. At this battle the regiment 
was surrounded, and was released by General Sumner. At that time Lieu- 
tenant Whiting was with the company, and as they were preparing to camp 
for the night a man met him and inquired for some North Carolina regiment, 
so Mr. Whiting at once took him to the colonel as a prisoner. This camping- 
place was a meadow where the men had to lie on their guns to keep from the 
wet. and with only pants, shirts, and blouses. The summons to the battle 
had come while they were preparing dinner, and being still a little new to 
the usages of war they left everything as it was, taking only their guns. 
The battle over, they were minus coats, blankets, food, and utensils, and 
they had uothiug to eat from Saturday morning until Sunday night, when 
they received "one hard tack apiece." The day following this battle they 
" had a chance to fight a little" from behind a railroad, and two of the com- 
pany were wounded. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 189 

Soon after this they returned to a camp near the former old one, and hav- 
ing lost their clothes, equipments, etc., they had to be newly supplied. They 
remained in this place until June 25th, when they went on to the picket lines. 
This was the commencement of the seven days' fight before Richmond. 
Company I had some skirmishing and was engaged in the battle of Malvern 
Hill and in one cavalry encounter at Charles City crossroads. At Malvern 
Hill their position was on rear ground, where they could overlook the battle- 
field — a great plateau filled with men — and witness the fight. 

After this our men camped for six weeks near Harrison's Landing in a 
fine wheatfield, building breastworks several times as they moved about; and 
here many w r ere ill from the effects of poor water. Next by transport to 
Alexandria, and, horses being delayed, the officers had for a time to test their 
marching powers on foot with the men. Directly after the second battle of 
Bull "Run, our company was among those who went back following Lee, but 
between him and Washington. They were in the battle of Antietam and lay 
one night on the field, where Mr. Wade as orderly sergeant " tried to waken 
a dead man." They followed the " rebs " for a while and finally went into 
camp at Downesville, Md., where they remained until October. Being 
ordered to move, they crossed the river at Berlin, where they had " to make 
the muster rolls in the night on empty cracker boxes " with dew-dampened 
paper, and then went on into Virginia, camping at New Baltimore. 

November 9th General Burnside took command of the Army of the Poto- 
mac and soon made a move down toward Fredericksburg, and Company I 
was in the battle at that place on December 13th, 1862, when " Terrill was 
killed and Snell wounded." During this year Colonel Russell left the regi- 
ment, expressing at parting from his men many regrets at being obliged to 
leave them. The regiment was rather unjustly treated in this respect, hav- 
ing had five different colonels placed in command over it. This was one of 
the times when jealousy waxed rampant over the eastern army, when the 
chief fighting seemed to be over the question of a commander, who was no 
sooner appointed and ready for action than he was superseded, ami the 
men were occupied in "waiting for orders" or trying to obey contradictory 
ones. 

The Seventh stayed near Falmouth all the winter of 1862-63 and were in 
the famous " Mud March," as it was called, when the great Army of the 
Potomac " marched up, and then marched down again." Its next fight was 
the battle of Chancellorsville — second Fredericksburg. Here Company I 
lost its captain, Prentiss M. Whiting, and the command devolved upon 
Lieutenant Wade. Company D lost in this fight nineteen out of forty-one 
men, and Company I suffered severely. A. Bartlett Keith, Alexander 
Corey, Edward Dean, and Andrew Farrell were all wounded in the leg, the 
former severely, the latter slightly ; Henry Graff, in the shoulder severely ; 
J. Allen Tillson, in the hand slightly; John A. Whaley, in the abdomen 



190 A SKETCH OF THE 

severely : and James B. Tisdale, mortally in the feet. This was the largest 
list of casualties in the company at any one time. 

Marye's Heights was one of their battles ; another, Salem Church, where 
we were repulsed. On this occasion Company I had " simply to stand still 
and be fired at from three sides." Their orders were to attract the attention 
and fire of the enemy, while others of our men should flank and surround the 
same, and we may be sure Attleborough boys stood their ground firmly. 
During this fight the entire regiment was surrounded and lost enormously. 
During the day following — a Sunday in May, 1863 — the Seventh were cut 
off entirely from our army. In the late afternoon a tremendous thunder- 
cloud arose. Taking advantage of this circumstance and leaving a skirmish 
line with a battery which opened fire upon the enemy in the dark, under 
cover of this friendly cloud the regiment marched away, and finally all suc- 
ceeded in crossing a river in safety and reaching their own lines once more. 
They returned to the old camp near Falmouth and from there marched fully 
two hundred miles to get to Gettysburg for the famous July fights. 

Their last march to reach the battlefield was one of forty miles. They 
had finished the regular day's march, "pitched camp and just got to bed," 
when the order to " pack and fall in " came, and by the mistake of the 
guides they were taken in the wrong direction, marching forty for thirty 
miles. This long march ended, they halted by the roadside, and had just 
made coffee when the order was received to " push on double quick for 
Round Top," and they did speedily push on to its foot. The Seventh 
belonged to the Sixth Army Corps, and the appearance of this corps " dis- 
couraged the enemy, and saved the second day's fight." The next day our 
company was in the reserve force, was here, there, and everywhere in the 
midst of the fight, but not in the front. On the " Fourth" — the closing day 
of the great fight — they were on the front line again, and on the fifth were 
" after the enemy." Later they were in Washington and still later went 
into winter quarters at Brandy Station on the farm of the famous unionist, 
J. Minor Botts. While there they engaged in the fight at Stone Mountain 
across the Rapidan. 

In May, 1864, they were ordered from Brandy Station to the Wilderness 
again, where heavy fighting was continually going on, and many were killed. 
They were fighting day after day in woods so thick the enemy could not be 
seen. It was continually — "March to-night, and fight to-morrow." At 
Spottsylvania a charge was ordered without a skirmish line into a thick pine 
wood across a wet meadow full of mud and slime. Here both Union and 
Southern lines overlapped each other, and Company I lost several men. 
Later a skirmish line was formed, and the next day the pickets had a little 
encounter with the enemy. Our pickets at this time were kept on duty for 
more than twenty-four hours, Lieutenant Wade and others from Company 
1 being among them. The former was frequently "detailed for special 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 191 

duties," the performance of which one not a soldier could readily see re- 
quired more than the ordinary courage and judgment. Several " big'fights " 
occurred about this time at or near Cold Harbor and were the last^in which 
our " hoys" of Company I were engaged, for on June 15th, 1864, they left 
the front for some point on the James River, whence they were transported 
to Washington and New York. There they were greeted with an oration 
and no doubt the accompaniment of a generous meal. From New York they 
journeyed by the Stonington Line and on to Taunton, their coming a sur- 
prise, no telegram having announced it. Their discharge papers were not 
received until July 5th, though they bore date June 27th. 

And now Company I was at home again ; and how proudly and heartily 
they were welcomed after those three years of faithful service in fighting for 
"the land we love so well"! Alas that, of the hundred who went forth 
strong and hopeful, less than half came back whole and vigorous ! Had only 
a half dozen returned, that would have been joy enough for the whole town to 
make itself jubilant ; and from everywhere the people came to greet the thirty- 
seven and give them a public ovation, even those whose loved ones slept 
beneath southern skies or in the neighboring kirkyards joining in those 
happy services for the comrades of their dead. 

In true New England fashion, with procession and music and waving 
banners, under the open sky, this glad reception was given. Brightly clad 
school children, singing joyful songs, followed by their no less happy elders, 
escorted "the returned soldiers" to "Pine Grove," where there was a 
"bake." What else could there have been for men who had not tasted 
a claw, for three years? The delicious fumes of that steaming coffee in the 
Washington barracks at the end of the long day's march in the rain and 
mud were forgotten as the appetizing odors of this weed-crowned bivalve 
greeted their nostrils. What a contrast to their last meal together when they 
left the old town ! Then no one could eat, now no one could help doing- 
it ; but there was enough for all, even a feast ; for Attleborough bakes 
don't fail. 

After the feast, toasts and speeches were in order, on this occasion filled 
with words of pride and joy, but always with a vein of sadness running through 
them, as thoughts recurred to absent forms and empty places. Very often 
during a long period of years the duties of toastmaster devolved upon the 
writer of this book, and it was so upon this occasion. A few of his special 
words of welcome to Company I have been found among his forgotten papers 
and are given here because they may bring to someone a pleasant memory 
of that now long-past happy day. 

We have not come here to make formal speeches to you, but to give you a hearty welcome 
home. — a welcome back to old Attleborough, this spot from which three years ago you took 
your departure for the uukuown scenes of an opening war. But how few of those who tilled 
your ranks on that occasion, are here to-day. Is this Co. I ? How many have fallen on 
the battlefields of their country, or died in its camps, your thinned ranks too painfully attest. 



192 A SKETCH OF THE 

The memory of the brave dead who return not will be cherished and honored not only by their 
friends, but the people of A.ttleborough for years to conic. 

How sleep the brave who sink to rest 
With all their country's wishes blest! 

You have fought in a just cause, they have fallen in a glorious cause. Three years ago you 
went forth from these homes and friends in the defence of your country, for the integrity of 
its territory, — the perpetuity of our Union — for the security of our free institutions. This is 
a canst; that will survive, and will triumph. In the name of the people of this town we again 
welcome you back to your friends. We thank you for the service you have done. Since°you 
led 11- we have watched your course.— we have followed the fortunes of the Army of the 
Potomac, — we arc happy to say that you have done honor to the town which you represented 
in that army. The great battles in which you have been engaged, Williamsburg, Fair Oaks, 
Antietam. Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, and Cold Harbor will be 
forever remembered, — they are inscribed on the immortal pages of history. 

Thus in this rural scene, amid sounds of mirth and gladness, in the sun- 
shine of a cloudless summer day, we leave Company I. It is our last glimpse 
of them all together. Well is it for them and for us all that as we think of 
their deeds we can say the prize for which they strove was won ! As long as 
the great war is remembered, so long will the " 7th Mass." be remembered, 
and we of Attleborough may speak with pride of our company's share in its 
brave and brilliant exploits. 

During the spring of 1862, about forty-five men enlisted in this town as 
members of Company C, Forty-seventh Massachusetts Regiment, and went 
into camp at Boxford. Mr. Lemuel T. Starkey was commissioned its captain, 
and Everett S. Horton one of its lieutenants. These gentlemen were occupied 
during the summer recruiting for the regiment, joining it in the early autumn, 
when it was regularly mustered into the United States service. There were 
at the same time at Boxford some four or five other regiments called the 
" Merchants' Guard of Boston." It required strenuous efforts on the part of 
Mr. II. N. Daggett, the chairman of the selectmen, and Mr. Starkey to prevent 
Company C from being placed in the Fourth Regiment. At the time of its 
enlistments the governor was very desirous of getting that regiment off to 
the front at once, but these gentlemen urged the company's joining the 
Forty-seventh, as by the delay in so doing the matter of bounties could be 
satisfactorily adjusted. Bounty had been promised to the men, but at one 
time, a little later, the town voted not to pay any bounty money. By delay- 
ing, an arrangement was made with the city of Boston to make these pay- 
ments and later to transfer these men to the credit of our town, which, as has 
been seen, was carried out. Had Company C joined the Fourth, not only 
would the men have received no bounty, but, what is far worse, the com- 
pany would doubtless ; * have been cut to pieces, for the Fourth had a bloody 
experience." 

From Boxford the regiment went to Readville, where it remained about two 
weeks, and then to New York, going into camp on Long Island at the bar- 
racks on an old racecourse there. On December 21 the men took a trans- 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 193 

port for New Orleans. They were eight days in reaching Ship Island and 
from there went under sealed orders. They landed at Carrollton, some seven 
miles above the city, and went into camp at Greenville, where they had been 
but a few days when they were transferred to the United States barracks, 
seven miles below the city, and from there to the city itself, where they were 
placed on provost duty. At Carrollton, where the first lauding was made, all 
the houses about were full of rebel sharpshooters during the first night, and 
John Sullivan, having ventured out from shelter, was shot through the leg. 
A little excitement occurred here, but not of a martial nature. One solitary 
man, a Frenchman, had remained at Carrollton in charge of his own or some- 
one's plantation, and he had two slave girls there. Hearing an outcry, some 
of our soldiers entered his house and found he had whipped one of these 
slaves with great severity. The colonel of the Forty-seventh sent him at once 
to Tortugas. One can readily understand the indignation of a northern man 
over such a deed, especially at that time, and his promptness in using his 
authority to punish the offender. The dislike manifested by the people of 
New Orleans for northern soldiers is well known, but we are told that tk iu 
the French portion of the city — on the contrary — they were very hospi- 
table." The Forty-seventh was kept for a number of months in New 
Orleans, ' k because it was the best drilled, best dressed, and best appearing 
regiment of any that went to that city." 

Company C had no skirmishes in the city, but upon one occasion three com- 
panies, C among them, went up the river to Baton Rouge under command of 
Lieutenant-Colonel Stickney, kt and there had a pretty hard skirmish." 
Several men were wounded, but uot severely. " Hartshorn, Alger, and Bas- 
sett died at New Orleans from fever, and one man left the regiment, and 
has never been heard from since." Captain Starkey resigued in January, 
I860, receiving from his company, and the band and line officers of the regi- 
ment, testimonials regarding his care of his men and attention to their wants, 
his interest in the regiment, etc., while he was a member of it. On returning 
home he became again a recruiting officer. He was stationed at Providence, 
where he had charge of raising and shipping off battalions. He com- 
menced recruiting on the breaking out of the war, and during its continuance 
he enlisted 1,084 men in the States of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. 

Upon Captain Stai key's resignation, by a unanimous vote of the men 
Lieutenant Horton became captain of Company C and soon received his 
commission. Under his charge the company retained to the full its share in 
the excellent reputation the Forty-seventh had gained. There were but few 
casualties in Company C, because its term of service was almost entirely 
occupied with provost duty. The regiment was ordered to Port Hudson, 
but the fight was ended before its services were required. 

These men enlisted for nine mouths, but they served for nearly a year. 
They were mustered into service September 23, 18(32, and on August 5, 1863, 



194 A SKETCH OF THE 

they left New Orleans for home via the Mississippi River. At Cairo thev 
took ears and the entire journey east was a continued ovation. They were 
met at every stopping-place with enthusiasm and received the most lavish 
attentions from the people everywhere. They were mustered out at Readville, 
September 1, 18G3, and were received at home with the hearty greetings of 
the whole town, which turned out to welcome them. 

February 20, 1864, fifty-two men from this town were mustered into service 
in the Fifty-eighth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, the majority of them 
in Company C. Several of these men were veterans, having served in the 
Forty-seventh. They camped at Readville, leaving there April 28, and on 
May 5 they reached the Wilderness, participating in that series of bloody 
battles. During this time some of our ''boys" were taken prisoners, and 
from one of them we have heard of some of the expedients resorted to in the 
prison pens to keep up the spirits of the prisoners. Officers often clubbed 
together to invent stories of battles in which the northern armies always came 
off victorious. Such tales brought cheer and a little comfort to the privates, 
and when one had been often enough repeated, a fresh one was made up. 
Trapdoors were often cut in the prison floors, and when men were attempt- 
ing to escape some comrade left behind dropped through these doors from 
room to room to keep up the requisite number in each at ration time to cover 
the absence of the runaways. Some Attleborough men died in those horrible 
prisons ; others were enabled to conquer despair and live on through months 
of that awful existence until release came. Some of those who survived 
were completely shattered physically ; some regained a fair degree of their 
former vigor, but all must carry through life the effects of those days of 
terrible suffering and endurance. 

The Fifty-eighth served until the close of the war and was mustered out 
July 14, 1865. 

In Companies I and H, Twent}'-fourth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, 
there were a number of men from Attleborough. They enlisted in the autumn 
of 1861, going into camp at Readville and from thence to Fort Warren to do 
garrison duty " while the regiment was filling up." They were in that place 
when Mason and Slidell were brought there. On December 9 the Twenty- 
fourth started for the seat of war, accompanied by Grilmore's band, of 
Boston. They went to Annapolis and became a part of the Burnside expe- 
dition. The men were at Roanoke and Newbern among the earlier battles of 
tlic war, and later they were in North Carolina and its vicinity for some nine 
months in the Department of the South under General Hunter. They par- 
ticipated in the sieges of Forts Sumter and Wagner and were engaged all 
through the well-remembered Morris Island Campaign in 1863. 

Subsequently the regiment, much reduced on account of ill-health, was sent 
to St. Augustine and Jacksonville, where we may hope the weary, war-worn 
veterans drew in health and vigor from the balmy air and cool sea breezes 




« I 



eo s 



g « 









HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 195 

and found themselves refreshed in courage for all coming encounters in that 
atmosphere still tinctured with the memories of valorous deeds " in the brave 
:lavs of old." They were engaged in the Olustee fight, and there George 
Hortou and John Cu minings were taken prisoners and had to experience the 
horrors of Andersonville and Florence. At the latter place Mr. Cummings 
escaped by tunneling and succeeded in getting out some distance, but his 
attempt soon became known, and he was followed by men with dogs and 
recaptured. The failure of one attempt, however, only made him the more 
determined upon another effort to regain his freedom, even in the face of the 
frequent penalty, death by the guard's musket. In these efforts he was 
irrepressible and embraced every possible opportunity to effect his escape, 
though in the end it was only effected by exchange. 

From Florida the men of the Twenty-fourth went back to Virginia and 
were attached to the Army of the James under Butler. At the end of two 
years the opportunity came to reenlist for bounty, an opportunity which was 
embraced by about half the men in the Twenty-fourth ; and the regiment 
was re-formed in Virginia. Among those who declined reenlistment was 
Charles P. Dirke, who had been a soldier of the Second Empire. He came 
home ; but the habits of the soldier proved to be too firmly fixed to be easily 
thrown off, and in a week's time he was in Hancock's Veteran Corps. He 
was one of the guard at the gallows when Mrs. Surratt was hanged and was 
among those who assisted to pick up the remains of the soldiers who are 
buried at Arlington. 

Our "boys" of the Twenty-fourth were in Grant's army and had the 
experiences of those days of continual and brilliant fighting through the 
" summer of '64." They had but little fighting during the following winter, 
but in "the spring of '65" they were again with Grant in his last grand 
campaign just before the close of the war, when from the White House to 
the hovel the whole country watched with breathless interest for the issue. 
The Twenty-fourth was among the first regiments to enter Richmond after 
Lee's surrender and was ordered on provost duty there. 

These few facts are enough to show that the services demanded of these 
men were varied and sufficient to prove that they were "true and tried" 
soldiers. Some of these men — some of ours among them — served for five 
years, for the Twenty-fourth was among the last, if not the very last regi- 
ment, to return home. It did not reach Massachusetts until January, 1866. 

Over one half — fifty-four men — of Company H, Fortieth Regiment 
Massachusetts Volunteers, were from our town. They enlisted early in 
August, 1862 (about the 7th), "took the oath" at Boston on the loth, and 
on the 18th went into camp at Linfield. They were " quartered in the old 
meeting-house" with another company from Taunton and had straw to sleep 
on. Attempts were made by many on this first night to get some rest, but 
there was " too much noise to sleep." The next camping-place was Boxford, 



196 A SKETCH OF THE 

where they remained but a short time. They were regularly mustered into 
the United States service September 1st. 18G2, and on the 8th they left for 
Washington. They reached their first camp there at Fourteenth and Allen 
streets on a very hot day. The men " were marched fifteen miles with full 
knapsacks, and many fell out." They lay down on the red clay, glad of any 
sort of a resting-place, and in the night a shower came up. The men were 
so tired that they slept; but in the morning guns, etc., had to be dug up out 
of the mud. while the liver running hard by, proving to be of the same 
bright color as the clay, gave no very encouraging prospects for immediate 
cleanliness. 

September 25th, says Mr. Everett B. Bliss' diary : " Detailed for wood 
and water." The men had to fell big trees, rather unusual work for most of 
them, learning to wield an axe not being quite so important a part of the 
average Yankee boy's varied education as to wield with great dexterity that 
remarkable instrument, the jackknife. The journal for the evening of that 
day reads thus: "Ed. Crandall, Horton, J. Savery, are singing, 'We're 
tenting tonight boys.'" 

October 18th the regiment moved to Miners Hill, about fifteen miles out 
of the city, and went into winter quarters in stockaded tents. December 
27th came the first long roll, when ''•all fell in, every man to arms." They 
had a quick march of sixteen miles in a snowstorm to Mile's Cross Roads to 
ntercept some cavalry. They speedily fell in to the general army custom of 
helping themselves to the shelter of an}' houses to be found. At this place 
Mr. Crandall was injured. They remained for three days, and then, no 
cavalry having been seen, it was concluded the alarm was false, and the 
regiment returned to camp. Among the varied records of the journal is the 
following: "Miners Hill. Called at midnight for drilling and picket duty." 
March 30th the men went to Vienna, another trip of about fifteen or sixteen 
miles, " carrying three days' rations." During this time they experienced 
real New England weather — snow eight inches deep and " only shelter tents 
for use " ; so the men resorted to seeking for shelter "in every conceivable 
place, from a hotel to a pigsty, but singing. ; We're marching along. We're 
marching along.' " This expedition ended like the former one by a return 
to camp. 

On June 23d, 1863, the regiment broke camp and went to join the Army 
of the Potomac at Yorktown. Here our "■journalist" had a little personal 
encounter and had to cry mercy to his foe. He told a Yorktown mau he had 
never seen an oyster too large for him to swallow and rashly, as the sequel 
proved, intimated rather strongly his belief that such a one could not be 
found anywhere. The old man accepted the challenge, took Mr. Bliss out in 
his skiff, picked up and gave to him an oyster which was too large to be 
swallowed whole ; so the soldier Vk had to give in." If the oyster was eaten, 
it is certain that it was excellent. The quality of the large oysters of that 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOliOUGH. 197 

region is only equaled by their quantity and not excelled by those of corre- 
sponding size anywhere else. This statement may be made with little fear 
of its being challenged. 

We find our men next at White House Landing on the river above York- 
town, where they reamined a week or two, and then returning to Yorktown 
they took transports for Washington. Reaching that city, they started at 
once to join Meade's army at Gettysburg ; but on the way their train collided 
with another, and this disaster delayed them for two days and made them too 
late for the battle. They, however, reached Fredericksburg, where they were 
"within sound of the guns." From this place they were ordered to the 
Potomac to lay pontoon bridges for the army to cross, crossing themselves 
to Warrington Junction, where the Army of the Potomac went into winter 
quarters. The Fortieth was soon ordered to Alexandria and thence on 
to Fortress Monroe, landing at Newport News. The men were ordered to 
prepare for a long sea voyage. Just as they had their washing hung out, 
"everything extra being left at Fredericksburg," the long roll sounded, and 
as no delays in answering that call are allowed, the result was " they were 
an absurd looking crew." They were put upon a boat from which a thousand 
prisoners had just been taken, '•"and," the record adds, kk it was not clean." 
This boat was their abode for four days and nights, when they reached 
Charleston, S. C and landed on Folly Island. 

The next day they were detailed to the front at Fort Wagner, where they 
met the Twenty-fourth Regiment. At this place each Regiment had to be at 
the front in turn two days in every week. While here Mr. Bliss and several 
of his comrades of the Fortieth "called upon Ed. Dean," whom, as the cook 
of his company, they found making doughnuts. It is perhaps superfluous, 
in speaking of New Englanders, to add that " a feast ensued." The Twenty- 
fourth at this time was in most excellent condition — completely equipped, 
with good uniforms, all other necessary clothing, accoutrements, utensils, 
etc. ; while the Fortieth, as we have seen, had almost nothing. Naturally 
boasting obtained, followed by a lively war of words between the mem- 
bers of the two regiments, and particularly between our townsmen, whose 
opinions upon the contrasts in appearance were expressed with the utmost 
frankness and in most generous measure. About this time orders came to 
the regiments on Folly Island to the effect that after three months' drilling, 
etc., the best regiment among them should be mounted, as a compliment. 
At the end of the stipulated time it was announced that the Fortieth had 
1,1 won the prize," and they were sent to Hilton Head, where they received 
their horses, and soon after they went by orders to Florida, "to Camp Fin- 
nigan, just out of Jacksonville." Before parting with their friends of the 
Twenty-fourth, the} 7 took the opportunity thus given to return the compli- 
ments which had been so freely bestowed upon them. This turning of the 
tables was made the most of and all debts to the Twenty-fourth paid with 



198 A SKETCH OF THE 

compound interest. Only about a week after the Fortieth had received their 
horses they stormed a battery, captured three outposts, and surprised the 
enemy, taking them in the night. This was their initial fight on horseback, 
but being ordered to take the battery they proceeded to obey, though 
they had to ride over ditches, through woods, etc. Our narrator says: 
" Good for first experience." They were at this time in the far-famed 
•• Everglades," and during the next day's march they came to Little St. 
Mary's River. Company H threw their guns over the river, and, being 
infantry, were ordered to " dismount and dislodge the enemy." Crawling 
through the swamp, they captured thirty-two horses and a number of men, 
the whole thing having been " done very quickly." 

The above affair occurred February 12th, 1864. The next morning the 
"boys" cleaned their guns and exchanged them for Spencer rifles. The 
following night they were in the saddle nearly all night. Arriving at Stark 
the regiment halted, but a small squad, including sixteen men from Compain 7 
II, were detailed to go to Gainesville and capture an engine and train of 
ears bearing a valuable load of cotton, about $1,000,000 worth. The 
enemy retreated as they advanced, so they pressed forward and took posses- 
sion of the place, fully expecting the regiment would be there at night. The 
latter had been misled by the enemy, however, who announced that they had 
captured our men. Thus the little squad of men was left to its own 
resources in the enemy's country from eleven o'clock one morning to mid- 
night of the following day. The few men were arranged to keep guard as 
advantageously as possible. The enemy came up in the afternoon, and a 
skirmish followed. Mr. Cummings was wounded and was taken to a hotel, 
where he had to be left as prisoner. A lady was boarding there who for- 
merly lived at Bear Swamp, and she kindly cared for him, though she could 
not of course mention that she knew him. George Horton was taken pris- 
oner there also. 1 During the night the enemy left. About five o'clock in 
the afternoon of the second day our men were again charged upon, but they 
met the attack gallantly and took some prisoners. They decided to evacu- 
ate their position, however, and at midnight started for Jacksonville, ninety 
miles away, followed by forty slaves, for whom they picked up mules here 
and there. They had some skirmishes on their way, but they flanked the 
enemy and arrived safely at Jacksonville on the 17th of February, where they 
were rewarded for what they had done by receiving compliments from their 
commanding general. 

From Jacksonville these men, about fifty in number, went to join their 
regiment, reaching it on the 19th at Barber's Ford. The following morning 



1 Mention has already been made of these two men having been taken prisoners at Olustee. This 
skirmish occurred about the time of that light. The facts as before related have been allowed to 
remain in the account of the Twenty-fourth, as they were given by a member of that regiment, some 
additions being made by others. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 199 

at seven o'clock, the Fortieth, with other regiments, started for Lake City, 
but found the enemy on the way at noon, and then and there began the 
battle of Olustee, "one of the stubbornest of all the battles," a real hand-to- 
hand fight, where our soldiers waited until the enemy were within ten feet of 
them before they rushed forward to the encounter. The enemy were at this 
time really victorious, ,l but did not know it." The Fortieth belonged to 
what was called the " Light Brigade," Colonel Guy V. Henry commanding. 
He was a leader who always said " Come," not lt Go." At one time they 
were in Hue of battle, which was a single line, and for a moment the men 
seemed inclined to get nervous. Seeing this, Colonel Henry coolly stepped 
out in the front and gave the cavalry some drill orders to relieve their nerv- 
ousness. The men at once responded, and with cheers, which the enemy 
mistook for greetings to reinforcements and so considered themselves 
beaten. That this nervousness was but momentary and had no effect upon 
the fighting qualities of our " boys " is well attested, for the Fortieth was 
complimented for both coolness and bravery at this same battle of Olustee. 

Our troops after this retreated to Jacksonville, and the Fortieth went again 
to Camp Finnigan, where they remained until they were ordered to the Army 
of the Potomac. The Twenty-fourth were with them on this journey. They 
landed at City Point and for some days were occupied in marching up and 
down from place to place to mislead the "rebs." May 9th our record reads 
thus: tv Called at 2.30 to march, went to Chester Station; tore up the track 
and ruined the railroad between Petersburg and Richmond, stopping com- 
munication." At this time the Eighteenth Corps went on toward Richmond, 
getting between that place and Fort Darling, where the enemy were massed 
in large numbers, and finally proceeded to Fort Darling, having several 
encounters with the enemy on the way. In front of this place, on May 20th, 
1864, Captain Jenkins of Company H was captured ; he was " wounded and 
missing." John C. Wilmarth and some others were captured, F. B. Bliss, 
Francis Doran, Edgar Freeman, and others were wounded, Parks and Slade 
were killed, and John O. Wilmarth was wounded. He died subsequently at 
Newport News. After this there came a day of both skirmishing and heavy 
fighting, in which several of the regiment's officers were wounded, and the 
command of Company H devolved upon its corporal, Job Savery. In a 
skirmish that day " one hundred and fifty men went out, twenty were 
wounded, and two killed outright." After the day was over someone said : 
" We have had no rations" ; and John Bullock, with vigorous smackings of 
his lips, exclaimed : " I wish I had a piece of custard pie." 

May 29th the Fortieth left Bermuda Hundreds and went to City Point. 
Arriving there the following morning they took transports for Fortress Mon- 
roe. The boats ran aground the next night, but got back to White House 
Landing. The men marched through the rest of the night, having only a 
short bivouac, and in the morning, as they were nearing Cold Harbor, they 



200 A SKETCH OF THE 

met the Seventh. The order came to charge, " and the Fortieth opened the 
ball." Hodges, Hamlin, and Elliot were wounded, and Lieutenant-Colonel 
Marshall, formerly captain of Company H, was killed. "The regiment lost 
sixty men from a squad," and our old soldier records this as " hard lighting." 
The next day the fighting continued, and Lloyd Hodges was wounded. 
June 3d was "the heavy battle at Cold Harbor. It was short but very 
severe." On that day James Short, M. C. Kent, and Everett Bliss were 
wounded, and Lester Perkins was killed. 

The Fortieth left Cold Harbor on June 13 and went to Fortress Monroe, 
leaving there, however, almost immediately for Richmond, as was supposed, 
but they "landed at Bermuda on the 14th, and went to Point of Rocks near 
there." They were in the charge on the heights of Petersburg — a colored 
regiment alongside — when two hundred prisoners, ten pieces of artillery, 
and some cavalry were captured. In that day's fight Company H had ten 
men on duty, and in the regiment there were seventy-Jive only, the numbers 
were so much reduced by the long sick list. On June 15 " twenty one 
guns were captured, the 40th in advance." The following night they were 
in line of battle all night and had some fighting. A little later they returned 
to Bermuda Hundreds and to their old corps, the Tenth, and were given 
a day of rest. At this time there was more or less skirmishing every day, 
and on the 24th our " boys" of the Fortieth were in more fighting. During 
that day some hundred and fifty prisoners were taken, " who seemed glad to 
get into our lines." 

The Fortieth was for ninety days at Petersburg and under tire the entire 
time, never being out of range of the enemy's artillery. On June 30 our 
men had the heaviest artillery fighting they experienced. Two hundred 
pieces were belching fire for four hours unceasingly, and at the end of that 
time a charge was ordered which resulted in many casualties, several to the 
Fortieth. After this to Bermuda Hundreds again, and our men were allowed 
to rest and recruit for two weeks ; then returning to the front at Petersburg 
they once more took their turn "in being in line." On July 30 "Burn- 
side's Pete" was charged and the fort blown up, causing a "horrible 
slaughter." 

The following winter the Fortieth was quartered at " Chapiu's Farm " on 
the James River, and the "boys" spent some quiet months there. In the 
spring they received orders to take transports for Fortress Monroe, and they 
went on to Yorktown, where they "captured a train of cars containing 
tobacco and cotton." Then up the Potomac under the agreeable orders to 
convey a Tittle excitement into one of the enemy's camps. Accomplishing 
this they returned to Fortress Monroe and later went to White House Land- 
ing with transports containing rations for Sheridan's cavalry "when he came 
around Richmond." The Fortieth marched with him to Deep Bottom and 
from there went to the old camp at Chapin's Farm. " In a day or two came 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 201 

that grand Monday, when our men marched into Richmond, and helped to put 
out fires, and straighten out matters." The Fortieth was occupied in that 
city, remaining until it started for home. The members were mustered out 
June 16, 1865, at the expiration of three years of hard service faithfully 
and valiantly performed. 

There is no difficulty in reading much between the lines of even a scanty 
report like the above ; but, find what the imagination will, or add to the story 
as we may, the result will fall far short of the truth in showing the amount 
of labor and suffering which fell to the lot of our devoted soldiers in this 
war for the Union — a lot they accepted with a patience, a cheerfulness, a 
courage uurivaled. 

When our Attleborough "boys" of the Fortieth reached the town, the 
ladies of the East village were holding a festival. With what pleasure and 
pride they invited Compauy H into the hall and how generously they treated 
every member scarce needs to be told. Whatever our ladies undertake to do 
is well done, and when we remember what this joyful occasion was, we are 
sure fair hands heaped high the plates of refreshing ice-cream and culled 
the choicest flowers for those blue-coated veterans. These were the last 
decorations the old uniforms received, and to some we are sure they were 
dearer far than sleeve-band or shoulder-strap, for, as dainty fingers fastened 
those nosegays on the worn and faded coats, shy, bright eyes and smiling lips 
told the tale of other victories won and other prizes gained than those of the 
battlefield. There was never a true soldier, least of all an Attleborough 
soldier, who would hesitate in his decision regarding the personal value of 
these two rewards. Thus the story of Company H reaches its close. The 
"boys" are exchanging hearty greetings with old familiar friends in the old 
familiar place, one sorrow only mingling with the universal joy — the thought 
that many who went forth three years before did not return with their com- 
rades to join in the happy congratulations and to receive the gladsome 
"Welcome home." 

Among the incidents connected with the war, a veteran of Company I, 
Twenty-fourth Regiment, relates the following. He speaks of " a series of 
war-meetings," which were held in town when enthusiasm was roused to the 
highest pitch, when men burned to show their love for their country and 
threw themselves promptly "into the breach." At a meeting " held at the 
old town house soon after the attack on Fort Sumter, John Daggett, 
speaking from the platform, said: 'Who will be the first to enlist?' and 
John Cole responded." We cannot be proud of every step in the subsequent 
career of this our " first soldier," for he left his company, and many months 
later the veteran met him in Virginia in the employ of the government, hut 
as a wagoner, not a soldier, and under an assumed name. With the close 
of the war and the disbandment of the army came the governmental pardon 
for all neglect of duty ; so this incident may safely be referred to, and we 



202 A SKETCH OF THE 

may hear it with a smile as we recall the noble record of the great majority 
of our town's " boys in blue." 

Another veteran recalls the friendly feeling manifested all through the con- 
flict by both "the blues " and "the grays." He says: "There never was 
a war like that one. When fighting was over, if we had taken prisoners, we 
sat down and chatted with them, and when ration time came, we shared our 
meal with them, and it was so on the other side among the ordinary soldiers 
if they had any rations to give us." Foes to the death at the word of com- 
mand, they were brothers again when bayonets were stacked. 

One after another the bitter memories of those days of strife are passing 

away, and the people remember only the common " land of the fathers." 

The magazines and papers of to-day are full of reminiscences of those 

times, and interesting relics are coming to light, some of which have been 

brought to our town. One of these has recently been returned to Major 

F. S. Morton in a very pleasant manner. During the spring of 1864 while 

the Fifty-eighth Regiment — the Third Veteran — were in camp at Readville, 

Major Horton, then the captain of Company C, was presented with a sword 

and belt by his men. From camp the regiment went to join the Army of 

the Potomac at Bristow Station, commencing their active service in the 

"Battles of the Wilderness." The sword had been loaned to Sergeant Major 

Smith, and at the battle of Peeble's Farm, near Petersburg, he was killed 

while he was wearing it. Captain Horton was at that time wearing a sword 

belonging to the enemy, and it was on the afternoon of the day of that same 

battle that he was made a prisoner. He heard nothing further of the sword 

until November, 1886, when a letter was received by Commander D. R. Pierce, 

of John A. Andrew Post No. 15, of Boston, from Surgeon N. M. Ferebee, 

U. S. Navy, relating to it. Commander Pierce wrote to Colonel John C. 

Whiton. a former commander of the Fifty-eighth, now superintendent at 

Deer Island, and through him the fact of Major Horton's existence, etc., 

was made known to Mr. Ferebee. The inscription on the sword reads : 

"Presented to Captain E. S. Horton by the members of Company C, 58th 

Reg. Mass. Vol" Its restoration after twenty-two years had elapsed adds 

a thousandfold to its value and to its interest in the eyes of the generations 

to come. One of the most pleasing features of the entire occurrence is the 

letter which announced its return : — 

Oxford, N. C. Nov. 30, 1886. 
Col. E. S. Horton. Attleboro', Mass. 

Dear Sir: I send by express today the sword and belt of which I have written. I regret 
that I am unable to give yon any history of the sword. My father was Colonel of the 4th 
N. C. C'av., <'. S. A. I have beard him say that it, the sword, came into his possession at some 
fight near the end of the war. The sword would have been returned before but for my 
father's bad health. He died during my absence in China, and on my return 1 found the sword 
with a request that I would return it. It gives me great pleasure to do so, and should the 
occasion ever arise your sword and hi- will be found side by side, with the points towards the 
common enemies of our common country. Please notify me of the receipt of the sword. 

Very truly yours, 

N. M. Fekebee. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 203 

The publication of the story of the sword led to Major Horton being made 
the recipient of another war relic. This is a soldier's cup, on which are 
roughly carved several letters, " 4 N. C," and below these two others,- one 
"W." and the other apparently "I." Mr. Horton received it from Mr. 
Fred. A. Fry, of Providence, with the following letter: — 

You c;in send the cup to the parties that sent you the sword. As near as T can remember 
the 'iiii was given to one of the Pennsylvania Bucktail Keg. by one of the Fourth X. E. Reg. 
when he was dying, for kindness shown him. It was given to me by the Penn. soldier, in 
Fairfax Seminary Hospital, for favors I had shown him. If the N. C. regi. have a relic room, 
it may go to them, if not, you can keep it to remember that the hatchet has been buried. 

The two grandest scenes of the closing of the war were witnessed and 
participated in by some of the Attleborough " boys." One of the members 
of Company I, Twenty-fourth Regiment, has most graphically described the 
sights he witnessed as he stood one day on the Square in Richmond aud saw 
the Army of the Potomac and Sherman's Army pass through with all the 
accoutrements and paraphernalia of war. Artillery with shattered gun 
carriages and roughly mended harnesses ; infantry with lustreless bayonets, 
torn garments, and knapsacks bursting with their hurriedly packed contents ; 
cavalry with mud-splashed uniforms and dirt-begrimed horses ; blood-stained 
stretchers, ambulance wagons, supply carts with cooking utensils, bummers 
loaded with the varied results of their raids, and the "motley crew" ever 
hanging on the outskirts of an army — all passed before his eyes, as they 
came from the long march or the battlefield, "showing what war really is." 
Carried along with this heterogeneous, slow-moving mass w T ere the bullet- 
riddled flags and tattered eusigus that told of bloody tights and terrible 
death struggles ; but, borne aloft as they were that day, they told too of the 
cessation of strife and announced the joyful tidings of victory. 

A few days later, and these same battalions with burnished arms and 
freshened uniforms, lacking all the homely necessities of camp and field, 
marched proudly and jubilantly, a hundred thousand men, through the streets 
of Washington, saluting their commanders for the last time ere they put 
aside the duties of soldiers and dispersed to their homes to assume again the 
wonted and more congenial occupations of quiet citizens. 

What we have been able to relate forms only "fugitive sketches" of out- 
military work, but, unsatisfactory as both the sketches and the town records 
are, taken together they prove even to a superficial reader that Attleborough, 
through citizens and soldiers, acted well her part in the War of the Rebellion. 

Our record during the Civil War may be placed by the side of our proud 
record of the Revolutionary War as an equally worthy one. We are justi- 
fied in cherishing aud expressing feelings of pride in the deeds of our town 
fathers in both the former and the latter days, and we should possess the 
deepest sense of gratitude to them for the noble services they performed in 
the purchase of our twice dearly bought liberties. 



204 A SKETCH OF THE 



CHAPTER VIII. 



SOLDIERS OK THE CIVIL WAR. 

THE following list of Attleborough men who served during the war. with 
facts of a certain kind relating to them as far as these could be ascer- 
tained, is taken from the record belonging to Major Everett K. Horton. This 
record was prepared especially for him at the cost of much time and money 
and is doubtless the only one of the kind in existence. All the readers of 
this book are greatly indebted to him for this valuable result of his interest 
in the soldiers of our town, for without it neither the author nor the editor 
would have been able to present here anything like a correct or complete list 
of their names or a collection of facts such as follow. 

SEVENTH REGIMENT MASSACHUSETTS VOLUNTEERS. COMPANY I. 

JohnF. Ashley. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Captain. Resigned August 1, 1861. 

Alden II. Albro. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Corporal. Discharged June 27, 
1864. at expiration of service. 

Harlan P. Bliss. Mustered into service June 15. 1861. Discharged June 27. 1864, at 
expiration of service. First Serjeant. 

V\'illiam W. Bishop. Mustered into service June L5, 1861. Discharged August 15, 1861, 
for disability. 

Samuel P. Bliss. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged June 27. 1864, at 
expiration of service. 

JOSEPH E. Blandin'G. Mustered into service June 15,1861. Died of wounds September 
12. 1862. 

Charles W. Bragg. Mustered into service June 15. 1861. Discharged June 27, 1864, at 
expiration of service. 

Joseph H. Burlingame. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Musician. Discharged 
June 27. lsi;4. at expiration of service. 

WILLIAM F. CARPENTER. Mustered into service June 15. 1861. Corporal. Discharged 
June 27. 1864, at expiration of service. 

ALBERT F. Claflin. Mustered into service June 15. 1861. Corporal. Discharged June 
27, 1864, at expiration of service. 

George A. Christy. Mustered into service August 24, 1861. Discharged November 16, 
1863, by order of the War Department to enter the Navy. 

Benry N. Cobb. Mustered into service June 15. 1861. Discharged June 27, 1864. at expi- 
ration of service. 

Henry W. < '<>le. Mustered into service. June 15, 1861. I >ischarged ( >ctober 15, 18G2, from 
disability caused by a wound in the leg. received in the battle of Fair Oaks. Reenlisted Feb- 
ruary 4, 1864, in Seventh Rhode Island Cavalry. Company F. Discharged November 29, 1865. 
Sergeant. 

John Coll. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Deserted October 10, 1862. Entered the 
service of the government under another name. Subsequently reenlisted in the navy. 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 205 

William A. Cole. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged March 4, 1S63. from 

disability. 
Alexander Corey. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Transferred February 15, 1864, 

to the V. R. C. 1 

Oscar B. Cummings. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged June 27, 1864, at 
expiration of service. Died February 10, 1866. Buried in Old Kirk Yard. 

Charles B. Des Jardixs. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Commissioned Second 
Lieutenant July 15. 1861; First Lieutenant September 1, 1861. 

Edward X. Dean. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. In 1862 Sergeant Major; Novem- 
ber 1, 1862, commissioned Second Lieutenant; December 7, 1862, First Lieutenant. Discharged 
June 27, 1864, at expiration of service. Died October 24. 1873. Buried at Woodlawn 
Cemetery. 

James M. Day. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Wagoner. Discharged June 27, 
1864, at expiration of service. 

Benjamin F. Davenport. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged August 5, 
1861, from disability. 

Henry P. Davenport. Mustered into service June 15,1861. Died February 22,1862, at 
Camp Brightwood, District of Columbia. 

James Day, Jr. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged June 27, 1.864, at expi- 
ration of service. 

David S. Dean. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Service expired March 26, 1865, 
when he was exchanged prisoner of war. 

William 1'. Donnell. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged February 17. 
1863, from disability. 

John B. DORAN. Mustered into service June 15. 1861. Discharged June 27, 1864, at expi- 
ration of service. 

Halsey W. Draper. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged March 18. 1862, 
from disability. 

Lowell A. Drake. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged September 10. 1862. 
from disability. 

Henry G. Dunbar. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged June 27. 1864, at 
expiration of service. 

William E. Dunham. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged September 26, 
1863, from disability. 

Nathaniel Emerson. Mustered into service June 15. 1861. Discharged June 27, 1864. a1 
expiration of service. 

William W. Fisher. Mustered into service June 15. 1861. Commissioned First Lieuten- 
ant. Resigned August 3, 1861. 

Andrew Farrell. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged June 27, 1864, at 
expiration of service. 

Charles E. Fisher. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged June 27, 1804, at 
expiration of service. 2 

Ezra A. Fisher. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged February 18, 1862, 
from disability. 

Lawrence Flanagan. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Deserted April 29, 1864. 

George H. Follett. Mustered into service June 15. 1861. Discharged June 27. 1864. at 
expiration of service. 

Henry Fravvley. Mustered into service June 15. 1861. Discharged August 10, 1861. from 
disability. 

Herbert N. French. Mustered into service June 15. 1861. Discharged June 27. 1864, at 
expiration of service. 

Isaac F. Giles. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. First Sergeant. Commissioned 
Second Lieutenant May 8, 1863. Discharged June 27, 1S64, at expiration of service. 



1 Veteran Reserve Corps. - Died at Cheyenne, Wyoming, May 10,1889. Buried at Mount Hope 
Cemeterv. 



206 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

Gilbert A. Goff. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged August 5, 1861, from 
disability. 

Frederick Gottschalk. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged April 21. 1868, 
['nun disability. 

Henry Graff. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged June 27, 1864, at expira- 
tion of service. Died October 2G, 1884. Buried in the soldiers' lot in Woodlawn Cemetery. 

HENRY GREFIN. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Deserted April 27, 1864. 

Peter S. Grefin. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Deserted December 11, 1863. 

David E. Holman. .Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Commissioned Major of 
seventh Regiment. Resigned August 1, 1861. Died December 10, 1883. Buried in Old Kirk 
Yard. 

JOHN X. Hall. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. First Sergeant. Discharged June 
27. 1864, at expiration of service. 

William H. Hill. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Died of wounds May 7, 1864. 
Wilderness, Virginia. 

Henry I.. Mayward. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Corporal. Discharged June 
27, 1864, al expiration of service. 

ARTHUR C. Hall. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged September 13, 1861, 
from disability. 

Willard E. Hall. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Deserted November 3, 1862. 

George L. JlLLSON. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Corporal. Discharged June 
27, 1864. at expiration of .service. 

John Jack. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Deserted June 18, 1862. 

John E. Jewett. Mustered into service June 15, 1S61. Discharged June 27, 1864, at 
expiration of service. 

EDWARD C. Knapp. Mustered into service June l.">, 1861. Member of Seventh Regiment 
Band. Discharged October 17, 1861, from disability. 

William H. Kingsley. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged June 14, 1862, 
from disability. 

Alfred 1. Keats. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged June 27. 1864, at 
expiration of service. 

Ensign E. Kelley. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged October 15, 1862, 
from disability from a wound. 

Hermann G. Krahe. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Deserted December 11, 1862. 

Washington' B. Llufrio. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged August 22, 
1862. Mustered into service September 23, 1862, in Company C, Forty-seventh Regiment Mas- 
sachusetts Volunteers. Discharged September 1, 1863, at expiration of service. Subsequently 
died and was buried in Old Kirk Yard. In 1885 his body was removed to Woodlawn Cemetery. 

Bernard Loughlin. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Transferred June 1, 1863, 
to Veteran Reserve Corps. Died at North Attleborough, September 30, 1885. Buried at 
Plainville. 

Ezra Lyon. Mustered into service June 15, 1S61. Discharged March 27, 1863. Cause, 
insanity. 

John F. MaCKINSON. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Member of Seventh Regiment 
Band. Discharged August 11, 1862, by order of the War Department. 

James Mason. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged June 27, 18C4, at expira- 
tion of service. 

Joseph McManus. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged June 27, 18<i4. at 
expiration of service. 

Royal W. Moulton. Mustered into service June 15, 18(il. Discharged June 27, 1864, at 
expiration of service. 

Edward Nelson. Mustered into service June 15,1861. Discharged August 5. 1861, from 
disability. 

John E. Paige. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Transferred June 1, 1863, to Veteran 

Reserve Corps. 

John D. Peacock. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Killed May 5, 1864, Wilder- 
ness, Va. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 207 

Charles H. A. Percy. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Deserted October 10.1862. 
James N. Perry. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged January 24, 1864, to 

William Remlinger. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Died April 20, 1863, at 

Falmouth, Va. 
Andrew J. Richards. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged July 20, 1862, 

from disability. 
William A. Richardson. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Deserted September 

1, 1862. 
BAYLISS P. Richards. Mustered into service June 15, 1661. Sergeant. Died at David's 

Island. N. Y., October 4, 1862. 

George W. Rollins. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Corporal. Discharged June 
27, L864, at expiration of service. Died January 10, 1885. Buried at Attleborough. 

Stephen Stanley. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Member of Seventh Regiment 
Band. Discharged August 11, 1862, by order of the War Department. 

Dennis Shannon. Mustered into service June 15. 1861. Discharged October 27, 1862, 
from disability. 

John N. Smith. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged October 9, 1862, from 
disability. Died June 10, 1886. Buried by William A. Streeter Post at Woodlawn Cemetery. 

Artemas W. Stanley. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Died October 7, 1862, at 
Crancy Island, N. Y. 

Eben L. Sylvester. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged September 13, 1861, 

from disability. 

Abraham B. Savery. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. First Sergeant. Died of 
wounds December 16, 1863, at Brandy Station, Va. Buried in Old Kirk Yard. 

Charles W. Snell. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Sergeant. Discharged June 27, 
1864, at expiration of service. 

Thomas C Sweet. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Sergeant. Discharged June 27, 
1864, at expiration of service. 

Edward Seevy. Mustered into service June 15,1861. Corporal. Transferred September 
17, 1863. to Veteran Reserve Corps. 

Frank Stanley. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Musician. Discharged July 20, 
1862, from disability. 

James W. Thompson. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Quartermaster Sergeant in 
1861; commissioned Second Lieutenant December 7. 1862: First Lieutenant June 11, 1863. 
Discharged June 27, 1864, at expiration of service. 

Samuel Thompson. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Corporal. Discharged June 27. 
1864, at expiration of service. 

Charles F. Terrill. Mustered into service June 15, 1S61. Died of wounds December 13, 
1862, at Fredericksburg, Va. 

John J. Thayer. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged December 29, 1S63, 
from disability from wounds. 

Frank H. Tisdale. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged June 27. 1864, at 
expiration of service. 

James B. Tisdale. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Died of wounds May 11, 1863, at 
Washington, D. C. 

Prentiss M. Whiting. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. First Sergeant. Commis- 
sioned Second Lieutenant September 2, 1801; First Lieutenant July 21,1862; Captain Novem- 
ber 22,1862. Mortally wounded at Marye's Heights, Va., May 3, 1863. Died of his wounds 
May 4. 1863. 

William H. Wade. Mustered into service June 15,1861. First Sergeant. Commissioned 
Second Lieutenant October 25, 1862; First Lieutenant May 4, 1863. Discharged June 27, 
1864. at expiration of service. 

John F. Wilkinson. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Appointed Sergeant Major. 
Discharged June 27, 1864, at expiration of service. 
Henderson H. Watson. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged November 16, 



208 A SKETCH OF THE 

1863, by order of the War Department. Entered the Navy and served at Lexington on the 
Mississippi. 

John A. Whaley. Mustered into service June 15. 1861. Discharged October 7. 1863, from 
disability. 

Henry M. White. Mustered into service June 15, 1861. Discharged June 27. lsiit, at 
expiration of service. 

Albert G. Wilson. .Mustered into service August 27,1861. Discharged March 18, 1863, 
from disability. Died October 3, 1886. Buried at Plainville. 

GEORGE II. Willis. Mustered into service June 15, 1801. Died July 8, 1862, at North 
Bridgewater, Mass. 

Forty-Seventh Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, Company C. 

HENRY S. ADAMS. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Corporal. Discharged 
September 1. 1863, at expiration of service. Died December 16, 181)3. Buried at Woodlawn 
Cemetery. 

James H. Aldrich. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Discharged June 23, 1863, 
from disability. Has subsequently died. 

HENRY A. BURCHARD. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. First Serjeant. Dis- 
charged September 1, 1863, at expiration of service. Reenlisted February 4. 1864, in Company 
F, seventh Rhode Island Cavalry. Commissioned Second Lieutenant. Resigned August 10. 
1804. Died April 19, 1880. Buried at Medway, Mass. 

Samuel (J. Bassett. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Corporal. Died June 29, 
1863, at New Orleans, La. 

Thomas BOWEN. Mustered into service September 23, 1802. Discharged September 1, 
1863, at expiration of service. 

Davis A. BURCHARD. Mustered into service September 23, 1802. Discharged September 
1. 1st;-'!, at expiration of service. 

William Cakxes. Mustered into service September 23, 1802. Discharged September 1. 
1803, at expiration of service. 

A ii ah R. Chase. Mustered into service September 23. 1862. Discharged September 1, 
1863, at expiration of service. 1 

David Collar. Mustered into service September 23, 1802. Discharged September 1, 1863, 
at expiration of service. Mustered into service February 2, L864, in Company C, Fifty-eighth 
Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. Subsequently killed. 

Frank W. Cole. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Discharged September 1, 
1803. at expiration of service. Mustered into service February 20, isi!4, in Company C, Fifty- 
eighth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. Discharged June 1'.). 1865, by order of the War 
Department. First enlistment was May 26, 1862, in Tenth Rhode Island Light Lattery. Mus- 
tered out of service August 30, L862. Reenlisted in Massachusetts Infantry as above >een. 

LORING Cole. Mustered into service September 23,1862. Discharged September 1. 1863, 
at expiration of service. 2 

Frank S. Draper. Mustered into service September 23. 1862. Commissioned First Lieu- 
tenant. August 4. 1863, Captain Second Louisiana Native Guards. Died August 15, 1886. 
Buried in Mount Hope Cemetery. 

Orville L. Dary. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Discharged September 1, 
1863, at expiration of service. 

Benjamin F. Evans. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Discharged September 
I. 1863, at expiration of >ervice. 3 

Tisdale E. Fisher. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Discharged September 1, 
1863, at expiration of service. Has died and is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery. 

Henry Frawley. Mustered into service September 23, 1802. Discharged September 1. 
1863, at expiration of service. Mustered into service February 20, 1804, in Company ( , Fifty- 
eighth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. Discharged March 23, 1805, from disability. 



1 Died July, 1*93. Buried at Mount Hope Cemetery. - Died February 17, 1892. Buried at Wood- 
lawn. :; Died February 8, 1^90. Buried by G. A. R. Post, North Attleborougrh. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 209 

John H. Godfrey. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Sergeant. Dead. Buried 
Mount Hope Cemetery. 

Samuel N. Goff. Mustered into service September 23, 1S62. Discharged September 1, 
1863, at expiration of service. Dead. Buried at Mount Hope Cemetery. 

Michael Gorman. Mustered into service September 23. 1862. Discharged September 1, 
1863, at expiration of service. Reenlisted in Company C , Fifty-eighth Regiment Massachu- 
setts Volunteers. Killed at Petersburg, Va., in June, 1864. 

Charles Gourdier. Mustered into service September 23, 1S62. Discharged September 1, 
1863, at expiration of service. 

Edgar W. Guild. Mustered into service September 23,1862. Discharged September 1, 
1863. at expiration of service. 

Everett S. HORTON. Mustered into service September 23. 1862. Commissioned Second 
Lieutenant and Captain February 2, 1863. Discharged September 1, 1863, at expiration of serv- 
ice. Reenlisted November 14,1863, in Company C, Fifty-eighth Regiment Massachusetts 
Volunteers. Commissioned Second Lieutenant; February 10, 1864, Captain ; August 8, 1S64. 
Major: August 31, 1864. became Lieutenant-Colonel. Taken prisoner near Petersburg. Va.. 
September 30, 1864. Confined at Salisbury, Danville, and Libby, and paroled February 22, 
1865. Discharged .July 14, 1865, at expiration of service as Major. 

George Hartshorn. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Died July 14. 1863, at 
New Orleans, La. Buried near Camp Parapet. 

George H. Hattin. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Discharged November 20, 

1862, from disability. 

George S. Horton. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Discharged September 1. 

1863. at expiration of service. Died March 2. 1882. Buried in Old Kirk Yard. 

Chaf.les JaCKSON. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Discharged September 1, 
1863, at expiration of service. 

Georgk B. Jackson. Mustered into service September 23. 1862. Discharged September 1, 
1863, at expiration of service. Dead. Buried at Mount Hope Cemetery. 

Dexter S. Jordan. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Discharged September 1. 
1863. at expiration of service. Dead. Buried in Old Kirk Yard. 

James Kelley, Jr. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Discharged September 1, 
1863. at expiration of service. Mustered into service February 20, 1864, in Company C, Fifty- 
eighth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. Discharged May 31, 1865, from disability caused 
by a wound in the band. 

Bartholomew W. Llufimo. See Washington B. Llufrio, Company 1, Seventh Regiment. 

GEORGE H. Norton. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Discharged September 1, 
1863, at expiration of service. Mustered into service February 20. 1864, in Company C, Fifty- 
eighth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. Died September 9. 1864, at Andersonville. (.a. 

William A. Nye. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Discharged September 1. 
1863. at expiration of service. 

William Oconnor. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Died November 30, 1892. 
Buried in St. Mary's Cemetery, Falls Village. 

Edvvahd D. Parmenter. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Discharged Septem- 
ber 1. 1863, at expiration of service. 

Horatio N. Perry. Mustered into service September 23. 1862. Discharged September 1, 
1863, at expiration of service. 

Eugene C. Pike. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Discharged September 1. 
1863, at expiration of service. 

George R. Read. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Discharged September 1, 
1863, at expiration of service. 

Lemuel T. Starkey. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Commissioned Captain. 
Resigned January 27, 1863, at New Orleans, La. 

Thomas G. Sandland. Mustered into service September 23, 1802. December 6, 1862, 
detailed on extra duty in Quartermaster Department in Banks' Expedition, by order of Briga- 
dier-General G. L. Andrews. Rejoined his company August 18. 1863. Discharged September 
1, 1863, at expiration of service. 



210 -I SKETCH OF THE 

Edwin G. Shepardson. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Discharged Septem- 
ber 1. 1863, at expiration of service. Dead. Buried at Mount Hope Cemetery. 

John J. Solomon. Mustered into service September 23, 1802. Discharged September 1, 
1863, ;ii expiration of service. 

Amos C. staxton. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Dischargedat New Orleans, 
La., in August, L863, from disability. 

William X. Stone. Mustered into service September 23, is<;2. Discharged September l, 
1S(;::. :L | expiration of service. 

EPHRAIM II. Tappan. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Discharged September 
1. lsc,:;, at expiration of service. 

EtOSCOE I.. Ticker. Mustered into service September 23, 1802. Discharged September 1, 
L863, at expiration of service. Dead. Buried in Old Kirk Yard. 

LORENZO .1. Thayer. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Died at Cleveland. Ohio, 
August 16. 1863. His body was sent home at the expense of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Thacher, of 
that city, the former a native of this town. Buried in the cemetery in Rehoboth, near the 
church at Briggsville. 

AUGUSTUS D. Yarran. Mustered into service September 23, 1862. Dead. 

Fifty-eighth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. 

< OMPANY C. 

Sanford B. Adams. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. Discharged July 14, 1S(!5. 
at expiration of service. 

Christopher Ballouf. Mustered into service February 20. 1864. Died May 10. 1864, at 
Washington, D. C. 

Charles H. Brothertox. Mustered into service February 20. 1864. Missing September 
30, 1S64. 

James A. Ballou. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. Musician. Discharged July 
14, 1865, at expiration of service. 

David Collar. See Forty-seventh Regiment. 

Frank W. Cole. See Forty-seventh Regiment. 

Elijah T. Callan. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. Discharged July 14, I860, 
at expiration of service. 

Hugh Carney. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. Discharged August 10. 1865. 
from disability. 

MARSHALL J. Chaffee. Mustered into service February 20. 1864. Discharged July 14, 
1865, at expiration of service. 

William Chapman. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. Discharged July 14, 1865, 
at expiration of service. 

ALBERT Coffin. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. Discharged July 14, 1865, at 
expiration of service. Dead. 

John G. Coxly. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. Discharged July 14, 1865, at 
expiration of service. 

Jeffrey G. Davis. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. Sergeant. Died February 
25, 1865, prisoner of war at Danville, Ya. 

Adolph De Coupee. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. Deserted April 29, 1S64. 

Henry Frawley. See Forty-seventh Regiment. 

Michael GORMAN. See Forty-seventh Regiment. 

Lemuel Gay. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. Discharged May 25, 1865. by order 
of the War Department. Prisoner of war, confined at Salisbury, N. C. ; paroled and returned 
home, and partially regained his health. He was guidon-bearer. When captured, secreted his 
tlag and brought it home. This flag is now in possession of William A. Streeter Post, 145, G. 
A. R. Mr. Gay died May 6, 1877, and was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery. 

Teter Gormley. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. Killed July 30, 1864, at Peters- 
burg. Ya. 

Henry C. GROSS. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. Discharged May 22, 1865, by 
order of the War Department. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUdll. 211 

Everett S. Horton. See Forty-seventh Regiment. 

( ii \i:li s Hackett. Mustered into service February 20.1864. Transferred March 15, 1865. 
to Veteran Reserve Corps. 

PATRICK Holland. Mustered into service February -JO. 1864. Discharged July 14, 1865, at 
expiration of service. 

Welcome A. IRONS. Mustered into service February 20, 18G4. Discharged June 2fi. 1805. 
by order of the War Department. 

Charles H. Johnson. Mustered into service February 10. 18«4. Second Lieutenant. 
Commissioned First Lieutenant. March 8. 18(54; Captain, August 8, 1804. Made prisoner of 
war September 30, 1864. Died of wounds October 27.1864. at Petersburg, Va. Buried in a 
scboolhoiise yard in that city. 

Daniel L*. Johnson. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. Sergeant. Commissioned 
.Second Lieutenant, Augusts, 1804; First Lieutenant, November 1, 1804. Discharged July 14, 
1805. at expiration of service. 

James Kelley, Jr. See Forty-seventh Regiment. 

Turner Kennedy. Mustered into service February 20, 1804. Discharged —absent 
wounded — July 14. 1805, at expiration of service. 

Otis II. Knapp. Mustered into service February 20, 1804. Dead. 

James B. Knight. Mustered into serviee February 20, 1864. Discharged July 14. 1S65, at 
expiration of service. 

Benjamin Lewis. Mustered into service February 20. 1804. Discharged July 14. 1805, at 
expiration of service. 

George H. Norton. See Forty-seventh Regiment. 

Charles Niles. Mustered into service February 20. 1864. Discharged July 14. 1865. at 
expiration of service, prisoner. 

GEORGE O. Peck. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. First Sergeant. Discharged 
June :;, 1865, by order of the War Department. 

George R. Pierce. Mustered into service February 20. 1804. Discharged July 14, 1805, 
at expiration of service. 

George Smith. Mustered into service February 20, 1S04. Discharged July 14, 1865, at 
expiration of service. 

George TourtellOTTE. Mustered into service February 20. 1S64. Discharged July 14, 
1865, at expiration of service. 

HORACE N. Whitney. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. Corporal. Discharged 
July 14, 1865, at expiration of service. 

Herbert E. Whipple. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. Discharged May 22, 
1865, by order of the War Department. 

Henry Williams. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. Deserted in March. Is64. 

( '< >mpany D. 
Deane Nickerson. Mustered into service March 1. 1S64. Died prisoner of war at 
Danville, Va., January 23, 1865. 

Company E. 
Robert Hall. Mustered into service March 1. 1864. Discharged — as absent — July 14. 
1865, at expiration of service. Lost a leg at the battle of Cold Harbor, Va. Dead. 
James Y. Williams. Mustered into service March 1. 1864. Deserted April 1. lsii4. 

Company G. 

Asa Aldrich. Mustered into service March 26. 1*64. Died June 20. 1864, at City 
Point, Va. 

William A. Hattin. Mustered into service March 26. 1804. Discharged June 16, 1865, 
by order of the War Department. Dead. 

Charles Hoyle. Mustered into service March 26, 1864. Transferred February 21, 1865. 
to Veteran Reserve Corps. 

Edgar A. Morse. Mustered into service February 20, 1864. Musician. Discharged July 
14, 1865, at expiration of service. 



212 A SKETCH OF THE 

John II. Place. Mustered into service April 20, 1864. Discharged— absent sick— July 
14, 1865, at expiration of service. 

Company H. 

GEORGE W. Ellis. Mustered into service April 18, 1864. Discharged July 14, 1865, at 
expiration of service. 

Amos \V. FARNSWORTH. Mustered into service April 18,1864. Wounded in the eyes at 
Petersburg, Va. Placed in hospital at Washington, D. C. Discharged .May 18, 1865, by order 
of the War Department. 

Charles E. Farrar. Mustered into service April 28, L864. Died March 12, 1865, at 
Danville, Va. 

Company I. 

John BARKER. Mustered into service May 13. 1864. Died of wounds at Petersburg, Va., 
June 27, 1864. 

Company K. 

Allen L. Potter. Mustered into service May 3, 1864. Deserted June 25, 1865. 

Fortieth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. 
Company H. 

Charles H. Briggs. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Corporal. Commissioned 
Second Lieutenant August 26, 1863; First Lieutenant June 4. 1864: Captain February 18,1865. 
Discharged June 16, 1865, at expiration of service. 

Everett B. Bliss. Mustered into service September 1,1862. Corporal. Discharged June 
Hi, 1865, at expiration of service. 

Albert F. Briggs. Mustered into service September 1. 1862. Wagoner. Discharged 
September 22, 1863, from disability. 

George W. BALCOM. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Transferred September 1, 
1863,, to Veteran Reserve Corps. 

Perry A. Ballou. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Discharged May 26, L865, 
by order of the War Department. 

Julius II. Blake. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Discharged February 23, 
1863, from disability. 

William A. Bradford. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Transferred December 
15, 1864, to Veteran Reserve Corps. Dead. Buried at Woodlawn Cemetery. 

JOHN D. BULLOCK. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Discharged June 16, L865, 
at expiration of service. Dead. Buried at Attleborough. 

Lurad II. CHADWICK. Mustered into service September 1. 1862. First Sergeant. Made 
Second Lieutenant May 29, 1865. Discharged June 16, 1865, at expiration of service as First 
Sergeant. 

Frank E. Capron. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Discharged June 21. 1865, 
from disability caused by a wound in the knee. 

John C. Cummings. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Corporal. Prisoner of 
war at Andersonville and Florence. Discharged June 16, 1865. at expiration of service. 

EDWIN L. CRANDALL. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Corporal. Discharged 
July 16, ism. fromj disability. Died March 12. 1887, at Pasadena, Cal. Buried in Attle- 
borough. 

CHARLES E. Clapp. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Died December."), 1863, at 
Folly Island, S. C 

J amis DEVINE. Mustered into service September 1,1862. Discharged January 27, 1863, 

from disability. 1 

Francis DORAN. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Discharged June 0, 1863, by 
order of the War Department. 

Joseph Edgar. Mustered into service September 1. 1862. Transferred August 1, 1863. 
to Veteran Reserve < lorps. 



i Dead. Buried at South Attleborough. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 213 

Charles L. Fuller. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Sergeant. Discharged 
June 16, 1865, at expiration of service. 

Jacob Goetler. Mustered into service September 1,1862. Discharged June 16, 1865, at 
expiration of service. 

Edwin J. Hortox. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Sergeant. Detailed in Com- 
missary Department. Discharged June 16, 1865, at expiration of service. Lost on steamer 
Narragansett, June, 1880. Buried at Woodlawu Cemetery. 

Robert E. Harris. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Discharged June 16, 1865, 
at expiration of service. 

Albert W. Hattin. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Discharged December 6, 
1862, from disability. Dead. Buried in St. Mary's Cemetery. 

Henry W. Hodges. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Discharged June 7, 1865, 
from disability. 

Lloyd B. Hodges. Mustered into service September 1, 1S62. Discharged June 9, 1865, 
by order of the War Department. 

George W. Horton. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Discharged June 29, 1865, 
by order of the War Department. Prisoner of war at Florence. 

Isaac X. Johnson. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Discharged May 18, 1865, by 
order of the War Department. 

Homer Metcalf. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. First Sergeant. Died at New 
York January 22. 1864. 

Samuel A. Newcojib. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Died at Folly Island, 
S. C, November 30, 1863. 

Nicholas Nerney. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Transferred September 1, 
1S63, to Veteran Reserve Corps. Discharged June 30, 1865. 

WESNER Park. Mustered into service August 15,1862. Commissioned First Lieutenant; 
Captain June 2, 1863. Discharged June 16, 1865, at expiration of service. 

Edwin R. Paine. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Sergeant. Discharged July 
15, 1864, from disability. Died at Pawtucket, R. I. 

Henry M. Park. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Corporal. Died of wounds at 
Bermuda Hundred June 6, 1864. 

Lester A. Perkins. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Killed June 3, 1864, at Cold 
Harbor, Va. 

Eugene H. Richards. Mustered into service August 15, 1862. Commissioned Second 
Lieutenant. Made First Lieutenant June 2, 1863. Resigned as Second Lieutenant July 5, 
1863. 

Edgar A. Richardson. Mustered into service September 1. 1S62. Discharged June 24, 
1865, by order of the War Department. Dead. Buried at Mount Hope Cemetery. 

William II. Rogers. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Discharged June 16, 1865, 
at expiration of service. 

Gershom R. Rounds. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Discharged September 10, 

1864, from disability. 

William H. Smith. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Discharged June 13, 1865, 
by order of War Department. Wounded at Cold Harbor, June 3, 1864. 

John F. Stricter. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Commissioned First Lieu- 
tenant December 1, 1864. Discharged June 16, 1865, at expiration of service as Brevet- 
Captain. 

Henry A. Streeter. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Sergeant. Commissioned 
First Lieutenant September 7, 1864. Discharged June 16, 1865, at expiration of service. 

Job B. Savery. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Sergeant. Discharged June 16, 

1865, at expiration of service. Died October 3, 1886. Buried by William A. Streeter Post at 
Woodlawn Cemetery. 

John Slater. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Corporal. Discharged June 16, 
1865, at expiration of service. 

James Short. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Discharged June 16, 1865, at expi- 
ration of service. Wounded in the hand at Cold Harbor, Va., June 3, 1863. 



214 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

Gideon C. Slade. Mustered into service January 12. 1864. Killed May 20. 1864, al Ber- 
muda Hundred, Va. 
Willard E. Slade. Mustered into service September I. 1862. Discharged June 16, 1865, 

:il expiration of service. 

( . i: wvii.i.i: S. Smith. Mustered into service September I, 1862. Discharged June 16, L865, 
at expiration of service. 

Augustus A. Starkey. Mustered into service September 1. 1862. Discharged June 16, 
1865, al expiration of service. ( By order of War Department.) 1 

Abiathar II. Thayek. Mustered into service September 1,1862. Died of wounds June 
8, 1864, at < ihesapeake Hospital. 

Abijah T. Wales. Mustered into service September l. 1862. Transferred December 24. 

1862, to Second Cavalry. Detailed as farrier. Discharged at cloud- Mills, Va., June 22. 1865, 
at expiration of service, 

Ellioti M. Wallace. Mustered into service September 1. 1862. Transferred April 10, 

1864, to Veteran Reserve Corps. Dead. Buried at Woodlawn Cemetery. 

Charles H. Weaver. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Discharged Augusl 18, 
1m;::. from disability. 

Otis White. Mustered into service September 1,1802. Transferred May 31. 1864, to 
Veteran Reserve Corps. Discharged.* 2 

Silas J. Whitney. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Discharged January 27- 

1863, from disability. 

Charles F. Williams. Mustered into service September 1, 1862. Discharged June 6, 

1865, by older of the War Department. 

John 0. Wilmarth. Mustered into service September 1, 1802. Died May 23. 1804, at 
( Ihesapeake Hospital. Wounded at Bermuda Hundred, May 20. Buried in Old Kirk Yard. 

Twenty-sixth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. 
Company 0. 

Parandus BiMETUS. Mustered into service January 1, 1801. Discharged May 30, 180"). by 
order of the War Department. [Reenlisted from New Orleans, La., to the credit of Attle- 
borough.] 

Henry A. Blackinton. Mustered into service September 28,1801. Discharged Novem- 
ber 7. 18114. at expiration of service. 

John Brown. Mustered into service January 1, 1864. Deserted July 8, 1864. [Reenlisted 
from New Orleans. La., to the credit of Attleborough.] 

George W. BURT. Mustered into service May 0, 1804. Discharged August 26, 1805, at 
expiration of service. 

RUFUS W. COWDIN. Mustered into service January 1.1804. Corporal. Discharged August 
20. 1865, at expiration of service. [Reenlisted from 1'awtucket, R. I., to the credit of 
Attleborough] . 

William H. Cowdix. Mustered into service January 1, 1804. Corporal. Discharged 
Augusl 26, 1865, at expiration of service. (From Pawtucket.) 

Walter F. Cady. Mustered into service September 28, 1804. Discharged October 17. 1804, 
from disability. 

Francis Conli.n. Mustered into service January 1. ls04. Discharged August 20, 1865, at 
expiration of service. 

George W. Cowdix. Mustered into service January 1, ls04. Killed September 19. 1864, 
at Winchester, Va. (From Pawtucket.) 

Stephen A. Ferguson. Mustered into service October 4, 1861. Died at New Orleans, La., 
June 8, 1*62. 

George W. Giles. Mustered into service October 4, 1861. Discharged November 7, 1865, 
at expiration of service. 

Thomas J. Hood. Mustered into service January 1, 1864. Killed October 19, 1864, at Cedar 
Creek, Va. [He reenlisted in Pawtucket to the credit of Attleborough.] 



1 Died February 11, 1894. Buried in Old Kirk Yard. 2 Died August 10, 1890. Buried at Woodlawu. 



HISTORY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. 215 

Joseph S. Hunt. Mustered into service October 4, 1861. Transferred December 22, 1863, 
to Signal Corps. 

Alvin T. Joslin. Mustered into service ( (ctober 4, 1861. Discharged November V, 1861. at 
expiration of service. 

James Keexax. Mustered into service February 1, 1864. Discharged August 26, 1865, at 
expiration of service. [Reenlisted from Pawtucket, R. 1.] 

JOHN McGuire. Mustered into service January 1,1864. Discharged June 19, 1865, from 
disability. [Reenlisted from New Orleans, La.] 

THOMAS McKenna. Mustered into service March 24. 1S64. Discharged August 26. 1865, 
at expiration of service. [Reenlisted from Pawtucket. R. 1.] 

BARNEY McTague. Mustered into service January 1, 1N(!4. Discharged June 28, 1865, 
from disability. [Reenlisted from Pawtucket, R. I.] 

James O. Smith. Mustered into service January 1, 1864. Discharged August 26, 1^65, at 
expiration of service. [Reenlisted from Pawtucket, R. I.] 

Thomas SWETLAND. Mustered into service March 23. 1864. Discharged August 26, 1865, 
at expiration of service. 

Arthur W. Thornton. Mustered into service March 24, 1864, Deserted June 3, 1865. 

Company I. 

William Higgixs. Mustered into service September 1. ls<il. Discharged January 31. 1S<;4, 
to reenlist February 1, 1864, in the same company. Deserted July 11, 1864. 

Company K. 

Spalding H. Abbott. Mustered into service January 5, 1864. Corporal. Discharged 
August 26, 1865, at expiration of service. [Reenlisted from Pawtucket, R. I., to the credit 
of Attleborough.] 

Frank W. Stanton. Mustered into service September 14, 1861. Died October 28, 1862, at 
New Orleans, La. 

Twenty-fourth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. 

Company C. 

Edwin C. Bragg. Mustered into service September 14, 1861. Discharged January 3, 1864, 
to reenlist January 4. lsii4, in the same company. Lost April 28, 1865, on steamer General 
Lyon. 

Charles 1*. Dirk. Mustered into service September 16,1861. Discharged September 16, 
1864, at expiration of service. Reenlisted January 5, 1865, in Hancock's Veteran Reserve Corps. 
Mustered out January 4,1866. Died August 21, 1886. Buried at Mount Hope Cemetery by 
William A. Streeter Post. 

Altrieth LEONARD. Mustered into service September 12, 1861. Discharged October 16. 
1864, at expiration of service. 

Ernest Myer. Mustered into service September 12, 1861. Discharged September 15, 1863, 
from disability from wounds. 

James Sherman. Mustered into service September 16,1861. Transferred March 9, 1S64, 
to Veteran Reserve Corps. 

John THOMAS. Mustered into service September 9, 1861. Killed March 14, 1862, at New- 
berne, N. C. 

Jacob Weis. Mustered into service September 12, 1861. Discharged January 3, 1864, to 
reenlist January 4, 1864. Discharged January 20, 1866. at expiration of service. 

James C. Windsor. Mustered into service February 8, 1864. Discharged January 20, 1866, 
at expiration of service. 

De Witt C. Young. Mustered into service September 16, 1861. Discharged September 10, 
1864, at expiration of service. 

Company H. 

Edward E. Briggs. Mustered into service October 4, 1861. Discharged October 8, 1864, 
at expiration of service. 



216 A SKETCH OF THE 

George W. Clark. Mustered into Bervice October 28,1861. Killed August 16, l*«i4. at 
Deep Hun. Va. 

Charles P. Dean. Mustered into service October 19,1861. Discharged October 22. 1864. 
Wounded at Newberne, N. C, March 14. 1862.1 

ALBERT D. Di: an. Mustered into service ( (ctober 3, 1861. Made corporal August 22. 1802; 
sergeant August 16, 1864. Discharged < >ctober 8, 1864, at expiration of service. 

James J. Fields. Mustered into service October l. L861. Made corporal August 11,1863. 
Discharged January 3. ist;4, to reenlist January 4. 1864. Wounded at Deep Run, Va.. August 
l i. 1864. Discharged June 14, 1865. 

Richard FrELDS. Mustered into service October 4,1861. Died August 1, 1862, at New- 
berne, X. C. 

Benjamin F. Fisher. Mustered into service October 4, 1861. Discharged January 20, 1866, 
at expiration of service. 

Joel A. Fisher. Mustered into service October 2,1861. Discharged January 3. 1864, to 
reenlist January 4. 1864. .Made corporal August 11. 1863; sergeant October 1, 1804; tirst 
sergeant November I. 1865. Returned to the ranks by request November 15, 1.805. Discharged 
.January 20, 1866, at expiration of service. Died September 8, 1883. Buried at Woodlawn 
Cemetery. 

William F. Gardner. Mustered into service October 29. 1861. Discharged November 
1. 186 l. at expiration of service. 

William H. Golf. Mustered into service October 21,1861. Discharged January 3, 1864, 
to reenlist January 20, 1804. Made corporal September 2. 1864; sergeant March 1. 1865. 
Discharged January 20, 1866, at expiration of service. 

William C. McKlNLEY. Mustered into service October 8,1861. Discharged October 28, 
lsr,-j, from disability. 

David N. Mills. .Mustered into service February 8, 1804. Discharged January 20, I866j 
at expiration of service. 

Daniel II. Smith. Mustered into service October 7, 1861. Sergeant. Made tirst sergeant 
July 25, 1804. Discharged October 7. 1864. Wounded at Deep Bun, Va., August 10, 1804. 

William A. Streeter. Mustered into service October 1">, 1861. Discharged January 3, 
1864, to reenlist January 4, 1864. Made corporal September 8, 1863; sergeant May 1, 1864. 
Killed at Deep Bun, Va.. August 16, 1864. Buried in old Kirk Yard. Attleborough G. A. R. 
Post named for him. 

Thomas Thompson. Mustered into sen ice < tctober 21, 1861. Made corporal May 10. 1804. 
Discharged October 21, 1804, at expiration of service. Died July 3. 1884. Buried at Woodlawn 
Cemetery. 

Company I. 

LEONARD JOSLIN. Mustered into service September 25, isoi. Discharged January 1, 1804, 
to reenlist January 2, 1864. Discharged January 20. 1866, at expiration of service. 

Elijah B. Read. Mustered into service October 18, 1861. Discharged October 18, 1804. at 
expiration of service. Beenlisted. Discharged in January, 1866. 

Nathan II. Read. Mustered into service October is, 1861. Discharged October Is. 1864, 
at expiration of service. 

GEORGE V. WALLACE. Mustered into service October 18. 1801. Discharged January I, 
1864, to reenlist January 2. 1864. Discharged as corporal January 20, 1806, at expiration of 
ser\ ice. 

Eighteenth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. 

Company A. 

Ray T. Reynolds. Mustered into service September 5, 1861. Died July 10, 1862, at Balti- 
more, Mil. 



'Died April -'4, 1891. Burled by William A. Streeter Post at Woodlawn Cemetery. 



HIST OB Y OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 217 

Company B. 

Walter Keton. Mustered iuto .service August 24. 1861. Discharged December 31, 1862, 
from disability. 

Charles E. Ryonson. Mustered into service August 24. 1861. Discharged September 
2, 1804, at expiration of service. 

Company H. 

Charles O. Wallis. Mustered into service August 24, 1861. Discharged September 2. 

1864, at expiration of service. 

Company I. 

William A. Blake. .Mustered into service August 24. 1861. Discharged November 29, 
1862, from disability. 

Daniel K. Franklin. Mustered into service August 24. 1861. Discharged October 20, 
1861, from disability. 

Ephraim M. Knapp. Mustered into service August 24, 1861. Died October 27. 1861. 

Frank G. Smith. Mustered into service August 24, 1861. Killed at Bull Run, Va.. August 
30, 1862. 

Thirteenth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. 

Company C. 

Charles Hill. Mustered into service July 20, 1863. Deserted September IT. 1863. 

Company H. 

George Swartz. Mustered into service July 27, 1863. Discharged April 21, 1864. 
Adam Wolfe. Mustered into service July 24, 1863. Transferred July 14, 1SC4, to Thirty- 
ninth Infantry. 

Thirty-eighth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. 

( lOMPANY F. 

Lewis O. Hawkins. Mustered out of service June 13. 1865. Died July 15. 1885. Buried 
at YVoodlawn Cemetery by William A. Streeter Post. 

Enlistments in Artillery, Cavalry, and Navy. 

Reynold Arnold. Mustered into service September 4, 1864. in Company F, Second Massa- 
chusetts Heavy Artillery. Transferred January 17, 1865, to Seventeenth Infantry. 

Michael Sullivan. Mustered into service August 23. lsiif. in Company F. Heavy Artil- 
lery. Discharged June 26, 1865, at expiration of service. 

John Bragshaw. Mustered into service March 22. 1864, in Light Artillery. Deserted 
July 9, 1864. 

Third Massachusetts Cavalry. 

Company A. 

Vakanus S. Bailey. Mustered into service January 5, 1864. Discharged September 25, 

1865, at expiration of service. 

Company B. 

JOSEPH G. Hodgson. Mustered into service February 25, 1864. Discharged July 20, 1865, 
at expiration of service; then member of Company H. 

( lOMPANY C. 

Adam Debu. Mustered into service February 4, 1864. Deserted August 25, 1865. 

John Mitchell. Mustered into service January 4, isc,4. First sergeant. Discharged 
September 28, 18(15, at expiration of service. 

William Swift. Mustered into service January 6, 1864. Discharged September 28, 1865, 
at expiration of service. 



218 A SKETCH OF THE 

L'uMl'ANY 1>. 

Frank A. Richards. Mustered into service January 4, 1864. Discharged August L, 1865, 
at expiration of sen ice. 

Timothy a. Stanley. Mustered into service January l. 1864. Discharged September 
28, 1865, at expiration of service. 

Fourth Massachusetts Cavalry. 

( 'OMPANY G. 

John Fay. Mustered into service January 27. 1864. Discharged November 14. 1865, at 
expiration of service. 

Company H. 

Barney Mullan. Mustered into service February 8, 1864. Deserted September 11,1865. 

Fifth Massachusetts Cavalry. 
Company C. 

Philip Shields. Mustered into service January 29, L864. Died at Point Lookout. Md., 
September 12, 1864. 

Lewis Walker. Mustered into service January 29, 1864. Bugler. Discharged October 31, 
1865, at expiration of service. 

Company' F. 

William H. Johnson. Mustered into service June 8, 1864. Discharged October 31, 1865, 
at expiration of service. 

William Ransom. Mustered into service June 8, lsiil. Discharged October 31, 1865, at 
expiration of service. 

Navy*. 

George R. Adams. See Tenth Rhode Island Light Battery. 

A i.i 1 1 1 i: F. Briggs. Mustered into service July 27. L864. Assigned to gunboat Harvest 
Moon, which was destroyed by a torpedo. Discharged June 3, L865. Died May 9, L871. Buried 
at Woodlawn Cemetery. 

Frederick 1>. Bliss. Assigned to North Atlantic Squadron. Dead. 

William A. McDonald. Assigned to gunboat Sonoma in South Atlantic Squadron. Dis- 
charged at New York, June 25, L865. 

Manfred II. Weaver. Assigned to gunboat Galena in Gulf Squadron. Enlisted August 
27. L864. Discharged June L2, 1865. Died February 13, 1*77. 

Samuel Tytler Read. Promoted to be Major in Indiana detachment of cavalry. Com- 
missioned. Died at New Orleans, La. 

C. FRANK LUTHER. Enlisted October 7, LSG1, in Company C, Twenty-second Regiment 
Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (Henry Wilson's regiment). Discharged September 25, 
1862. Appointed Lieutenant of Corps d'Afrique November 12, 1863. Assigned to Tenth 
Infantry December 15. 1863. Appointed Aide-de-camp December 17, 1863. Appointed Adjutant 
Eighty-second United States Colored Infantry July 21. 1864. This regiment was designated 
Fifth United states Volunteers, Tenth Corps d'Afrique, and Eighty-second United States 
Colored Infantry. Mr. Luther was discharged December 19,1864. In ls7(i-77-7s served as 
Colonel and Assistant Adjutant-General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 

Charles F. Carpenter. .Sergeant in Company E, Twentieth Massachusetts Regiment. 
Wounded in face. Lost part of jaw. Died December 23. 1892. Buried in soldiers' lot at 
Woodlawn Cemetery. 

Enlistments in Rhode Island. 

First Regiment. Company D. 

Charles II. Bliss. Mustered into service May 2. 1861. Discharged August 2, 1861. 
Samuel G. Colwell. Mustered into service May 2. 1861. Discharged August 2, 1861. 
N. JUSTIN SMITH. Mustered into service at Washington, D. C, in April, 1861. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 219 

Company E. 

Henry C. Brown. Mustered into service May 2. 1861. Sergeant. Discharged August 2. 
1861. 

Company G. 

John S. BROWN, Mustered into service May 2, 1861. Discharged August 2, 1861. Re- 
enlisted December 14, 1861, in Company B, First Rhode Island Cavalry. Corporal-Sergeant. 
Killed in battle October 14. 1SU3. Buried in Old Kirk Yard. 

Second Rhode Island Regiment. 

Company A. 

Charles E. Crocker. Mustered into service July 8, 1863. Transferred on reorganization 
of regiment. Taken prisoner November 6, 1863. 

Company C. 

Daniel E. Adams. Mustered into service June 8, ls<il. Wounded at battle of Salem 
Heights May 3, 1863. Discharged June 17. 1864. 

George Hubbard. Mustered into service May 5, 1861. Wagoner. Discharged February 
28, 1862, on surgeon's certificate. 

Daniel L. Tucker. Mustered into service June 5,1861. Wounded slightly before Rich- 
mond June 25, 1862. Discharged December 30, 1862, on surgeon's certificate. 

James W. McKackney. Mustered into service May 5, 1861. Absent in Portsmouth Grove 
Hospital September 1, 1862. 

Company D. 

Charles E. Kent. Mustered out of service July 13, 1865. 

Charles S. Kuce. Mustered into service June 6, 1861. Wounded at Bull Run July 21, 
1861. Discharged June 17, 1864. 

Thomas Sheridan. Mustered into service October 31, 1863. At new organization July 13, 
1865, absent in hospital sick. 

Alvin T. Sunderland. Mustered into service October 31, 1863. Discharged at new 
organization July 13. 1865. 

Company G. 

Thomas Lambert. Mustered into service June 5, 1861. Wounded at Bull Run July 21, 
1861. Discharged March 24, 1862, on surgeon's certificate. 

Company H. 

Ansel L. Sweet. Mustered into service October 13, 1862. Corporal. Discharged July 29, 
1863. 

Fourth Rhode Island Regiment. 

Company G. 

William T. Thachek. Mustered into service August 15, 1862. Wounded. Served in 
Commissary Department. Died in Boston July 15. 1884. Buried in Old Kirk Yard. 

Company I. 

George Crocker. Mustered into service October 31, 1861. Discharged October 15, 1864. 
Darius I. Cole. Company I, Seventh Rhode Island. Killed at the battle of Spottsylvania 
Court House, Va., May 13, 1865. Sergeant and Second Lieutenant. 

Seventh Rhode Island Regiment. 

Company I). 

John Frawley. Mustered into service September <;, 1862. Discharged April 17, 1863, on 
surgeon's certificate. 



220 A SKETCH OF THE 

Company E. 

George H. Hartshorn. Mustered into service September 6, 1862. Transferred uuder 
new organization October 21, 1864. Discharged June 9, 1865. 

Eleventh Rhode Island Regiment. 

Company C. 

Rogeb I.. Lincoln. Mustered into service October 1, 1862. Discharged July 13, 1863. 
Eugene A. Mott. Mustered into service October 1, 1862. Discharged July 13. is<i3. 
Ei>\viN Perry. Mustered into service October 1, 1862. Discharged July 13, lsi;:;. 

Twelfth Rhode Island Regiment. 

Company K. 

William F. Field. Mustered into service October 13, 1862. Wounded at Fredericksburg, 
Va., December 13, 1862. Discharged July 21). 1863. 

Third Rhode Island Artillery. 

Company A. 

Thomas CORCORAN. Mustered into service February IT, 1*02. Reenlisted March 21, ls(>4. 

( oMl'ANV C. 

Edward E. Carpenter. Mustered into service October 5, 1861. First Sergeant. 
Reenlisted January 20, 1864, in Company G, First Rhode Island. Commissioned Second 
Lieutenant March 22, 1865, and First Lieutenant May 13, 1865. Discharged June 9. 1865, at 
expiration of service. 

Allen W. Guild. Mustered into service December 21, 1861. Taken prisoner on Eeawab 
Island, S. C, December 4, lsii3. Paroled. Discharged January 29, 1865. 

< OMI'ANY H. 

THOMAS C. Hibbekt. Mustered into service October 5, 1861. Corporal. Sergeant. Re- 
enlisted January 25, lsr>4. Transferred to Company B September 15, 1SU4. 

< lOMPANY L. 

Samuel Jackson. Mustered into service April 29, lsiil. Transferred to Company I) Feb- 
ruary 24. 1865. 

SAMUEL N. Knapp. Mustered into service February 14, 1862. Discharged February 2. 
1863, on surgeon's certificate. 

Com i -any M. 

Albert Atwood. Mustered into service March IT, 18(12. Reenlisted September 16, 1864. 
Transferred to Company D February 24, 1865. 

Fifth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery. 

Company A. 

Amos Eaton. Mustered into service December 16, 1861. Reenlisted January 4, 1864. 
Taken prisoner -May .">. 1864, at Croatan, X. C. Died in August. Isii4, at Andersonville, Ga. 

(OMI'ANY D. 

Charles C. Greene. Mustered into service; December Hi, 1861. Sergeant. Reenlisted 
January 2. 1864. Mustered out of service January 2ii, 1865. 

Charles H. Smith. Mustered into service December 16, 1861. Sergeant. Transferred to 
Company K March 2. 1863. Reenlisted .January 2. 1864. Discharged June 26, 1865. 



HISTORY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. '221 

Company E. 

William N. Brown. Mustered iuto service December 16, 1861. Mustered out November 
29, 1864. 

George W. French. Mustered iuto service December 16, 1861. Reenlisted January 5, 
1864. Mustered out of service June 20, 1865. 

Company F. 

Thomas Cassidy. Mustered into service May 27. 1862. Mustered out May 19, 1865. 

Michael Devine. Mustered into service May 27, 1862. Sergeant. Mustered out May 19, 
1865. 

John Reynolds. Mustered into service June 10, 1862. Mustered out June 10, 1865. 

Company H. 

Lawrence Flanagan. Mustered into service December 27, 1862. Sergeant. Transferred 
April 12, 1864, to Veteran Reserve Corps. 

First Rhode Island Light Artillery. 
Company A. 

Albert J. Jenckes. Mustered into service June 6, 1861. Transferred to Battery F 
October 3, 1861. 

ROBERT Laughlin. Mustered into service March 18, 1862. Discharged in November, 1862, 
on surgeon's certificate. 

( OMPANY I). 

Stephen AY. Ballou. Mustered into service September 4. 1861. Corporal. Mustered 
out September 3, ls<;4. 

Charles E. May. Date of enlistment or discharge not known. Musician. 

Frank M. Tucker. Mustered into service September 4. 1861. Corporal. Reenlisted 
January 31, 1N64. Sergeant. Commissioned Second Lieutenant June 12. 1865, for gallant and 
meritorious services during the war. Mustered out of service July 17. 1865. 

Company F. 

Charles H. Baker. Mustered into service October 29, 1861. Mustered out October 28, 
1864. 

First Rhode Island Light Batteuy. 

Allen W. BlackintON. Mustered into service May 2, 1861. Mustered out August 6, 1861. 
Jeremiah Fitzgerald. Mustered into service May 2, 1861. Mustered out August 6, 1861. 
William H. Walcott. Mustered into service May 2, 1S61. Honorably discharged June 
7, 1861, to accept a commission in Seventeenth Infantry Regular Army. 

Tenth Rhode Island Light Battery. 

GEORGE R. Adams. Mustered into service May 26, 1862. Discharged August 30, 1862. 
Reenlisted in navy. Assigned to gun-boat Sonoma in South Atlantic Squadron, flag-ship. 
Discharged June 25, 1865. 

Henry C. Bailey. Mustered into service May 26. 1862. Mustered out August 30, 1862. Re- 
enlisted February 4, 1864, in Company F, Seventh Rhode Island Cavalry. Sergeant. AVounded 
in the eye April 23, 1864, on Red River, La. Discharged September 5. 1864, on surgeon's 
certificate. 

William A. BRAGG. Mustered into service May 26. 1862. Discharged August 30, 1862. 

GIDEON M. HORTON. Mustered into service May 26, 1862. Mustered out August 30, 1862. 
Died at San Antonio, Texas, December 16. 1886. Buried at Woodlawn Cemetery. 

GEORGE P. Johnson. Mustered into service May 20, 1862. Mustered out August 30, 1862. 
Reenlisted, was on gun-boat Nipsic. Died at Anderson ville, Ga. 

John L. Remllnger. Mustered into service May 26, 1862. Corporal. Mustered out 
August 30, 1862. 



222 



A SKETCH OF THE 



Charles II. Starket. Mustered into service May 26, l s 'i2. Corporal. Discharged 
Augusl 30, L862. ( l>i<j<l in Boston.) 

LlNSCOMB C. WlNN. Mustered into service May 26, 1862. Corporal. Mustered out August 
30, 1862. 

Frank W. Cole. See Forty-seventh Massachusetts Regiment. 

First Rhode [sland Cavalry. 

Company G. 

Emmons l>. Guild. Mustered into service December 9, 1861. Prisoner of war at Rich- 
mond, Va., Andersonville, Ga., Savannah, Florence, Charleston, Willington, etc. Discharged 
April 1. 1865. 

( lOMPANY F. 

GEORGE L. PearCE. Mustered into service December 14, 1861. Discharged April 1. 1862 
on surgeon's certificate. 

Seventh Rhode Island cavalry. 

Company A. 

Jabkz S. Gay. Mustered into service June 24, 1862. Discharged September 26, 1862. 

< lOMPANY C 

James McKay. Mustered into service January 9, 1864. Corporal. Discharged November 
29, 1865. 

Company F. 

Ai.p.anus D. Clafltn. Mustered into service February 4. 1864. Corporal. Discharged 
November 20. lsi;5. 

Company M. 

John REYNOLDS. Mustered into service June 18, 1864. Deserted July 12, 1865. 
Michael Rogers. Mustered into service June is, 1S64. Deserted July 10, ~\^'4. 
Henry C. Bailey, see Tenth Rhode Island Light Battery. 
Henry A. Burchard. See Forty-seventh Massachusetts Regiment. 
Henry W. Cole. See Seventh Massachusetts Regiment. 

First Rhode Island Detached Militia. 

Company C. 

George L. Draper. Mustered into service May 2, 1861. Discharged August 2, 1861. 
Josiah W. Richardson. .Mustered into service May 2, 1861. Discharged August -2.1861. 

i I »MPANY D. 

Charles U. Jackson. Mustered int<> service May 2. 1861. Discharged August 2, 1861. 

Company E. 

Ira E. Miller. Mustered into service .May 2, 1861. Discharged August -J. 1861. 
( ii irles Smith. Mustered into service May 2. 1861. Discharged August 2, 1861. 
Henry C. Wickson. Mustered into service May 2, 1861. Discharged August 2, 1861. 

The following are the names of those soldiers who were obtained " at 
the front," and were there enlisted to the credit of the town to fill several 
quotas : — 



Ephraim Adams, 
Henry Bronkhurst, 

Julius Bacon, 
Thomas Callahan, 



John Aite, 
\V. C. Bramhill, 
John A. Bott. 
Morris Carey, 



William H. Anderson, 
John Barber, 
Ed. J. Bailey, 
James D. Cavins, 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 



223 



Francis P. Clark, 
Burton Cole, 
Michael Dillon, 
Thomas Eagan, 
Patrick Finnegan, 
Michael Gorman, 
John D. Hackman, 
Charles S. Hulse, 
John F. Kappel, 
Michael Keltz. 
Frederick W. Koring, 
Jacol) Laubenheiraer, 
Thomas Mathers, 
Edward McNaspey, 
Bernhardt Miller, 
Matthew Murphy, 
Christian Proezeller, 
George W. Steward. 
Thomas Tuffy, 



James W. Clark, 
George A. Crossman, 
John Doisey, 
Jacob Feathers, 
John W. Fitzpatrick, 
George Guderberlett, 
Henry Hoffman, 
William Irwin, 
Michael Keegan, 
Christian Kern, 
Theodore Kramer, 
James O. Lee, 
John McCallon, 
Adolph Metzer, 
Leonidas G. Mock, 
Thomas Murphy, 
William J. Sweeney, 
John Schlottman, 
Frederick Voss, 



Stephen R. Coffy, 
John Davit, 
John Dwyer, 
Samuel Ferguson, 
James Gorman, 
Henry Higgins, 
Thomas S. Hoover, 
Robert Jones, 
Edward Kelley, 
Bernhardt Klien. 
Oscar H. Lane, 
William H. Martin, 
Thomas McGovern, 
Thomas Mitchell, 
Victor Mott, 
Michael Newman, 
Charles Siedler, 
James Spengler, 
Henry Weiss. 



The above list is certainly a creditable one both in length and character. 
At the time of the war our town numbered some 7,000 or 8,000 inhabitants 
and, in round numbers, sent four hundred men to the field, a number of 
whom served more than once. Several families sent two members, and in 
four instances three members enlisted and served, in every case brothers. 
They were James W., Samuel, and Thomas Thompson ; Henry S., Daniel E., 
and George G. Adams ; Everett S., Edwin J., and Gideon M. Horton ; John 
F., Henry A., and William A. Streeter. Of this unusual fact we may be 
proud and of the further fact that all had an honorable record as soldiers. 
It adds further interest to record that these twelve men were neighbors, all 
of one village ; and the statement may still lie made that they are, as they 
were, from Attleborowjh, the places where they resided being still in that 
town . 

The following is a list of the men drafted for this town in Taunton, July 
16, 1863, and may be of interest to some. 



James McClatchy, 
William Holly, 
Robert H. Sherman, 
Randolph Knapp, 
Robert Laugh lin, 
William A. Knight, 
Patrick Larry, 
Gamaliel Draper, 
William H. Tiffany, 
Charles H. Ames, 
Charles H. Wood, 
David Knight, 
Eustis B. Ingraham, 
Frank B. Richards, 
Peter Boyce, 
John Dennis, 



Seneca Cole, 
William Worger, 
Horace D. Cutting, 
(ieorge P. Johnston, 
William II. Beebe, 
Edward A. Wilson. 
George Crocker, 
George A. Dean, 
George W. French, 
George E. Wallace, 
Reuben A. Dean, 
Frederick Dahl, 
William Walker, 
John F. Mackinson, 
William C. Brainard, 
Patrick Xally, 



John R. Blackinton, 
Arthur B. Carpenter, 
James J. Freeman, 
CM. Rhodes, 
Edward E. Honan, 
Thomas S. Wheelock, 
Augustus C. Hall, 
Charles H. Bushee, 
Sullivan Eaton, 
Edwin B. Thurber, 
Daniel Jacques, 
Dennis Murphy, 
John Doran, 
Raymond A. King, 
Thomas Bride, 
Charles Murray, 



224 



A SKETCH OF THE 



John Heckler, 
John Grefin, 
John Flaven, 
Thomas A. Cobb, 
Edward Laughlin, 
Calvin F. Braley, 
J. Shepard Richards, 
Brainard T. Bruce, 
Walter Ballou, 
Albert Fairbanks. 
.Martin V. Corey, 
Henry L. Joslin, 
George A. Sbepardson, 
Henrj ( Demens, 
Silas H. Manchester. 
Albert M. Everett. 
William M. Price, 
Russell B. Nye. 
Charles B. Des Jardins, 
Albert M. Simmon**, 
Moses Harding, 
Eben L. Sylvester, 
Lucius Z. Carpenter. 
William C. White, 



John Dooling, 
Charles M. Newell, 
Charles A. 1'. Coggeswell, 
Frank Fairbanks, 
David Jillson, 
Thomas S. Mann, 
Stephen Stanley , 
Frank L. Cummings, 
James Battersley, 
Humphrey Murphy, 
Joseph W. Perry, 
Joseph Clough, 
George Jillson, 
Benjamin S. Chapin, 
Silas F. Hall. 
Frank Bartosch, 
Charles W. Brockinton, 
Albert A. Sweet. 
David Killon, 
John L. Baker, 
Puiel Glidden, 
Albert D. Sadler, 
William W. Fisher, 
James D. Tucker, 

James H. Hand v. 



The following is a list of exemptions : — 



William P. Holly, 
Martin V. Corey, 
Stephen Stanley, 
Eben L. Sylvester, 
George A. Dean, 
John F. Mackinson, 
John Dooling, 
Slater I>. Herring, 
William H. Tiffany, 
Charles II. Ames, 
Jarvis W. Robinson, 
George A. Sbepardson, 
Moses Harding. 
Thomas A. Cobb, 
Frank Bartosch, 
Albert Ballou, 
James J. Free-man, 



Jarvis W. Robinson, 
Thomas Schotield, 
Albert Howard, 
Lyman X. Sayles, 
Nathaniel B. Maxey, 
George H. Draper, 
Warren W. Wheeler, 
James Handy. 
Noyes J. Smith, 
Lewi- A. Newell. 
Alfred Pierce, 
Thomas S. Snell, 
John L. Torrey, 
Gilbert Luther, 
Nicholas E. Gardner, 
William B. Hodges, 
Nelson Tinkham, 
slater Herring, 
Everett L. Sweet, 
Albert Ballou. 
Timothy Perry. 
I>. Sanrord Hall, 
Frank W. Davenport, 
George F. Green, 



Thomas S. Wheelock, 
Peter Bois. (No. 33) 
Franklin Cummings. 
J. Shepard Richards. 
John L. Torrey, 
Thomas M. Snell, 
I tennis .Murphy, 
Raymond K. King, 
Charles B. Des Jardins, 
Albert P. Fairbanks, 
John Dennis, 
Charles H. Wood. 
John Beckler, 
Nelson Tinkham. 
Randolph Knap p. 
George F. Green, 
Sullivan Eaton, 
William M. Price, Charles M. 



Noj es J. Smith. 
Henry W. Clemens, 
Albert M. Everett, 
D. Sanford Hall, 
Humphrey Murphy. 
John Doran, 
Augustus C. Hall, 
John Grefin, 
George W. French, 
Brainard T. Bruce, 
John R. Blackinton, 
George S. Barney. 
Charles H. Bushee, 
Edward Laughlin, 
Timothy Perry. 
Seneca Cole. 
Thomas S. Mann, 
Newell. 



The following is a list, us nearly correct as could be ascertained, of the 
pensioners in the town at the time of the division, with the amount paid to 
them monthly : — 



Charles White $3.00 

William II. Smith 4.00 

William A. Sturdy 4.00 

John Simms 4.00 

George W. Jeunison 4.00 



Charles S. Cummings ^Ki.OO 

Charles Carpenter 4.00 

Lurad H. Chadwick 2.00 

(tti> Williams 4.00 

James Baines 3.00 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROL'ulI. 



225 



Daniel L. Tucker 
George II. Thrashe 
Lloyd B. Hodges 
John L. Thayer . 
Ensign E. Kelly 
Thomas G. Hi n ton 
John A. Whalej 
Martin Berry . . 
Horace C. Brown 
William E. Dunham 
Thomas Pauzera 
John J. Rollins 
Herbert E. "Whipple 
Edwin Whitney , 
George H. T. Alfred 
Charles W. Brown 
Hiram L. I >anf orth 



2.00 Thomas R. Gay $3.00 

8.00 Jeremiah S. Rowe Is. 00 

2.00 Horace Miller 4.00 

8.00 Abbie R. Thayer 8.00 

4.00 Emeline Wilmarth? 8.00 

6.00 Hannah Webb 8.00 

•2.00 Lucy A. Jackson s.00 

4.00 Caroline E. Llufrio 8.00 

6.00 MaryO'Neil 8.00 

4.00 Mary A. Griffin 8.00 

s.00 Phebe T. Shepardson 8.00 

s.00 Mary Flanagan 8.00 

4.00 Ruth Burchard 8.00 

8.00 Fannie Clapp s.00 

2.00 William Field 8.00 

2.00 Frances A. Meserve 8.00 

0.00 Alfred Fiske 4.0o 

William Kingsley sii.ou 



NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH. 



Abel R. Block . . . 
Daniel Crotty . . . 
William H. Fisher . 
Benjamin F. Lincoln 
Perry A. Ballon . . 
Dexter B. Freeman . 
Walter Katon . . . 
Henry W. Stearns 
Helen M. Johnson 
Jane F. Williams 
Sarah Gilligan . . . 



80.00 
4.00 
4.00 
4.00 
2.00 

18.00 
4.00 
2.00 

20.00 
s.00 
s.00 



Dolly Thompson, lsl^! 



John G. Dorau $2.00 

Henry A. Blackiuton 5.00 

Eliza A. Clark s.00 

.Margaret Hattery 8.00 

Kesiah Hall 8.00 

Rebecca Clark 8.00 

Maria 8. Allen 8.00 

Walter G. Clark 4.00 

« VI ia Kent s.00 

Vernal Stanley s.00 

Silas G. Wood 3.00 

S8.00 



226 A SKETCH OF THE 



CHAPTER IX. 

CHURCHES AND THE MINISTRY. FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 

FOR almost fifty years the town constituted one parish, and was not 
divided until April 7, 1743. For several years after its incorpora- 
tion it was not able to support a preacher, owing to the small number of 
its inhabitants. Soon after the organization of the town affairs, however, 
steps were taken to obtain a pastor and arrangements made for a place of 
abode for him. Extracts from the records detailing to some extent the early 
proceedings relative to the first church and the settlement of the first minister 
will be acceptable to the present generation. 

March 6, 1704, the town ordered that twelve acres of land in the minister's 
lot should lie fenced in ; four acres w r ere to be broken up and a house built, 
twenty-six feet long, twenty-eight feet wide, and thirteen feet stud ; and 
there was to be a stack of three chimneys in the house, " with a Cellar under 
the bigest room," sixteen feet long and fourteen feet wide, and all to be com- 
pleted by the last day of March, 170(5. It would seem it was not completed 
until after the specified date, for on May 16, 170(5, it was voted that the 
money in the hands of the town officers should be used for nails, etc., for use 
on the minister's house. 

March 25, 1707. "The meeting then held was for the choosing of a 
learned orthodox minister of good conversation to dispense the word of God 
to us in Attleborough : voted to give Mr. Fiske a call to preach for us. 
Likewise a committee of nine was chosen to procure a minister to settle. It 
was likewise voted to empower the said committee to treat with the said Mr. 
Fiske as to his dispensing the word of (rod amongst us, and to settle him if 
lie may be obtained ; and if he may not, then any other minister that the town 
shall call, being approved by the neighboring ministers." 

May 20, 1707. " Voted to give Mr. More a call to preach amongst us, 
and to settle if he may be obtained." In June, 1707, it was voted "that 
Hezekiah Peck and Jonathan Fuller be a committee to see and get a petition 
written to the General Court for some help towards the maintenance of a 
minister." ' The sum of eighty pounds had been granted by the town 
November 22, 1705, towards building a minister's house, thirty-five pounds 



1 In 1710 the Mile ami Half was reannexed to this town, which restored fourteen families and 
enabled the people to support a preacher without other assistance. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOHOUGH. 227 

of which had been collected, and on July 2, 1707, the town voted that the 
remaining forty-five pounds should be levied and collected. 

June 15, 1708. " The meeting then held was for the choosing of an able 
and orthodox minister to serve us in the work of the ministry in this place. 
It was voted that the committee should treat with Mr. Wiswell to dispense the 
word of God to us if he may be obtained ; if not, then with Mr. Fisher, if he 
may be obtained ; if not, then with Mr. Hunt, if he may be obtained ; if not, 
then with Mr. Devotion, and if neither of them may be obtained, then they 
may treat with any other that shall be allowed of by the neighboring minis- 
ters, until they have settled one in Attleborough." l 

July 27, 1710. " Chose Mr. Ebenezer White for our minister, if he will 
stay with us, if not, then Mr. Myles." Mr. White, it appears, did not at 
this time accept the invitation to settle. He, however, preached for the people 
nearly a year. 

October 9, 1710, the town chose a committee to see to the finishing of the 
meetinghouse, and the 1st of "January next ensuing" was the time fixed 
for finishing it. " Voted to raise a tax of £00 as a fund for said work, £5 to 
be in money, and the rest in corn, rye, beef and pork, or in materials for the 
building." 

November 20, 1710. " Voted that the house which is built on the minis- 
terial lot should be given to the first minister that shall serve the town seven 
years in the office of a minister, and so living and dying amongst us, then to 
be his and his heirs forever." - 

October 1, 1711. At a meeting for the choice of an able, orthodox minis- 
ter "to dispense the word of God to us in Attleborough," the town chose 
Mr. Matthew Short for their minister. 

November 5, 1711. "Granted a tax of £25 towards paving Mr. Short; 
£10 in money and the other £15 in grain, pork, beef, butter, cheese at current 
price." 

March 18, 1711-12. " Voted to build a pew for the minister in the meet- 
ing house, and also agreed that Mrs. Short shall have the benefit and privilege 
of sitting in the same during her abode in Attleborough." 

Rev. Matthew Short accepted the call of the people and became the first 
settled minister in this town. He was the son of Henry Short, of Newbury. 
He was born March 14, 1688, and graduated at Harvard College in the class 
of 1707. He was quite a } T oung man when he came here, twenty-three 
years of age. He was chosen, as has been seen, October 1, 1711, and 
ordained November 12, 1712. Difficulties soon arose between him and his 



1 The inhabitants were so few, consisting of about sixteen families exclusive of the fourteen who 
hart been annexed to Kehoboth, that they were not able to afford a competent salary, which was 
probably the cause of their embarrassment in the settlement of a minister at first. 

2 The second settled minister acquired the property of this house and also the ministerial farm, as 
will subsequently appear, by having fulfilled the condition of the grant. 



228 A SKETCH OF THE 

people which, after many ineffectual attempts to reconcile them, finally 
resulted in his dismission. The trouble related to his salary ; the matter 
was compromised and he dismissed May 31, 1715. He continued in this 
town only about four years, having preached one year before his ordination. 

According to the articles of agreement made with Mr. Short December 
20, 1711, he was to have fifty pounds a year for the first six years, one third 
to be in money and " the other two thirds in grain, beef, pork, butter or 
cheese, any or either of them at current price." 1 At the seventh year his 
salary was to be raised to sixty pounds payable as above, and there to con- 
tinue until there should be one hundred families in town capable of paying 
public taxes, in the judgment of the selectmen for the time being, and then 
it was to be seventy pounds per annum. He was also to have the use of 
the ministerial house and lands so long as he should continue in his pastoral 
office. 

Mr. Short was married to Margaret Freeman, of this town, by .Justice 
Leonard, of Norton, December 27, 1711. They had two daughters while 
residing here, Anna and Judith. Of the previous or subsequent history of 
Mr. Short but little is known. He removed to Easton and became the first 
settled minister in that town, where he remained in harmony with his people 
till his death. He died in the year 1731, aged forty -three, leaving ten 
children, three sons and seven daughters. These were Matthew, Ebenezer, 
Glover, Anna, Judith, Margaret, Sarah, Elizabeth, Mary, and Lydia. Judith 

married Hunt ; Margaret, Tingley ; Sarah, Orcut ; Elizabeth, 

Noyes. It is said that Mr. Short " left a considerable real estate which 

was divided among his children." 2 

The first meetinghouse was built in 1710. At a town meeting February 
9, 1709-10, it was "voted to build a meeting house thirty feet square and 
sixteen feet between joints, and to set it upon a piece of land on the east 
side of the country road near to the house of Christopher Hall, and to get 
the timber for said house and to frame and raise it by the first of June next." 
This building was not, however, entirely completed until 1714. It was, 



1 These articles were then valued as follows : Indian corn, -is. 6d. per bushel : rye, 3s. 6d. per bushel ; 
pork, 3d. per lb.; beef, 2d. per lb.; butter, 6d. per lb.; and good new milk cheese, 4(1. per lb. The 
following emphatic receipt was found upon the records : — 

Attleboro' Feb. the 7th i:i! Received of Mr. Benjamin Crabtree, Constable, Thirtie and one 
pounds -ix shillings and eight pence in full of what he was ordered for to paj to me on the account 

of the town rate for the vear 1714. I Bay 

Received by me, 

Matthew Short. 

A^ this amount was more than the one-third money payment per year agreed upon, it would seem 
that the produce portion may have fallen off in proportion. Little more regarding this matter was 
found excepting that on the date upon which this receipt was given a committee of fourteen was 
chosen to confer with the church ami make an effort to heal the dissensions between the church ami 
Mr. Short, the cause of the troubles having been noticed. All such efforts seem, however, to have 
been unavailing. 

2 Some of these facts relating to Mr. Short are from information furnished by the late Hon. Ellis 
Ames, of Canton, Mass. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUfiH. 229 

according to the vote, thirty feet square and stood on the spot where the hall 
of the Agricultural Society formerly stood, this lot having been given to the 
town by Lieutenant Moses Read for public purposes. 

In October, 1711, the town gave the committee "full power to finish the 
meting-hous within and without, makeing of Dors Laying of a floore, 
makeing of seets, makeing of a pulpit and glazing of the windows, and all 
the finishing work except the galories." August, 1712, the committee was 
empowered " to finish said meeting-hous, with gallories or any other finishing 
work, and Likewise at the same time agreed with Joseph Ingraham to give 
him ten shillings for one year to Look after the meeting-hous, to sweep it 
and keep it clean." Four years later the price for this work had advanced to 
thirteen shillings per year. 

In 1715 a ministerial barn was built by order of the town. 

The second minister in town was Rev. Ebenezer White. He was chosen 
by the people July 18, 1715. August 27, 1716, "the town very unani- 
mously agreed four 1 pounds, and he himself to provide himself firewood, the 
one half in money and the other half in grain or beef or pork or butter or 
cheese all good and merchantable at current price with us. This to be 
annually." 

Mr. White was the son of James White, of Dorchester, Mass. He was 
born July 3, 1685, and baptized July 12. He graduated at Harvard Col- 
lege in 1704. He was ordained here October 17, 1716, having supplied 
the pulpit for some time previous to his settlement. He was minister of the 
town eleven years and remained here till his death, September 4, 1726. 
So far as appears, he gave general satisfaction. He married Abigail Paine 
and had several children — Hannah, who married Joseph Guild, November 
11, 1741 ; Martha, Edward, Experience, and Thankful, and two others who 
died infants. 

Besides his regular salary, Mr. White acquired a title to the ministerial 
farm and house, so called, by having remained the town minister the length 
of time required by the grant. 

At a meeting of the proprietors of the North Purchase, September 16, 
1707, it was unanimously voted " that the surveyors with the major part of 
the committee should forthwith lay out a hundred acres of land within said 
Purchase, which shall be the first settled minister's in Attleborough, that con- 
tinneth to be their minister for the space of seven years ; said land to be said 
minister's, and his heirs and assigns forever." — N. P. Bee. 2d Book, p. 3. 
Laid out and recorded 1st Book, p. 197-199. 

Several other grants and gifts have been made to the town for the use of 
the ministry. 



1 This sum is so small, the record must be erroneous. Probably the four should be forty, even then 
a smaller salary than was paid to the former minister. — Editor. 



231) .1 SKETCH OF THE 

The ministerial lot, which has been a subject of so much controversy iu 
modern days, was granted at an adjourned meeting of the proprietors held at 
Rehoboth June 29, 1685, in the words following: "'It was likewise voted 
and agreed upon (nemine contradicente,) that a hundred acres of land be 
forthwith laid out :it the Seven Mile River, where Rice Leonard's lot was. and 
as near adjacent as may be : which said hundred acres of land perpetually to 
be reserved for the Ministry." — Eehoboth Town Bee. 2d B. p. 48. Bounds 
recorded X. V. Bee. 1st 11. p. I'.U. Also see 2d Vol. p. 28. Ministerial lot 
laid out January 5, 1727-28. 

As before mentioned, the lot where the first meetinghouse stood was given 
by Lieutenant Moses Read. 

'•Oct. 16. 1712. Laid out to Lieut. Moses Read two acres of land by the 

meeting house ; bounded south, the stated road ; east, the foot of the hill ■ 

north, the land of the heirs of Christopher Hall; west, the country road. 

The above said land the said Lieut. Read gave to the town of Attleborough 

for public use forever, and ordered it so to be put on record, as is attest 

by me. 

"Daniel Smith, Clerk." 

I!. N. E. Bee. 1st B. p. 302. 
''Allowance for a highway through said lot." 

/,'. X F. Bee. 2d B. L >. 120. 

November 1, 17.">4. "'Noah Carpenter, Sen. and Caleb Hall of Attle- 
borough, in consideration of love, good will and affection which we have and 
do bear towards the church and congregation of the said Attleborough, called 
by the name of the Preslryteriau, have given, granted, conveyed etc. unto 
them their heirs and assigns forever, that is to be understood for the especial 
use. benefit and privilege of that society forever, a certain tract of land con- 
taining about forty-five rods, where the new meeting house now stands, 
bounded by the said Carpenter's and the said Hall's lands and by the country 
road," etc. — B. X. B. Bee. 2d B. p. 126, awl 129. March 15, 1725, 
the town passed the following resolution : t¥ Where as there is a Chinch Now 
settled in ye Town of Attle. Commonly Called a presbeterian Church which 
all Inhabitants of ye Town ate by ye Law of this province obliged to support 
and whereas there is sume of ye Inhabitants of ye Town that Do belong to 
other Churches, who Differ from ye sd Church in Attleboro : in their princa- 
bles, and ye Inhabitants of sd Attleboro being Desirous to Treat them as they 
themselves should be willing to be Treated in such Like Cause, are freely 
willing that all such persons as Now Do or hereafter shall belong to other 
Churches of Diferent princaples as aforesd. Shall be freed from bearing- 
Cost & Charge with ye Rest of ye Inhabitants of sd Town Respecting ye Sup- 
port of Ye Church in Attlebor', provided that all such persons Belonging to 
other Churches as aforesd Do Make it appear to ye select Men of sd Town 
in the month of August yearly as they shall be aded to any other Churches as 



HIS TOE Y OF ATTLEBOROWUI. 231 

aforesd : by Bringing Certificats from ye Elders or Techers of ye Respectivily 
belong to that they do belong to their Church or Churches and tire in full 
Communion with them ; and this voat is to be in force untill ye Town by a 
vote shall make Void ye Same." 

October 11, 172(>. ^ And then ye Town voted that they would Chouze 
some persons of ye Town to Joyn with such persons as ye Church in sd 
Town should appoint to be a Committee to Take Care & provide a suitable 
person to be a pasture or minister of ye Church & Town : that is to Take 
Care untill such Time as a vote of sd Church & Town shall be Necessary as to 
ye Resettlement of a Gospel minister in sd Town." Four persons were 
chosen from the church, namely: Deacon John Fuller, Deacon Mayhew 
Daggett. Mr. Benjamin Slack, Mr. Samuel Tyler; and four from the town, 
namely: Captain Daniel Head, Captain John Foster, Mr. Samuel Day, Mr. 
Noah Carpenter. 

tk On ye Last Day of June Anno Domini, 1727. at a meeting held, the Town 
Did unanimously Concur with the Churche's vote in ye Choice of ye sd Mr. 
Habijah Weld to be their minister." He was to receive " one hundred pounds 
in money or in Bills of paper creditt yearly During ye Term of his Natural 
Life in ye Work of the ministry within sd Town, and Likewise ye ministerial 
Lott the house & Barn and all other privileges to the same belonging during 
the above term — and for his further encouragement the town doth freely 
agree and vote ; that they will give to the said Mr. Weld, two hundred 
pounds in money, or one hundred and fifty pounds in money and fourty acres 
of land lying on each side the road between the meeting house and David 
Fullers, either of which he the said Mr. Weld shall ye cause to accept of and 
it is further voted and agreed that the hundred pounds above said is all 
wages to hold ye same in valine as it is this day. Allowing paper creditt at 
fourteen shillings for one ounce of silver and so to rise or fall as paper creditt 
shall rise or fall in proportion as above said" — 

Just before Mr. Weld came the town voted to choose a committee " to 
repair ye ministerial house and fence." 

Mr. Weld accepted the pastorate in the following manner : — 

Attlehokough, September 28, 1727. 
To the Church aud people of Church in Attleborough 

Greeting, Whereas ye have manifested your Love to and Respect for me in Choosing me 
for ye pastorial office among you, (Notwithstanding my unworthyuess of your Esteem, and 
of an employ in a work so Sacred and Honorable,) I Do now testify my Gratitude to you for ye 
Respect shewn me and my Compliance with your Request to settle with you upon ye Terms 
you have proposed : but in Case my Necessities should increase upon me, so that my Salary be 
insufficient for my Maintainance I shall Depend upon you for ye addition of what shall be Con- 
venient for my Comfortable and Honorable Subsistance During my Continuance with you as a 
minister of ye Gospel, and inasmuch as ye have Generously granted me 200 pounds money, or 
a Hundred and fifty pounds in money aud 40 acres of Land for a settlement, and have given me 
ye Liberty of Chousing that which shall be most agreeable to me, I Do now Declare that I make 
Choice of and shall Gratefully accept of Land with ye 150 pounds in money, and as ye have 
made such provision for my Support while I shall Continue among you so I shall think it my 



232 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

Duty to Lay out myself to ye utmost of my ability to promote your spiritual and Eternal wel- 
fare. 1 am sensible of my own weakness and inability to Discbarge ye Duties of ye ministerial 
office; lmt my Dependance is upon ye Grace of God wbicb I hope will be sufficient for me. 1 
beg an interesl in your prayer- thai ye God of all grace would furnish me with all those Gifts 
and Graces of his spirit as shall be sufficient to Render me an able as well as a faithful minister 
of ye New Testament, and it shall be my Constant Requesl at ye Throne of Grace that God 
will make < ontinual addition- to this < !hurcb of such as Shall be Saved whilst 1 am yours in ye 
Service of ye Gospel. Habijah Weld. 

Rev. Mr. Weld was the third minister of Attleborough and was distin- 
guished for his usefulness in the ministry and highly respected as a man both 
at home and abroad. He united to an uncommon degree the affections of 
his people for the long period of nearly fifty-five years during which he was 
their pastor. He was a man of talents and respectable acquirements and 
was extensively known. His character deserves a more particular notice. 

He was born in Dunstable, 1 Mass., September 2, 1702, the son of Rev. 
Thomas Weld and Mary Savage," his second wife. He graduated at Cam- 
bridge University in 172.") and was ordained 3 pastor of the First Church and 
congregation in this town, October 1, 1727. Hi' died May 14, 17*2, in the 
eightieth year of his age and the fifty-fifth of his ministry. The follow- 
ing notice ' of his character is extracted from a communication in Dr. Dtoighfs 
Travels, from the Hon. David Daggett, late Chief Justice of the Supreme 
Court of Connecticut and Senator in Congress. 

•'Mr. Weld was above rather than below the middle stature; he was 
noble in form and dignified in his deportment, scrupulously polite, never 
omitting small attentions to those about him, yet paying those attentions in 
a manner that never lessened his own dignity." Dr. Daggett's account says : 
" In the latter part of his life he was corpulent. His constitution was vigor- 
ous, and his mind almost singularly energetic. The stipend which he 
received from his parishioners consisted of an annual salary of two hundred 
and twenty dollars."' and the use of a parsonage lot, which furnished him with 
wood, and a little pasture. With his patrimony he purchased a farm of about 
seventy acres of moderately good land, and a decent house. He had fifteen 
children, ten of whom were married during his life and one after his death. 
The remaining four died while young. This numerous family he educated 
with the means which have been mentioned in a manner superior to what is 
usually found in similar circumstance-, entertained much company in a style 



1 See Savage, Vol. 4, p. 473. 

- She was the daughter of Habijah Savage, whose mother was Hannah, daughter of the first Edward 
Tyng. Mrs. Weld died June 2, 1731. She is referred to as " aged mother." 

:i See Town Records, 3d 15., p. 43. 

1 The description of his personal appearance is as given to the author by a great-granddaughter of 
Mr. Weld. Her father intended to correct the errors in Dr. Dwight's account, but the intention was 
not fulfilled. 

"It would seem that Mr. Weld's '* Necessities," mentioned by anticipation in his letter of acceptance, 
had increased and in consequence his salary also. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 233 

of genuine hospitality, and was always prepared to contribute to the neces- 
sities of others. 

" For the regulation of his domestic concerns Mr. Weld prescribed t<> him- 
self and his family a fixed system of rules, which were invariably observed 
and contributed not a little to the pleasantness and prosperity of his life. His 
children, laborers, and servants submitted to them with cheerfulness, and his 
house became the seat of absolute industry, peace, and good order. Break- 
fast was on the table precisely at six o'clock ; dinner, at twelve ; and supper, 
at six in the evening. After supper he neither made visits himself nor per- 
mitted any of his family to make them. 

•• His observation of the Sabbath was peculiarly exemplary. He permitted 
no acts to be done in his house on that day except such as were acts of 
necessity and mercy in the strictest sense. 

" Mr. Weld was naturally of a very ardent disposition. Yet, so entirely had 
he acquired an ascendency over his temper, that a censurable or imprudent act 
is not known to have been done by him, nor an improper word uttered. To 
vice and licentiousness in every form he gave no indulgence either in his 
conversation or his public instructions. On the contrary, idleness, intemper- 
ance, profaneness, and all kinds of immoral conduct were reproved by him 
with uudeviating severity. His example in the practice of every virtue was 
such as to create in all classes of men entire veneration for his character. It 
is doubted whether any person ever uttered a reproach against Mr. Weld. 

"Nor was his piety less remarkable. Since the days of the Apostles, it is 
questioned whether his zeal, fidelity, and intrepidity in the cause of his 
divine Master have been excelled. During the long period of fifty-five years 
he was never once detained from the pulpit by disease nor from any other of 
his pastoral duties. His prayers were wholly formed by himself and adapted 
with strict propriety to the various occasions on which they were made. They 
were pertinent, solemn, and impressive. His sermons were written, and were 
usually delivered without variation from his notes. Yet at times he addressed 
his congregation extemporaneously in a manner eminently forcible and 
affecting. 

" In his parochial visits he was accustomed to address the truths and 
duties of the gospel to the hearts and consciences of the family and never 
lost sight of the eternal interests of his congregation. And, while he admin- 
istered the balm of life to the wounded spirit, he addressed the most solemn 
alarms, as well as the most pungent reproofs, to stubbornness and impiety. 

''Mr. Weld continued his labors to the Sabbath before his death without 
any visible decline in his powers either of body or mind. On that Sabbath 
he preached two sermons from these words : ' He that believeth, and is bap- 
tized, shall be saved ; and he that believeth not shall be damned.' On the 
Tuesday following he rode in his chaise to Providence, ten miles, returned 
about four o'clock in the afternoon, walked into the house; told his wife that 



234 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

he was unwell, requested her to open a window, as he found a difficulty 
in breathing, sal down, and instantly expired of an Apoplexy. Si. well 
were his secular concerns arranged for his departure that the settlement 
of his estate cost less than live dollars. His excellent wife survived him 
many years and died after she had passed the age of ninety, universally 
lamented. 

'• At the death of Mr. Weld only one of his congregation was living, of 
those who assisted in his settlement. His parishioners showed their sense of 
the loss which they sustained in his death by a universal mourning." (The 
town voted to assume the funeral expenses.) 

••The house of this gentleman was the resort of many distinguished 
persons from Boston, Providence, and various other parts of New England, 
and in no house were they received and treated with more hospitality. His 
manners were at once dignified and polite, and every member of his family 
was courteous and well bred. Nothing was seen among them but harmony 
and good will. 

•'That with such an income Mr. Weld could support so large a family and 
live in so hospitable a manner will certainly excite not a little wonder. The 
explanation is found in his industry, regularity, and exactness in all his 
concerns. Everything was managed in such a manner that almost in the 
literal sense nothing was lost. 

" ' In my opinion,' adds Mr. D.. ' Mr. Weld was a more strict observer of 
the divine law and more eminently holy than any man whom I ever knew.' 

•• • Permit me to subjoin.' says Dr. Dwight, -that if all clergymen sus- 
tained the same character and lived in the same manner the world would 
speedily assume a new aspect and its inhabitants a new character.'" 

Mr. Weld married 1 Mary Fox, of Woburn, who died January 7, 1799, in 
the ninety-third year of her age. He had by her fifteen children, four sons 
and eleven daughters, several of whom were married, as follows : Jonathan 
Philbrook, of Boston, to Dorothy Weld, August 7. 1759; Rev. Oliver Noble, 
of Newburyport, to Lucy Weld, May 15, 1760; Dr. Cardee Parker, of 
Coventry, Conn., to Mary Weld. April 15, 1762. by Habijah Weld; Caleb 
Fuller, of Windsor, county of Ware, Maine, to Hannah Weld. October 28, 
1762 ; Rev. Ezra Weld to Anna Weld. February 9, 1764 ; Rev. Oakes Shaw, 2 
of Barnstable, to Elizabeth Weld. July ID, 1764; Rev. Timothy Aldeu. 3 of 
Yarmouth, to Sarah Weld, November 20, 1770; Eliphaz Day. of Attle- 
borough, to Eunice Weld. 

Mr. Weld was buried at South Attleborough within his own parish, and his 
wife also. On his gravestone is the following inscription : — 



"•The Kev. Mr. Habijah Weld of Attleborough, and Bliss Mary Fox of Woburn, Intentious of 
marriage entered Aug. 30th, 1728." 
-Rev. Oakes Shaw, grandfather of Charles J. Shaw. 
Rev. Timothy Alden was the author of American Epitaphs in 3 Vols. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 235 

The Remains of the Rev. Habijah Weld 
M. A. late the faithful, worthy and he- 
loved pastor of the first Church of Christ 
in Attleborough. 
He was horn Sept. 2d, 1702 
He was ordained Oct. 1st, 1727 
He .lied May 14th, 1782, in the 80th year 
of his age, and the 55th of his pastorate. 
Farewell, vain world, as thon hast been to me, 
Dust and a shadow — these I leave with thee. 
The unseen vital substance I commit 
To him that 's Substance, Life, Light, Love to it. 

The following is the inscription on his wife's gravestone : — 

January 7th, 1799, 
Departed this life, Mrs. Mary Weld 
Relict to the late Rev. Habijah Weld 
of Attleborough, in the 93d year of 
her age. 

Passenger, aspire to her age, 

But to imitate her life 

As a real ornament 

To the Christian profession. 

In 172<s a new meetinghouse was built by the town. May 18, 1728, the 
town voted to enlarge the meetinghouse by making an addition of twenty 
feet to the north end. Rut in September following sixty-two individuals 
engaged by subscription to advance the sum of £234 10s., in addition to their 
proportion of the taxes, towards defraying the expenses of a new meeting- 
house, if the town would agree to build auew, instead of enlarging the old 
house. This money was to be paid within the space of one year and eight 
months ; and timber, boards, etc., these men would furnish at the marketable 
prices, n All which when advanced as above sd. shall be for ye use of ye 
Whole Town as absolutely as though the Town by a Tax had done sd. work." 

The town accordingly voted November 28, 1728, to build a new meeting- 
house and ordered it to be fifty feet in length, forty feet in breadth, and of 
a suitable height for one tier of galleries, and that it " shall stand on a little 
hill ou the north side of the Pound, about fifteen or sixteen rods from the old 
meeting house." It was also voted " that those parts of the town which may 
be hereafter set off as a precinct or town shall have the money repaid to 
them, which they now pay tow T ards the new meeting house." 

The town constituted one parish until April 7, 1743, when it was divided 
into "two distinct and separate" parishes or precincts by an act of the 
Legislature. The west constituted the first, and the east the second precinct. 

EXTRACTS FROM THE RECORDS OF THE FIRST PARISH. 

The ministerial house and lands were sold in 1737. 

September 18, 1744. The sum of £12 14s. was granted to the second 
precinct. This was probably a part of their share in the meetinghouse. 



236 A SKETCH OF THE 

March 27, 1 777 . ' The salary of their minister, Mr. Weld, was t'66 
13s. Id. September 21, 177!). Voted to raise Rev. Mr. Weld's salary to 
$600. Paper currency was much depreciated. September 29, 1779, voted to 
double his salary for the year. 

.March 28, L780. A meeting was called "to see if the Precinct will 
apply to some one to assist Mr. Weld, in the work of the ministry, under his 
present indisposition of body." etc. " Voted that the two Deacons see that 
the pulpit is supplied in case Mr. Weld is unable to preach." Any labors in 
this direction were unnecessary, as has been seen. 

June •'!, 17<S2. A meeting was held " to set' if the Precinct will agree to 
pay the funeral charges of the Rev. Mr. Weld, late of Attleborough, 
deceased." This was done. "id. " To see if the Precinct will choose a 
committee to seek a supply occasioned by the death of our late Pastor." 

From this time till the settlement of Mr. Wilder in 171)0 — nearly eight 
years — the parish was destitute of a settled minister. The people were very 
much divided on this subject. Many unsuccessful attempts were made to 
settle a minister; numerous candidates were called, but the people could 
make no choice. They had been long united and harmonious under the 
ministry of Mr. Weld; some diversity of opinion and alienation of feeling 
were to be expected after so long a calm. 

August 27, 1782. Voted "to hire Rev. Mr. Morey six weeks longer." 
October 3b, 1782, a meeting was called " to see if the Precinct will give Mr. 
Morey a call to settle in the ministry." 1st. "Voted to give him a call." 
2d. •' Voted to re-consider it." 

February 2(1, 17*3. Voted " to treat with a committee in second Precinct 
relative to Ministerial Lands." There was a dispute between the two parishes 
for a long time in regard to their relative rights to these lands, which was 
finally terminated. I believe, by payment of a certain sum to the second parish. 
At the same meeting. " voted to hire Rev. Mr. Bradford three months." 
Voted •• to buy one hundred sermons, delivered by Rev. Mr. Timelier. 1 ' on the 
death of Rev. Mr. Weld." Voted "to apply to Rev. Mr. Spalding, of Kil- 
linglv, Conn, to come and preach a few weeks." August 18, 1783. Voted 
" to send to the President 3 of Vale College to send us a candidate." He 
accordingly sent them a young man who. it appears, was not acceptable. 
October 29, L783. "Voted to choose a committee to consult lawyer Brad- 
ford ' concerning the Ministerial Lands." 



'The last meeting under the Provincial Government — March, 1776 — was warned as usual "hi the 
name of ids Majesty, the King of England," etc.; but the next one, 17th September, was warned "in 
the name of these States, and in behalf of the good people of Uiis Province," eic. 

-The first settled minister of the second precinct. It was delivered before Mv. Weld'.- parishioners 
the Sabbath after ins death, and published. 

Rev. Nap h tali Daggett, of tins town, which is the reason oi their application to him. 

'This Bradford was afterwards Lieutenant-Governor of Rhode [stand, a man very popular at that 
time in his profession, lie was a descendant of Got ernor Bradford. See Mr. Ryder's Biographical 
Notice. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 237 

December 15, 17S3, Rev. Mr. Britt was preaching as a candidate; subse- 
quently Rev. Mr. Avery, then a Mr. March, Mr. Hart, of Preston, Conn., 
Mr. Damon, Mr. Plum. " Voted to send for Mr. Huntington to preach for 
us." Before the arrival of Mr. Wilder many other names of candidates 
appear. So irreconcilable were the feelings or opinions, or both, of the 
parish that it seemed next to impossible to make a selection. So great 
was the distress of the people amidst their divisions that they at last 
appointed a lk Fast on account of their present difficulties." In this they hit 
upon the right expedient, for it seemed to have a very happy effect, as they 
soon after agreed on a candidate, the Rev. John Wilder, who at a meeting 
January 4, 171)0, gave an answer accepting the proposals of the parish, 
which terminated their long and troublesome contest. 

Mr. Wilder was born in Templeton, Conn., March 12, 1758. His parents 
were Jonas and Elizabeth Wilder, who removed to Lancaster (N. H.?) in 
1776. He graduated at Dartmouth College in 1784, studied theology with 
Dr. Hart, of Preston, Conn., and was ordained here January 27, 1790. 
The sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. Levi Hart, his theological instructor, 
and was published September 2, 1790. Mr. Wilder married Esther Tyler, 
daughter of Colonel Samuel Tyler, of Preston, Conn. She died January 
19, 1811. His second wife was Mrs. Elizabeth Austin, of New Hartford, 
Conn., sister of Dr. E. D. Griffin. She died at Austingburg in March, 1847, 
aged seventy-two. 

Mr. Wilder published several addresses: "A Discourse on the Federal 
Fast," delivered May 9, 1798, printed by Nathaniel and Benjamin Heaton 
at Wrentham ; an " Address to the Attleborough Agricultural Society," etc., 
delivered February 22, 1805, printed at Providence by Heaton and Williams ; 
a funeral sermon on the death of Elisha May, November, 1811 ; "A Funeral 
Discourse on the Death of Dea. Lane." 

Mr. Wilder was dismissed November 28, 1822. He had been the settled 
minister of the parish upwards of thirty-two years. He died February 12, 
1836. He left numerous children. One daughter, Eliza, married Hon. 
Lemuel May, of this town. She died in 1831, aged thirty-nine. Mr. 
Wilder was buried in this town, and Rev. Elisha Fiske, of Wrentham, 
preached his funeral sermon. The inscription on his gravestone is as 
follows : — 

Rev. John Wilder, 

An able and devoted Minister 

of Jesus Christ, and for 

more than 33 year-. 

Pastor of the Firsl 

Congregational Church 

iu this town. 

Died Feb. 12th, 1S36, 

Aued 77 years. 



238 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

To him succeeded Rev. Thomas Williams, formerly of Connecticut, who 
was installed September 29, 1824. His connection with the parish was 
dissolved December 11, 1827. 

The next settled minister was Rev. Charles J. Warren, who was ordained 
February 28, 1828, and dismissed July 9. 1830. He died in New York in 
1883, aged eighty-six. 

After the dismissal of Mr. Warren, Rev. Mr. Chapin became the pastor. 
He was over the church from 1830 to 1833. To him in the latter year suc- 
ceeded the Rev. Samuel Colburn. He died in New York, December 19, 18o4. 
Rev. Mr. Ober was the pastor in 1837. 

Rev. John M. B. Bailey was the next pastor. He was born in Dunbarton, 
N. H., June 5, 1807, the son of William and Susannah Bailey. He spent 
some years in the family of his uncle, Rev. Abraham Burnham, d.d., of 
Pembroke. From an early age he earnestly desired to obtain a collegiate 
education and to enter one of the learned professions. He prosecuted his 
studies for a time under great dirhculties, both from ill health and restricted 
means, and finally abandoned the idea of a college course and entered a law- 
yer's office in Albany, N. Y". At the end of three years, instead of com- 
mencing the practice of the law, he entered the Theological Seminary at 
Gilmanton, N. H., to study for the ministry. He remained there four years. 
He was licensed to preach by the Suffolk North Association, April 23, 1839. 
After a time he came to this parish to preach as a candidate and soon 
received a call to become pastor of the church. 

He was ordained here December 30, 1840, Professor Warner, from Gilman- 
ton, coming to preach the sermon. His ministry lasted but ten years, and 
during all that time his feeble health was the cause of hindrances and inter- 
ruptions in his work. At the end of the tenth year he resigned his charge, 
the resignation being sent to the society from his sick-room. He died Feb- 
ruary 24, 1851, after a protracted and painful illness. 

He married in LS41 Sarah M., daughter of Deacon Caleb Johnson, of 
Manchester, N. H. She died at Wallaston, Maine. June 7, 188o, and was 
buried in Mount Hope Cemetery by the side of her husband. 

Mr. Bailey prepared an address for the consecration of Mount Hope Ceme- 
tery, which took place duly 2, 18">0. This was read on the occasion, he 
being too feeble to deliver it himself. After his death it was published. 

Rev. Mr. Blodgett, of Pawtucket, in preaching Mr. Bailey's funeral 
sermon, said : "■ He had done his work. And our wonder is, that he was so 
long enabled to sustain at all the labors of the ministry, and to accomplish 
as much as he did. He was a man of undoubted piety. The most intimate 
and familiar acquaintance has left the conviction undoubted, that he was a 
man of deep religious experience, of ardent and thorough piety. 

"•The deceased was candid, cautious, and conscientious in his judgment of 
men, their opinions, character, motives and acts. Holding his own views 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 239 

with a sufficient firmness and self-reliance, he would tolerate a difference of 
views in others, without severe reprehension, or cold repulsion. 

" A favorite object with him. not only for the accommodation of his own 
family, but for the good of the church and society, and the comfort of his 
successors in the pastoral office, was the erection of a parsonage. This 
object he lived to see accomplished very much to his mind, in the commodious 
house, from which he was carried to the house appointed for all the living. 

" His services, as a preacher, in all the pulpits of this vicinity, were ever 
highly acceptable and creditable both to his intellect and his heart. In his 
Association he was a ' Brother beloved ' and respected for Christian candor, 
courtesy and benevolence, — for his exhibition of so much of the ' meekness 
and gentleness of Christ,' and for his attainments in Christian theology, and 
religious experience." 

Mr. Bailey died at the age of forty-three, "universally respected and 
much lamented." He had taken an active interest in everything pertaining 
to the welfare of the community, ' l especially in the cause of common school 
education." As a man his character was appreciated and his labors esti- 
mated at their proper value. After his death the choice of a lot was offered 
Mrs. Bailey by the proprietors of Mount Hope Cemetery. A subscription 
was started, to which generous responses were made, sufficient to procure 
a handsome monument. On July 2, 1851, the anniversary of the dedica- 
tion, his remains were removed to the cemetery kt and the monument erected 
with appropriate ceremonies." 

•' It is a shaft, seven feet high, of white marble, and contains the follow- 
ing expressive inscription : — 

In Memory of 

Rev. John M. B. Bailey, 

Pastor of the First Congregational Church in Attleborough ; 

Born in Dunbarton, N. H., June ">, 1807, 

Ordained Dec. 30, 1840, 

Died Feb. 24, 1851, aged 48 years; 

Author of the Address for the Consecration of this Cemetery, 

July 2, 1850. 

Which now opens its portals to enshrine his remains 

among its earliest tenants. 

This Monument is erected by the Citizens of Attleborough, 

as a token of their gratitude for 

his services in the cause of Education, their high 

respect for the many 

virtues of his ministerial and private life, their deep 

regret for his early decease, and their 

lasting regard for his 

memory. 

' Let me die the death of the Righteous, 
And let my last end be like his.' " 

Rev. S. B. Morly was ordained here July 9, 1851, and dismissed March 
25, 1857. 



240 A SKETCH OF THE 

Rev. B. C. Chase, of Camden, Maine, was acting pastor from August 23, 
1857, to December 25, 1862, and Rev. David Breed from March 1, 18G3. to 
March 1. 1866. 

Rev. II. P. De Foresl came to the church in January, 1867. and was dis- 
missed in January, 1869. 

The next was the presenl pastor, the Rev. John "Whitehill. He was born 
in Paisley, Scotland, August 11, 1833, and came to this country with his 
father's family when he was eleven years of age. lie fitted for college partly 
under the private instruction of Rev. George A. Oviatt, of Chicopee, .Ma--., 
and partly at Monson Academy, from which institution he went to Amherst 
College in 1854. He graduated in 1858 and went immediately to Andover 
Theological Seminary, graduating from there in 1861. 

Before leaving' the seminary he had been invited to preach at the Congre- 
gational church in South Wilbraham, now Hampden. Mass. He commenced 
his labors there as soon as his course of study was completed, and was 
ordained and installed there December 11 of the same year. 1861. In 

1867 he ottered his resignation, but withdrew it at the solicitation of his 
people and remained another year. In June. 1868, having been again pre- 
sented, his resignation was accepted. 

After this he preached for a few months in the Presbyterian church in 
Liverpool, X. Y. (near Syracuse), but his father's death in the autumn of 

1868 recalled him to the east. His labors in this town began in the spring 
of 1869, about March 28. a few months after his predecessor, Rev. Mr. 
De Forest, had left the church. 

Mr. Whitehill at once identified himself with the interests not only of his 
church and parish, but with those of the entire town. He has been repeat- 
edly elected to positions of trust, and almost continuously since becoming 
a resident, besides laboring faithfully and acceptably among his own people, 
he has been actively engaged in public work for the town. 

He was chosen a member of the school committee in 187<> and was chair- 
man of the same until 1875, in which year he resigned the position. In 
L883 he was reelected a member of the school committee, continuing until 
November, 1885, when he again resigned. He was chairman of the build- 
ing committee which in bs.si erected the two town High School buildings, 
and held the same position when in 1884 three new buildings were erected of 
a sufficient capacity to accommodate ten of the common schools. 

In 1882 he was chosen Representative to the State Legislature and the 
following year was reelected to the same office. The nomination to this 
position was unsolicited on the part of Mr. Whitehill. It was entirely the 
gift of his fellow-citizens, a proof of their confidence and regard and worthy 
of special notice in these days of vote buyers and public office speculators. 

November 28, 1861, Mr. Whitehill was married to Clara J. Hunt, of 
Sudbury, .Ma--. She died November 8, 1865, leaving one son. Edwin 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 241 

Hunt Whitehill, born October 30, 1865, and a graduate from Amherst 
College in the class of 1887. May 4, 1869, Mr. Whitehill married Lizzie 
A. Parmenter, of Sudbury. Their children are Clara, born June 14, 1870 ; 
Florence, born June 1, 1872, died July 31, 1873 ; Robert, born May 5, 1874; 
Alfred, born July 8, 1876 ; Miriam, horn January 22, 1879 ; Walter, born 
April 16, 1881; Hilda, born May 3, 1883: Philip, born February 10, 1886. 
(Mrs. Whitehill died .January 13, 1890.) 

The present meetinghouse is the third in this society and was built in the 
summer of 1828. the building before built, the second, having stood just 
a century. It was dedicated January 1, 1829, and is now substantially the 
same as when first erected. Externally there have been no alterations, and 
internally only slight changes, such as removing pew doors, lowering the 
pulpit platform, making space for the large organ, and decorating with more 
modem paint and paper, with carpets to correspond, such as the taste of the 
present day demands. 

Some of the oldtime customs of this church and society are still kept 
up. Mr. Henry F. May, who has been chorister for many years, still leads 
the singing "' on the Lord's day," and Mrs. May presides at the organ. The 
annual, cheerful social gathering of friends and former residents of the 
parish with the present dwellers therein still continues. The mere mention 
of the clambake of Red Rock Hill will call a host of pleasant recollections 
to many minds. One lady, a native of the parish, but a resident of the east 
precinct for many years, tells with pride that she has attended twenty-three 
of these gatherings. May she be spared to attend yet more. 

A curious fact is related of the old parsonage house in which Mr. Weld — 
the pastor for above half a century — dwelt. Mr. Samuel Dunster, the 
present occupant, when taking down the great square chimney some years 
since, found in it part of a gravestone with the name Weld inscribed upon 
it. The conjecture is that tl the stone must have been spoiled in the mak- 
ing " and then utilized by being built into the house chimney, a conjecture 
entirely consistent with what we know of Mr. Weld and, indeed, of the 
times, when of necessity the people literally fulfilled the scriptural injunction 
to " gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost." 

The Drapers still follow the time-honored fashion of having a family gath- 
ering on Thanksgiving Day. Of the fourteen children in the present family 
who lived to grow up, the youngest is over fifty years of age ; the oldest is 
still living — as are several between — and is still prominent in this society. 

There are no means of ascertaining the number of the original members of 
the First Church. There were upwards of thirty families in the town at the 
time of its incorporation. As a larger proportion of the inhabitants in those 
days were church members than is the case at the present time, a conjecture 
may be made as to the membership. Allowing but one and a small fraction 



242 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

to each family, there may probably at the formation have been about forty 
members; and seventeen years later, when the first minister was settled, this 
number may have been somewhat increased. 

For thirty years this was the only church in town, and during that period 
its membership doubtless increased considerably. Twice it has dismissed 
quite a number of its members to form other churches in town, as will be 
seen in accounts following. It is still the only church >w within a radius of 
about three miles," but its situation prevents its having large additions to its 
society. This is in a less populous part of the town than formerly. Few 
occupations offer themselves there as means of livelihood or of success in 
life, and therefore many of the young people emigrate. 

The church has at present sixty-eight members, with an average congrega- 
tion of one hundred and a Sabbath-school averaging an attendance of ninety- 
five (1887). 

BETHANY CHAPEL. 

During the past thirty years religious services have been held in the school- 
house at South Attleborough, it being difficult for all living there who desired 
to do so to attend the church at " Old Town " on account of its distance from 
the former village. In 1874 a Sunday-school was started by Rev. Mr. 
Whitehill, assisted by two young ladies of the village, and in I<s82 it was 
decided to commence raising a fund to build a chapel. 

Early in the year 1886 this fund amounted to $1,500, and at that time land 
was given by Mr. William Coupe. On October IT) of that year a society was 
organized and incorporated by law, calling itself the "Bethany Chapel As- 
sociation." Its president was William Coupe; vice-president, William P. 
Shaw; secretary and treasurer, Damon A. White; and nine trustees were 
elected, three of them being ladies. 

Generous hearts have prompted busy hands, and their earnest, continued 
work has for its result an attractive and sufficiently commodious chapel 
building. Tt is fifty-six feet long, thirty-five feet wide, contains an audience 
room and a Sunday-school room, over which is a small gallery. It is well 
finished, and furnished in good taste, with all the appointments modern 
demands now make necessary, including a basement room " for social pur- 
poses," with a kitchen convenient, "well supplied with all that is necessary 
in such a place." 

The cost of the building, furnace, etc., was $3,900, of which amount all 
but Si, 000 iias been paid, (rifts above this amount have been presented, of 
fully $800 in value. Besides giving the land, .Mr. Coupe gave the seats; Mr. 
A. A. White, a handsome chandelier of twenty lamps, and the wall lamps; 
the South Attleborough Mission School presented the organ; and Mr. Asa 
Robinson gave the pulpit chairs. The pulpit, Bible, bookcase, and basement 
furnishings are also gifts. The value of the chapel and land is 8."), 000, and 
the people of the village deserve great credit for their activity and earnestness 
in the good work of obtaining the so much needed place of worship. 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 243 

The dedication took place on the evening of April 1-4, 1887, and a large 
audience from all parts of the town, from Pawtucket, Providence, and other 
places, filled the building. The exercises were interesting and included much 
fine music. The dedication sermon was preached by Rev. H. P. De Forest, 
of Taunton. An historical sketch was read by Mr. Damon White, in which 
among other interesting facts it was stated that on the first Sabbath in June, 
1882, it was announced in the Sunday-school that fifty cents per week of 
the contributions should be given to the Woman's Board of Missions, and the 
remainder be kept toward the building of the chapel. On that Sunday the 
contribution was fifty-two cents. The two pennies were compared to a snow- 
ball, which ever increases as it rolls, until it finally becomes very large; and 
so the school had been adding pennies and dollars, until at that time the 
''chapel ball" amounted to $762.50, a large sum compared with the small 
beginning ami the length of time the hall had been rolling. 

So once again the old "First Church" sends forth another group of her 
children to work in the "good old way " for the world's welfare, but this 
time — though they have a home of their own — she still keeps them, in a 
measure, under her own fostering care, and they may still gather under the 
old roof which has sheltered them so long, near the spot where our fathers 
first gathered in Attleborough for the public worship of (xod. 

EAST PARISH. — THE SECOND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 

This parish, by a division of the whole into two parts, was separated 
from the other April 7, 1743, nearly one hundred and fifty years ago. This 
was done by an act of the Legislature. 

The towns originally in this State constituted the religions societies, hut in 
the course of time, as population increased, these were divided territorially — 
and by metes and bounds — and all the inhabitants within these minutely 
described territorial limits who had been admitted freemen were members of 
the societies. This was at a time when there were no religious divisions 
among the people. But in the course of time religious distinctions arose. 
and various provisions were made as they became necessary to meet these 
exigencies. 

The division of this town into two territorial parishes in 174o was not 
made in consequence of any religious differences, none such having then 
arisen, but wholly on account of the great inconvenience to many of the 
inhabitants of attending public worship at such a great distance from their 
homes. This will be readily understood when it is remembered that at the 
time of its incorporation and up to this time, a period of almost fifty years, 
Attleborough included what is now Cumberland, R. I., — an area of over 
seventy square miles in all, — and the only meetinghouse within its limits was 
the one at Oldtown, whose history has just been traced. 



'2\l A SKETCH OF THE 

The following is the Ad ' of the Legislature by which the East Parish was 
formed : — 

An act of the Grate and Genaral Court of this his majestie's province of the massachusetts 
Baj in New iugland for making the Easterly part of Attleborougb and the Northeasterly part 
of Rehoboth in to a destincl and seperate precinct acording to the bounds as followetb — 
Beginning at a heep of stones being the westerly corner of the Town of Norton which stands 
in the Town of Stoughton Township, from thence running westerly on Stoughton line till it 
conies to the fool of the lull called Ten mile hill — thence southerly on a straight line two rods 
to the west of John Sweets barn, thence southerly on a straight line to a rock in Ten mile 
river — said rock being a hounds between the laud of Henry Tollman and Jacob Ide — and 
from thence southerly on a straight line till it comes to a grate rock and Blackoak Tree stand- 
ing near said rock marked with the letter (B) which is Eastfrom the Dwelling house of Robart 
Titus in said Attleborougb — from theuce on Rehoboth line half a mile. Then turning and 
running south one mile to a corner — Then turning and running East one degree North till it 
meets or comes to the Easterly Bounds of the old Town of Rehoboth —then on a straight line 
Northerly on said old Bounds to the South Corner of the Town of Norton Being a Cedar Tree 
and then Bounding on said Norton line till it comes to the first mentioned Corner. 

In the house of Representatives April ye 6: 1743. Red and voted that the Inhabitance of 
the Easterly part of the Town of Attleborougb with their lands and Estates lying within the 
Boundaries mentioned in the petition Together with such of the Inhabitance and their Estates 
Lying in the Northerly part of Rehoboth as shall signitie their consent to go off to said precinct. 
To the parson to be apointed their Clerk within six months hereafter. He and hereby are set 
off a distinct and seperate precinct and are vested with all priveledges and Immunities that 
other precincts are by Law Intitled to: acordingly sent up for concurence: T. dishing, 
Speker. 

Iu Council April ye 
7th 1743 

Read & Concur'd 
J. Willerd, Sect'ry. 

Consented to. W. Shirley. 

The first meeting of the parish was held June 6, 1743. It was called by 
Ephraim Leonard and held at Thomas Cooper's house for choice of officers, 
etc. Thomas French was chosen moderator, and Thomas Wilmarth clerk. 
Thomas Wilmarth, Thomas French, and David Shepardson were chosen 
assessors and standing committee. On the twentieth of the same month a 
meeting was called •• to consider and sec what the parish will do in order to 
placing a meeting house for the public worship of God." This is the first 
record of an attempt to build a meetinghouse in this part of the town. At 
the same time a committee was chosen " to agree with Mr. A V i 1 1 i s , or some 
other man for the present." It was also voted "to choose a committee of 
two who should apply, in the first place, to Rev. Mr. Willis, and if he cannot 
be obtained, then to Mr. Read, and if he cannot be obtained, then to Mr. Peter 
Thacher." 

At said meeting it was voted to set their meetinghouse on the plain " where 
the roads meet or cross each other." 



'This Act is copied from the " Town Records," and the use of capitals and punctuation followed 
as there found, as also incorrect spelling.— EDITOR. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 245 

It appears by the records of the next meeting that they had hired Mr. 
Thacher for a time. He was the first minister who preached here. He com- 
menced August 20, 1743, but was not ordained and settled till November 30, 
1748, above five years later. 

September 6, 1743, "Voted to proceed forthwith to build a meeting house 
for the public worship of God." The house was to be thirty-five feet square 
and hi°h enough for one tier of galleries. A committee was chosen " to carry 
on the building of said house," consisting of the following gentlemen, namely, 
John Sweet, Joseph Capron, Stephen Wilmarth, Thomas Sweet, and Obadiah 
Carpenter. At a subsequent meeting, October 18, 1743, "voted to recon- 
sider the vote relating to the dimensions of the meeting house, and to build 
one forty-five feet long, and thirty-five feet wide, and high enough for one 
tier of galleries." This was the size of the house as it was afterwards 
built. The meetinghouse was commenced in the autumn of this year, but 
the interior was not finished till several years subsequently. One hundred 
and fifty pounds was appropriated for the building. 

On the 1st of November following, the parish made choice of Rev. Peter 
Thacher for their minister "by a free vote" and agreed to give him for a 
salary forty pounds yearly for four years, and at the end of four years to 
give him fifty pounds per annum, " current money," and also, for a settlement, 
three hundred pounds, " old tenor," to be paid in four years, that is, one quar- 
ter part each year. 

December 21, 1747, "Voted to give Mr. Thacher £'(!00 old tenor for his 
settlement ; and also 25 cords of wood yearly." 

October 28, 1748. Settled Mr. Thacher's salary at four hundred pounds 
per annum, old tenor, " reckoning silver money at fifty-five shillings per 
ounce, and to rise and fall as silver shall rise and fall, so long as he shall 
continue our minister." At the same time the parish " chose a committee of 
five to see to the ordination of Rev. Mr. Thacher," which took place the 
thirtieth of the next month. He continued the pastor until October 26, 
178 b when he was dismissed by vote of the parish. He had a few months 
previous to his dismission suffered an attack of paralysis, which rendered 
him unable to perform the duties of his station, and of this attack he died 
September 13, 1785, in the seventieth year of his age. He preached in 
this town about forty-one years and was a highly respectable and useful 
man. 

He was born in Middleborough January 25, 1715, and was the son of Rev. 
Peter Thacher, of that place. He graduated at Harvard College in 1737 and 
was ordained in this place November 30, 1748. 

November 31, 1749, he was married to Bethiah, oldest daughter of Obediah 
Carpenter, of this town, by Rev. Habijah Weld. He had ten children, seven 
sons and three daughters, and several of his descendants are living in town 
at the present time. 



246 A SKETCH OF THE 

The following is au account of his coming to Attleborough to preach and of 
his ordination by Mr. Thacher himself. 

■• Aug. 20th, 1743, I came to preach to the Professors and others, inhabi- 
tants of the Easterly Precinct in Attleborough, upon probation for the work 
of a gospel minister among them. Nov. 1st, they gave me an [nvitation 
to settle among them as such, — But the death of my Rev. and Hon'd. 
Father. April 17 44, at Middleboro', and a sad, unchristian separation from 
tin' church ai Attleboro' ' together with some discouragements of my own. 
prevented me giving an answer in the affirmative, till Sept. 23, 1748. 
Nov. 30, A Council of six Churches, viz. The First Church of Christ 
in Plymouth, the first and second of Wrentham, the Church iu Attleboro', 
the church at Taunton, and the first Church of Christ iu Middleborough, 
convened at the house of Mr. Obadiah Carpenter in the East Precinct iu 
Attleboro' at the desire of the Brethren there for the purpose expressed in 
their Letter of the eighth instant. The Council opened with prayer, half after 
ten of the clock A.M. After which the Council proceeded to examine me as 
to my religious principles, and experiences, and motives to the Work of the 
ministry in general, and in this place particularly, which being gone through 
I retired, and in a little time was informed by a messenger from the Council, 
that they had voted to proceed to the Ordination. Immediately we went to 
the Meeting house, a little before or about twelve. The meeting was opened 
with Prayer by the Rev. Mr. Elias Havens. The Rev. Mr. Henry Messenger 
at my desire preached a Sermon — from — [text not given]. The Rev. Mr. 
Nathaniel Leonard presided in the Solemn Embodying of the Church declared 
to lie the Second regularly constituted Congregational Church of Christ in 
Attleboro', and then Solemnly gave me the Charge of Them, while his own 
and the hands of the Rev.s Messenger, Weld, and Havens were imposed. 
The Lev, Mr. Weld gave the Right Hand of Fellowship." 

k * Lev. Mr. Thacher descended from a pious and honored ancestry." 
The progenitor of the family in this country was the Rev. Peter Thacher, of 
Salisbury (Old Sarum), England, and it is said was prevented from emigrat- 
ing to this country, himself, only by sickness in his family. He was pastor of 
St. Edmunds church in that place from 1622 to 1640, the year of his death. 
The epitaph on his gravestone in the old churchyard there reads thus: " He 
was a laborious minister in preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to the 
people of St. Edmunds, by the space of XIX years." An intimate friend, 
one Francis Dove, added to this inscription : " Let not men move his bones. 
F. D." 



'This must refer to a church which came into existence in this town, " with the name of the Separa- 
tists, over which Mr. Daniel Shepardson was ordained, January 20, 1747." This reference, found iu 
a historical sketch of the church prepared by the pastor, Rev. Mr. Crane, for the centennial celebra- 
tion, is the only one seen by the editor. Probably these Separatists had but a short existence as a 
society. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOEOUhll. 247 

This Rev. Peter Thacher's sou Thomas came to this country in 1635 with 
an uncle. He was then fifteen years of age. He was educated at Harvard 
College aud subsequently became the first pastor of the Old South Church 
in Boston. His son Peter became the pastor of the church at Milton, this 

State. 

Peter, the son of Peter of Milton, was the third minister of Middleborough. 
He married Mary Prince, of Sandwich, and had ten children, of whom Peter, 
the first minister of the second parish, this town, was the third child and 
oldest son. A younger son, Oxenbridge Thacher, was " an attorney of emi- 
nence " in Boston. Of him President John Adams said : '• He was the second 
who gave the first impulse to the Ball of Independence, the first being James 
Otis." 

" The descendant of such an honored ancestry, Mr. Thacher is the progeni- 
tor of a list, reaching now to the third and fourth generation of those who 
profess the same faith, and some of whom are called to preach the same 
precious gospel." 

Mr. Thacher published a "Discourse on the Death of Rev. Mr. Weld," 
which has been reprinted. A small volume of liis sermons, containing one 
hundred and fourteen pages, was also republished in 1798 (by his son), 
entitled " Select Discourses ou Practical Subjects, by Peter Thacher, a.m., 
late Pastor of the Church at Attleborough." It was printed at Leominster, 
Mass., by John Prentiss & Co., under the superintendence of the son, 
Thomas Thacher. 1 In the preface to this publication was the following para- 
graph : >k For this publication we are indebted to the pious generosity of the 
author's son, who rejoices that he can, as he hopes, contribute something to 
the good of his fellow-men, and, at the same time, perpetuate the memory of 
the best of fathers." 

Some brief extracts are here given from the sermon by Rev. Mr. Thacher, 
which was [(reached May 19, 1792, to the people in the First Church, the 
Sabbath after the funeral of their pastor, the Rev. Mr. Weld. 

Tlie prayers of your aged, reverend, ami beloved pastor are ended. He hath done his 
work. He hath fought a good tight. He hath finished his course. He hath kept the faith. 
His house, his family, this Society miss him, and lament him. Neighbor societies far and 
near, (having been made partakers of his gifts, graces, and fervent prayers,) are mourners 
with you in the heavy loss you sustain. He hath been a zealous, faithful and successful 
laborer in Christ's vineyard, for a great many years, occasionally with others in other societies ; 
but you my dear friends, were the happy people favored with his more stated labors. The 
care of the churches was much upon his heart; to live and die with you, his peculiar care and 
charge, — he studied for you, and for you he spent his time, his strength, his life,— teaching 
aud exhorting publickly. and from house to house, being instant in season and out of season, 
reproving, rebucking and exhorting with all long suffering and doctrine. 

You all know his zeal, his fervent mind, his care to [im] prove himself to his divine master as 
faithful to his interest, and friendly to your souls. 



Supposed to be Rev. Thomas Thacher, of Dedham, who died October, 1812. He was a man of 
learning and a prominent preacher in his day. See History of Dedham, p. 118. 



248 I SKETCH OF THE 

This desk and these walls, may witness for him, how faithfully and solemnly he warned, 
how earnestly he persuaded yon to be reconciled to God, through the blood of his son, — with 
what light and power (through the help of God) he hath continued to preach the gospel, the 
laws and motives of the gospel, for many year- among you. You are all witnesses how he 
hath \i>ited you in your sickness, received your visits, directed your consciences, warned the 
unruly, comforted the feeble minded, supported and encouraged the weak. — and with what 
vigor and pleasure he applied himself to all part- of his work, especially when (through the 
grace of God) he saw any fruit- of his pious care and industry, and the hopeful effects of the 
travel [travail] of the Redeemer's soul among any, especially his own dear charge. 

His sermons were generally well studied, showing how intent his mind and desire was so 
to speak in the name of God, and from His oracles, as might best inform your minds, strike 
your affections, enter your consciences, and impress your heart-,— and they were often 
delivered with great pathos, energy and earnestness. 

But when he led you in prayer and supplication, in praise and thanksgiving to God, in one 
administration and another, especially on occasion of the administration of the sacraments oj 
the new testament, baptism and the Lord's supper, I -peak from my own observation, a- I had 
several precious opportunities to attend upon such occasions, — then his peculiar eminence 
appeared in such a flow, propriety and fulness, as could but warm and move his intelligent 
fellow worshippers, and bear away the spiritual and truly devout towards heaven. He .-ami- 
near to the throne. He tilled his mouth with argument. He was in his element. He seemed 
with uncommou freedom, to unbosom his soul, and pour out hi- soul to God, particularly when 
for the spread of the Redeemer's kingdom and glory. 

In the pulpit, and out of it, you all know he was zealous for his God, a faithful and close 
reprover of sin, not fearing the faces of nun. God hath been pleased to honor him much in his 
labors for the good of souls. I hope there arc here to-day many that are the seal of [his] 
ministry, in whom he had much satisfaction and joy : who not only had a high regard and 
honor for him while he lived, but retain a reverence for his memory. 

In a word, you all know hi- doctrine and manner of life; he having served God with his 
spirit, in the gospel of His Son, in this place, nearly fifty-five year-. — His prayers are ended. 

Iii concluding his sermon Mr. Thacher recommended one subject in par- 
ticular to the consideration of the church. " One thing, my dear friends. I 
most earnestly request of you. — it is this, drop all personal jars and 
animosities." ' 

Next to Mr. Weld. Mr. Thacher held his pastorate longer than any other 
minister in town, a pastorate that was prosperous and successful, at certain 
times especially so. He was a man devotedly religious, of excellent theologi- 
cal character and attainments, of good literary abilities. He was most faith- 
ful to his charge, laboring to promote the intellectual as well as the moral 
and religious good of his people, and " to his ministerial services in this 
parish, are patriotism and education, morality and piety, greatly indebted." 

The Second Parish, which was called the Precinct in those days, was estab- 
lished in 1743, as appears by the act previously quoted. Religious worship 
was conducted under the direction of the parish, and meetings were held in 
private dwellings until the meetinghouse was so far finished as to admit the 
holding of religious services in it. The church itself was not constituted till 
November 30, 1748, at the time of the ordination of Rev. Mr. Thacher. as 
may be seen by his account of that occasion. 



1 Which advice they failed to follow, tor, for some unfortunate cause, a division in the church ensued, 
which continued for eight years. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 249 

After Mr. Timelier and before the settlement of another minister, there 
were several preachers here — Rev. Asahel Huntington, Mr. Laughton, Mr. 
Farrington, of Wrentbam, Mr. Mead, etc. 

The next settled minister was the Rev. Ebenezer Lazell, of Bridgewater. 
He was a graduate of Brown University in 1788 and was ordained November 
21, 1792. The ordination sermon was preached by Rev. Zedekiah Sanger, 
pastor of the Second Congregational Church in Bridgewater ; the charge was 
given by the distinguished Dr. Perez Forbes (also spelled Peres Fobes), of 
Raynham ; the right hand of fellowship, by Rev. John Wilder, of Attle- 
borough. The sermon and addresses were published. 

Not long after his settlement, in January, 1798, Mr. Lazell married Chloe, 
daughter of Captain Abiathar Richardson, of this town. He continued here 
about four years and was dismissed January •">, 171)7. He removed with his 
wife to the State of New York, where they both died. 

His successor was the Rev. Nathan Holman. He was born in Sutton, this 
State, in that part w r hich is now Millbury, May 17, 1769. He was the third son 
of David and Lucy Thurston Holman. He worked on his father's farm till 
he was twentv-one years of age, but his strong desire for a liberal education 
and the ministry induced him to use his best efforts to obtain a college 
course of study. His father, who had a large family of children, could render 
him but little assistance. He was obliged to rely mainly on himself for the 
means. By great economy and personal efforts he succeeded and graduated 
at Brown University in 1797 with an honorable standing "aod the reputa- 
tion of a good scholar." He then studied theology with Rev. Edmund Mills, 
pastor in his native place, and finished his theological studies in Wrentham, 
being with Dr. Emmons there for a short period. 

After being licensed, he preached in several places and received several 
invitations to settle. Early in 1800 he commenced preaching here as a candi- 
date and soon received a unanimous call to settle as pastor of this church 
and parish. He was ordained October 15, 1*00, and installed at the same 
time. His former pastor, Rev. Mr. Mills, of Sutton, preached the ordination 
sermon, which was published. 1 

Mr. Holman was a man of great firmness and perseverance. The church 
increased in numbers, and the society prospered during his administration. 
He was a man of dignity in manner and solemn in his style of preaching. 
Some difference between him and his people in regard to the introduction 
of instrumental music into the church service was the final cause of his 
asking a dismission. il With great reluctance on the part of the church and 
parish, his request was granted, and he was dismissed by an Ecclesiastical 
Council" on May 22, 1821. He remained in town above forty years and 



1 It was printed by Nathaniel Heaton, Jr., of Wrentham. Most of the sermons ami addresses pub- 
lished in this vicinity were printed at that press, which continued there for quite a number of years. 



250 A SKETCH OF THE 

supplied vacant pulpit:-* in the vicinity for a number of years after his 
dismissal. 

After a long and useful life he died in this town October 28, 18-44, at the 
age of seventy-live, in the house which he built near the church where he 
preached, and where he had lived during many years of his life. He was 
respected and venerated for his many virtues and his ministerial labors by 
his numerous parishioners. 1 

Several of his sermons and orations were published — an "Oration" 
delivered in his church July 5, 1802, at the " Anniversary of American Inde- 
pendence," and a "Special Discourse" on the one hundredth anniversary of 
the birth of John Shepard ("the ancient"). 

Mr. Holman married Lettice, daughter of Dr. Samuel Morey, of Norton. 
She died March 6, 1848. They had three children, Samuel Morey, David 
Emory, and Mary Hodges Holman, only one of whom — the eldest — is now 
living. 2 

To Mr. Holman succeeded the Rev. John Ferguson. He was born Decem- 
ber 9, 17<ss, at Duuse, which was a market town in Berwickshire in the 
southern part of Scotland. His grandfather came from the north of Scot- 
land and was one of the Duke of Marlborough's soldiers, serving in the Scots 
Grays, a regiment of heavy cavalry, in (,>ueen Anne's wars. His father and 
uncle emigrated to this country and settled in Newport. R. 1. During the 
time of the Revolutionary war his father returned to Scotland, as he was 
unwilling to fight against the mother country, but at the age of seventy he 
returned with his wife and family to Newport. Mrs. Ferguson was Anne 
Briggs, of Little Compton, R. I. 

At the time of the family's return to this country, the subject of this sketch 
was seventeen years old. He became converted at an early age and com- 
menced fitting himself for the ministry. He studied for two years with Dr. 
Tenney, pastor of the First Congregational Church in Newport, intending to 
enter Yale College two years in advance. While residing in Providence at 
one time, he studied under the tuition of Rev. Calvin Park, d.d., Professor 
of Ancient Languages, and later of Moral Philosophy, in Brown University. 
He was obliged to abandon his plan of entering college, had again to enter 
business, assume the care of his father and the support of the family. For 
ten years he continued this course and during all the time never relinquished 
the hope of entering the ministry. He seemed to have a presentiment that the 
desire of his life would be fulfilled, and the ten years proved to be years of 
preparation for that kind- of life, though of so different a nature from what he 
would have chosen. 

" His first sermon as a candidate for settlement was preached in this town, 



1 He had a brother, Rev. David Holman, who was settled in Douglas, Mass., for many year--. 
- Mr. Samuel Holman has since died. 



HISTORY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. 2-51 

and his text, ' The Lord is a man of war. 7 The text and sermon were not 
only characteristic of the man and his theology, but characteristic of his 
ministry, which to use his own expression, was 'warlike.' Mr. Ferguson 
never shrunk from the defence of truth, never hesitated to sacrifice comfort, 
reputation, or means of support, in the maintenance of principle. Like 
other such men, he was often involved in controversy and conflict, and not 
infrequently made bitter enemies; though he, at the same time, rallied about 
him, more and warmer friends. Some may perhaps, have doubted the 
wisdom or necessity of all his battles, but none ever questioned the entire 
honesty or disinterestedness of his motives." 

He was ordained here February 27, 1822, and dismissed March 25, 1835. 
Speaking of his ministry here a writer says: " It was of great value in the 
administration of wise and judicious measures, and marked the commence- 
ment of the svstem of support to the various benevolent enterprises of the 
day, and of aid to the labors of parent and pastor by a judicious and careful 
education of children in Sabbath Schools, and maternal associations." 

After leaving Attleborough, Mr. Ferguson was settled in Whately, Mass., 
from March 16, 1836, till June 7, 1840. He was called Father Ferguson 
and was a man to whom churches looked for counsel and pastors for advice, 
often when pastors and churches were involved in difficulties. 

" He was very often solicited to appear as advocate, before ecclesiastical 
courts, and many a time, as he has done this, have the coolness and shrewd- 
ness, the wit and wisdom, with which he advocated the cause, extorted the 
exclamation : ' What a lawyer he would have made ! ' : He almost always 
defended the weaker party, his sympathies frequently inclining to the unpop- 
ular side. " He was always ready to grasp his shield, and poise his lance, for 
the injured and defenceless. In such cases he sniffed the battle, like the war 
horse, and fought with all the chivalry, and I may add the courtesy of a 
Christian knight." He became extensively known as the u champion of the 
oppressed," though at the same time he was equally well known " as a lover 
and maker of peace." 

He preached for about two years at Lanesborough and Whately, the place 
of his former settlement, and in 1842 became general agent of the American 
Tract Association for the States of Vermont and New Hampshire, in which 
position and work he was very successful. He really became the Congrega- 
tional Bishop of those two States. 

He died at Whately November 11, 1858. Fie was a man of vigorous 
mind and vigorous body, a large-hearted man of keen wit, li but his keenest 
shafts were winged with kindness." He was social and genial in manner. 
Realizing the defects of his own education, — having never graduated from 
any college, — he labored hard and made many sacrifices to give his sons 
college educations. Amherst College bestowed upon him the honorary 
degree of Master of Arts, a proof that, although he had been denied the 



252 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

advantage of a college course, be hud by his own exertions thoroughly 
educated himself, and the compliment was a source of gratification to him. 
He was married June 7. L813, to Mary V. Hammer of Newport, R. I., by 

whom lie had two children. She died dune 30, 1818. On April 28, 1819, 
be married Margaret S. Eddy of Providence, R. I., by whom he had nine 
children. 

Mr. Ferguson l published a sermon on the death of Ebenezer Daggett, Jr., 
which was delivered December 16, 1831, and several other discourses. He 
also published a " Memoir of Dr. Samuel Hopkins," the celebrated theolo- 
gian, for the use of Sabbath-schools. 

A parsonage house was built by the parish in 1822. This is the house on 
South Main Street now occupied by Mr. Joseph Capron. Rev. Mr. Fergu- 
son was the only clergyman who occupied it as a parsonage. After he left 
town it was sold, first to Moses Wilmarth, then to Virgil Capron, then to 
Thomas French, and finally to Otis Capron, from whose hands it passed into 
those of its present owner. Tt has been altered and somewhat enlarged since 
it was first built. 

The second meetinghouse in the •• Fast Precinct" was built in 1825. It 
was begun in the spring of that year and dedicated in December following. 
It cost about $6,000. It has since been enlarged at a cost of several 
thousand dollars additional. 

The next pastor of the church was Rev. Jonathan Crane. He was born in 
Schenectady, N. Y., in 1814. There he passed his boyhood, and at the age 
of fifteen he entered Union College, graduating in 1832 at eighteen years of 
age. He entered the ministry when twenty-one, and on October 30, 1836, 
when but twenty-two, he was ordained over this church. He remained here 
for eighteen years and was dismissed June 12, 1854. He removed to New- 
York, where he was settled over the Congregational Church on Twentieth 
Street. He remained there three years, when he was invited to return to this 
town, and it was during the time he was here that the church building was 
enlarged and repaired. In 1860 Mr. Crane received a call from the Congre- 
gational Church at Middletown. N. Y., which he accepted, and where he 
labored for eight years. Upon his taking charge of that church the congre- 
gation numbered only about forty families, but he lived to see it increase 
threefold. 

In 1868 he went west, where he remained for a number of years, laboring 
in several places in Michigan and Missouri. He was principally at Kalama- 
zoo. Mich., not settled over any church, but preaching and working in 
various churches in that region. At St. .Joseph. Mo., he was especially 
successful, and largely through his efforts a new church was erected there. 



! He was a relative of t lie celebrated Dr. Adam Ferguson, the historian and professor in Edinburgh 
University. See Blake's Mendon Association. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 253 

In L875 Mr. Crane received a second call from his people in Middletown and 
returned to bis charge there, remaining uutil his death, which occurred 
December 25, 1877, at the age of sixty-three years. 

In an obituary notice of him are these words: '■ Throughout his entire life, 
Mr. Crane was a conscientious and devout Christian, an honorable and high- 
minded gentleman, the very soul of honor, and an enterprising, public spirited 
citizen, always favoring and aiding any enterprise looking to the advance- 
ment of the locality where he resided. 

" Mr. Crane had a wonderful faculty for conducting the financial affairs of 
churches, and many congregations throughout the country can thank him for 
their present sound basis." 

Mr. Crane was very successful in his ministry here, the church being pros- 
perous and receiving large additions to its numbers while under his charge. 

In 1*37 he was married to Anna H.. daughter of N. W. Sanford, of 
Brooklyn, N. Y. She survived him for nine years and died at Middletown 
November 28, 1886. Four children are living, namely, Annie E. (Mrs. 
George W. Fish). Sanford W., John, and Francis. 

The next settled minister was Rev. Charles D. Lothrop. He was born in 
Easton, Mass., in 1828 and graduated at Amherst College in 1849 and 
subsequently at Andover Theological Seminary. He was installed over this 
church December 14, 1854, and dismissed April 29. 1857, having been pastor 
for about two years and a half. 

From this time for about nine years there was no settled minister. Mr. 
Crane preached here for several years, as has been stated, and. after he left, 
the pulpit was supplied by a number of clergymen, hired by the week, the 
month, or for a longer period. The one who remained the longest period 
was Rev. Mr. Belden, who was here in '« war times," and whose sermons and 
addresses during that period will lie remembered by many as most patriotic, 
most stirring, and eloquent. 

A most unfortunate dissension had arisen between the church and parish, 
commencing with some disagreement regarding the last settled pastor men- 
tioned, which was increased over some questions arising when the church 
building was altered. This continued for quite a number of years, finally 
involving some legal questions. But though all differences were at length 
set :it rest, it seemed impossible to find the man who as pastor and preacher 
should satisfy all the people. The right time came, however, when church 
and parish " agreed to agree," and a call was extended to Rev. Francis X. 
Peloubet. He was born in New York City, was a graduate of Williams Col- 
lege in 1853 and of Bangor Theological Seminary in 1857. He was installed 
here June 26, 1866, and dismissed at his own request October 111, 1871. He 
removed to Natick, Mass., where he still resides. He had charge of a church 
for some years, but at present has no pastorate, being largely interested in 
the International Sabbath-school work. He is the author of the " Peloubet 



254 A SKETCH OF THE 

Series of Question Books and Quarterlies," and of "Select Notes on the 
International Lessons." Since leaving this town he has received the degree 
of Doctor of Divinity. [He is now (1891) in Aubnrndale.] 

To him succeeded the Rev. Samuel Bell. He was installed December 18, 
1872, and dismissed October 28, 1878. 

The next pastor was Rev. William A. Spalding, of Lynn, Mass., and for- 
merly, with his wife, a missionary in Armenia. He was installed September 
11, 1879. He remained four years. Finally, failing health made it neces- 
sary for him to give up ministerial work, and he requested a dismissal, which 
was granted November 19, 188:5. He returned to his native place. Lynn, 
where he died very suddenly January 10, 1884. 

Rev. Walter Barton is the present pastor of the church. He was born at 
Granby, Mass., May 5, 1833. He fitted for college at Williston Seminary, 
Easthampton, and graduated at Amherst College in 1856. He then returned 
to Williston as a teacher and remained two years, then entered the Con- 
necticut Theological Institution at p]ast Windsor Hill and graduated from 
there three years later, in 1861. He preached one year each in Oxford, 
Conn., and Grafton, Vt., and was then called to the Cougregational church 
in South Amherst, Mass., where he was ordained and installed February 
17, 186-1. In 1866 he received and accepted a call to the Congregational 
church in Sutlield, Conn., where he remained until called to the First Church 
of Christ, in Lynn, this State, over which he was installed February 24, 1876. 
This charge he held for eight years, when a call was extended to him from 
the church in Attleborough. He commenced his labors here in March, 1884. 

During his ministry in Sutlield two hundred and twenty persons were added 
to the church. The church of his charge in Lynn is called legally "The 
First Church of Christ in Lynn," and is the oldest Congregational church, 
occupying the same ground, in the United States. During Mr. Barton's 
residence it celebrated the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of its forma- 
tion, the pastor delivering the historical address on that occasion. AYhile he 
was there one hundred and twenty-six were added to the church and a large 
and burdensome debt was lifted. 

Since his ministry here commenced there have been about seventy persons 
admitted to the church. Mr. Barton has not been publicly installed over this 
church for certain reasons relating to his own views upon the question of 
installation, reasons which affect neither the harmony between himself and 
his people nor the faithfulness and earnestness of his labors among them. 1 
He married Mattie M. Smith, of North Hartley, Mass., by whom he has two 
daughters, Mary L. and Minnie M. Barton (now Mrs. Thomas Foote). 



'Mr. Marion resigned his pastorate here September 1,1893, and removed to Hyde Park. He has 
not ceased preaching, but is noi connected with any church. The last of November, 1893, a call was 
extended to Rev. Elwin L. House, then of Portland, Maine, which was accepted. He preached his 
first sermon here as pastor December 17 following and was installed January 31, 1S94 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOEOUGH. 255 

As has been seen, this church was constituted on the 30th of November, 
' -184ftr" by Rev. Mr. Leonard, pastor of the First Congregational Church at 
Plymouth, as the organ of an Ecclesiastical Council, called for that purpose, 
being a colony from the First Congregational Church in this town, then under 
the pastoral care of Rev. Habijah Weld, its honored pastor, almost fifty- 
five years." 

This division was attended with the utmost harmony and good feeling on 
the part both of those who removed and those who remained. The reasons 
for the formation of this church may be found in a letter asking for a dis- 
missal from the First Church and " signed by 26 males and 24 females." 

Having a prospect (through the mercy of God) that the Gospel Ministry and Ordinances 
may be settled among us more conveniently than to attend with yon, and for the more regular 
carrying on of the Affairs of Christ's Kingdom among us, it is our desire and design (by the 
help of God, and with your consent.) to Embody into a Church State, etc. Following are t%e 
names of those who signed this letter: — 

Joseph Capron and Wife, Daniel Perry and Wife, 

Jonathan Wilmarth and Wife, Henry Joslin, 

Thomas French and Wife Jonas Richardson, 

Stephen Wilmarth. Bethiah Carpenter. 

Mary French, Thomas Wilmarth, 

Ichabod Perry, Robert Martin and Wife, 

John Wilkinson. Rebecca Brown, 

Abraham Comming and Wife, William Bolcom and Wife, 

Aaron Cutting, David Perry and Wife, 

Nathan Wilmarth and Wife, Sarah Jackson, 

John Tiffany and Wife, John Tyler and Wife. 

Henry Joslin, Jr., Joseph Bishop, 

Edward Foster and Wife, Daniel Wilmarth, 

Elizabeth Lane, Hannah (the wife of Sam.) Jackson, 

Abigail Powell, Thomas Sweet and Wife, 

Obadiah Carpenter and Wife. Liddia (the wife of Win.) Lane, 

Joseph Barrus and Wife, John Sweet and Wife. 

This letter was dated October, 1748, and the answer, dated November 26, 
1748, was signed "Habijah Weld, Pastor: In the Name and with the Con- 
sent of the Church." 

That the relations between the people of the two parishes had been pleas- 
ant is to be seen by the following words of Rev. Mr. Thacher : "The most 
of the time between Aug. 20, 1743, and November 30, 174.S, I stood in the 
relation of pastor elect to the brethren and people of God in the easterly 
part of Attleborough, and preached to them on other Sabbaths ; yet with 
mutual consent, we all attended the Rev. Mr. Weld's meetings, the Sabbaths 
on which he administered the Lord's Supper." 

In the course of a few weeks after the formation of the new church its 
membership had increased to seventy. Fifty-nine of the number were from 
the First Church, and the remainder — four excepted — from East Provi- 
dence, which was then a part of Rehoboth. As has been seen, fifty persons 
formed this church. At the public and formal organization the following 



256 A SKETCH OF THE 

persons joined it : Petei Thacher, from the church in Middleborough, Jesiel 
Perry, Jr., William Hntchins, and David Hutchins, of Rehoboth, and William 
Dryer. At one time only' were there fewer names on the books. This was 
at the beginning of the present century. Some extracts from a sermon 
preached in October. 1820, by the Rev. Mr. Holmau will show the reasons 
for this declension, in the state of the community at that time. Suvs Mr. 
Hobnan : — 

When I came into this place the Church and Society were considered as being in a very low 
state. Twenty years had passed away without any special attention to religion, and for 
eighteen bul nine members had been added. It might therefore lie expected that the Church 
would he much reduced. This was found to he the ca-e. There were then hut forty-six 
members, fourteen male-, five of whom lived in Rehoboth, and thirty-two females. Four of 
the male members had not for a number of years communed, or acted with the Church, and 
never did afterwards. Among the remaining ten. none were under fifty years, and some were 
very tar advanced in life. Three died in a short time, and some others within a tew years. In 
1800 sixteen members were added to the Church, and in 1801, twenty-seven more: making in the 
two years forty-three. Twelve <>l these were males, and thirty-one females. Deducting for 
deaths and removals, the Church at the close of the year 1802 could not consist of more than 
eighty members. From this time to 1S14. a period of twelve years, only twelve were added to 
the church, three males and nine females. In these twelve years a considerable number died, 
and a greater number removed into other places, so that in 1814 there were hut fifty members 
in the Church, eleven males, and thirty-nine females. This was a period of great declension 
and abounding iniquity. Though under the ministry of the Rev. Mr. Thacher. this people 
were applauded for the regularity of their habits and the morality of their live-, yet for the 
long period of twenty years after he was taken off from his labor-, to the year 1800, immoral 
practices had sprung up and become very prevalent. Gambling of almost every kind was much 
practiced. Profane swearing had become quite fashionable among a certain class of the 
people, and the same class of people were -een so frequently at the taverns and grogshop-, 
as to obtain the appellation of tavern-haunters; and although the revival of religion in 1800 
and 1801 proved a check upon these practice.-, yet they were continued, in a greater or less 
degree, and opposition was felt and expressed by a number, through the whole of the revival; 
and after the revival, as religion declined, iniquity abounded more and more. 

The writer further -ays thai in 1814 -'it seemed as though the plans of the wicked were 
systematic d and brought to perfection." The church was small, but sinners were many, and 
professors were almost in de-pair, and ready " to think that the mercy of God was clean -one. 
and that religion would soon lie removed from this place." More than a year had passed away 
" w it bout a religious conference, or meeting for prayer," which " had not occurred before since 
the revival in 1800." The" professors" were almost stranger- to each other and all appeared 
to be sleeping, but -non the work of the Lord became visible, and then it was found that many 
had been praying for a reformat ion. Conference meetings were then held every week : — " For 
several weeks, however, but few male- attended, and the nrayers were all offered by the Pas- 
tor. Conference meetings were, for a number of weeks, met with the assembling of the irre- 
ligious the -ame week, and sometimes the same day. The day following one of them, there 
was a horse-race in the same direction of the religious meeting, winch drew together a large 
number of men. The week following, the same day of the conference, there was a foot-race- 
which it was thought assembled at least two hundred people, men and boys. This, however, 
wa- a day of encouragement to the mourners in Zion. Five men. not all members of the 
( h u re h. attended the meeting. In a ho tit ten days after this, a large ball which had been contem- 
plated, and which wa- to have assembled most of our dear youth together, with others from 
the neighboring towns, wa- to have been attended. But seriousness was so impressed upon 
the minds of many, and the sudden death of Dea. Thacher occurring, and his funeral being 
attended the same day of the ball, influenced most of them to relinquish their object. Other- 
attended the ball, but with the promise that they would never attend another, and it is to be 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 257 

hoped thev never will, for they have been hopefully converted and become regular members 
of the Church. From this time all vain amusements, and a> far as appeared, all gambling, 
was discontinued. The attention of all appeared to be more or less turned to the great sub- 
ject of religion." This work progressed continually for about two years. " No unusual means 
had been used, no new preachers had appeared among us, and no alarming providence had 
occurred. Had this taken place a year before it might have been thought to be caused by the 
sickness and the deaths with which we were then visited. "We had then more cases of fever, 
and more deaths occasioned by fevers, than we had had for thirteen years before. Five died in 
one family. During the time of this sickness. 1 which was a period of about seven months, 
more than thirty died in this parish; eight of whom were members of this church."' In fair 
weather and foul the meetings at thi* time were crowded, and frequently the meeting-house 
could not contain the people. Many were converted. 

"The relations of those who hopefully experienced religion, were thought to be peculiarly 
scriptural, and truly Orthodox. For two years, we had no communion without one or more 
being added to the Church. Twenty-seven is the largest number added at any one time. The 
whole number added, since the commencement of the revival is one hundred and thirty-four; 
thirty-nine males, and ninety-five females."' 

One says : " This Church we regard as the product of the great awakening 
in 1740," and '* the year 1743, in which this parish was formed, is memorable 
in the religious history of our country, especially of New England, for the 
great awakening under Edwards and his cotemporaries. This town shared 
largely in that work, and a large proportion of the original members of this 
Church, were among its subjects. Within the three years that preceded the 
formation of this parish, the First Church in this town, received 192 to her 
communion." The Second Church has had other times of depression, but 
none so serious as the one just mentioned, and since that time there seems 
to have been a continual — if at times small — increase, until in 1887 the 
membership was three hundred and eighty -six. 

Manv have gone from her midst to plant other churches in other places, 
and many of her sons have entered the ministry. The revival of 1815 enabled 
her " to give five of her youthful sons to the work of the gospel ministry," 
and thirty-three years later four of these were living. 

In 1800 a church was formed in Harford, Penn., a town colonized by 
Attleborough people. There were seven original members and all had letters 
from this church. "The Pawtucket Congregational Church 2 was originally 
composed of but nine members, one male, and eight females. All these 
were members of the church in Attleborough, under the pastoral care of 
Rev. Mr. Ferguson. In April 1829, they were dismissed from that church, 
with Christian affection and commendation, for the purpose of being organized 
into a distinct branch of the Christian Church, to be located in the village of 
Pawtucket. That was effected by a regularly convened ecclesiastical council, 
on the seventeenth of the above month." A number of years ago a clergy- 
man of New York State, a member of the Thacher family, thus wrote: 



1 This must have been the cold plague, elsewhere mentioned, which occurred in 1816, but Mr. Holman 
places the date a little later. 
-The church of which Rev. Mr. Blodgett was for so many years the beloved pastor. 



258 A SKETCH OF THE 

•'I :iin acquainted with no Church, from which, considering its location, and 
the number of its constituent members, so many sons and daughters have 
emanated as from the Second Church in Attleboro'. Her descendants are 
found in almost all the Eastern, Middle, Western and some of the Southern 
State-, active members of various Churches, which they have been either 
instrumental in forming, or with which they have become connected." 

The one hundredth anniversary of the church's formation was celebrated in 
an appropriate and interesting manner. December 7, instead of November 
30, 1848, was the date selected as a matter of convenience. Delegates from 
several churches were present, and many letters containing pleasant remi- 
niscences of her early days, sacred memories, and heartfelt congratulations, 
were received. Numbers of clergymen from abroad were present to take 
part in the varied services of the day, among them the Rev. Messrs. J. 0. 
Barney. C. Blodgett, Thomas Williams, J. Ferguson, and .1. M. B. Bailey, 
and there were two of the name of Thacher, descendants of the first minister. 
These officiated at the communion service and were assisted by Deacon Peter 
Thacher, of this town, and Deacon J.Tyler, of Harford, Penn., both grand- 
sons of the first minister. At this time one person, Mrs. Mercy Everett, 
was living in town who had been baptized by Mr. Thacher ninety-one years 
before, and another, Miss Deborah Starkey, who had joined the church sixty- 
eight years previous, in the revival of 1780. 

On this occasion Rev. Mr. Crane, the pastor of the church, delivered the 
historical address. In it he says of the church : " Formed soon after 
the bloody wars with the Indians, she passed through the American Revolu- 
tion, and has witnessed a change almost miraculous, on the part of the col- 
onies, a change from a state of colonial dependence, to that of an united, 
free and independent republic ; from a condition of great poverty and de- 
pression, to one of comparative wealth, renown and honor." These words 
were prophetic, for, while true of her past, they were true in a more marked 
degree of her future. Could the writer have looked forward a few years he 
would have seen the church witness a struggle darker, deadlier, bloodier than 
the one before and presaging a change even more miraculous ; he would 
have seen her freely giving her sons to the fight as before, and this time even 
to the death ; and he would have seen the country rising from a state lower 
and more degrading than that of colonial dependence — a state of slavery — 
to one of true freedom and independence, and from a w - condition of compar- 
ative wealth, renown and honor'" to one of great wealth and ever increasing 
importance and commercial prosperity and to a position highly honorable, 
yea. even foremost among the nations of the earth. 

SABBATH-SCHOOL. 

Unfortunately, all records relating to the formation of the Sabbath-school 
connected with this church have been lost, and memory and tradition can give 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOIiOUGH. 259 

now but a few scattered facts or recollections. The school was formed in 
1825 during the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Ferguson, who was no doubt largely 
instrumental in starting this good work. It is known that the first sessions 
were held in the Frauklin schoolhouse, then occupying the lot Avhere the 
church now stands. They could not have continued there long, for during 
that year probably the schoolhouse was moved. The vestry was not 
finished until some time after the upper part of the uew meetinghouse was 
completed, and therefore the school may have occupied the main audience 
room. The last Deacon Thacher was probably the first superintendent; 
and among the earlier ones were Mr. Myers, Jesse Carpenter, Nathaniel W. 
Sanford. Deacon Atherton Wales, Emmons Walton, Edward Wilmarth, 
and Deacon Harvey Claflin. Among the later ones may be mentioned 
Zenas B. Carpenter and his two sons, L. Z. and A. B. Carpenter, 
B. P. King, A. Vinton Cobb, Charles E. Bliss ; and others have held 
the position. 1 

The following report, which is given in full, furnishes much interesting 
information regarding the school a few years after its formation and is 
especially valuable because it is the only known early record in existence. 

Our school is situated in Attle. Co. of Bristol. Our school has been in successful operation 
for fifteen years. During that period an increasing interest in its prosperity has been mani- 
fested. It is regarded as one of the most promising means of usefulness in operation among 
us. The cause of its increase during the 15 years is to he attributed to the increasing evidence 
of its utility rather than to any special effort to give it popularity. < >ur course has been silent, 
uniform, persevering, and we indulge the hope that its prosperity will be lasting. We have 
about 100 between 18 and 75 who are in Neweomb's book of Romans, about 60 in his 2d vol, 
and a few in his first. A number in the other Catechism. We have a class of old ladies who 
formerlv sat as spectators. An elderly Brother by their request was invited to become their 
teacher. He accepted the invitation & commenced I think with four; soon the class so much 
increased that it became necessary to divide, and another brother was invited to be their 
teacher. These scholars have ever been studious & constant attendants at the school. It 
was mentioned by these old ladies that our grey-headed fathers should not be passed by. 
Accordingly, one of our number went into the streets, and soon gathered a class which has so 
much increased that it has been divided and sub-divided. Our pastor always attends the open- 
ing of the school when at home, and takes a lively interest in it. His wife too lends the helping 
hand and has the charge of a class of young ladies. In short they have ever been the pillar 
and main spring from the commencement.- Our teachers are for the most part punctual & 
interested. Our lesson for the first Sabbath in each month is given out from the Assembly's 
Catechism. At the close of the school questions are asked from this lesson, which appear to 
interest all. We have had a s. s. celebration. 4 th of July, the two past years, and witli a little 
effort it has been made very interesting. — our meeting-house filled to overflowing. Our school 
was visited the fore part of the year with the out-pouring of God's Holy Spirit, and a number 



1 The school is now, 1891, under the most efficient guidance of Mr. Martin L. Chapman. On Febru- 
ary 15 there was the largest attendance ever known, there being then three hundred and eighty- 
six persons present. 

-It is apparent that Mr. Thacher here refers to Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson, since they were no doubt 
" the main spring " so long as they remained here, but Mr. Ferguson left town in 1835, and Mr. Jona- 
than Crane had been pastor of the church about three years and a half at the time this report was 
written. 



260 A SKETCH OF TIL: 

of souls as we hope and trust were born anew, — but for sonJ i reason lie has been pleased to 
withdraw his spirit from among us. All which i- respectful! ■ submitted. 

Peter Thacher, Superintendent. 
To 

Rev. Asa Bullard, Secretary Massachusetts Sabbath School Society. 
Attleborough' March 25, 1840. 

Periods of depression have very probably visi ed the school since its 
organization and hick of interest been at times manifested, but for a genera- 
tion past it has certainly been prosperous and is at present in a most flourish- 
ing and encouraging condition. The reports show that on January 1, 1887, 
there were 47 classes with 11 officers and assistants. The total number on 
the roll of both teachers and scholars was 516. of scholars 462 ; the largest 
attendance during the year previous 351, the average 314, and the aggregate 
16,328, with a gain in the average attendance of 28 above the year preced- 
ing. The home department numbered 132. The number of conversions 
during the year was 32, and the collections amounted to $268.06. This is 
the largest Protestant Sabbath-school in town and the largest but one in the 
conference to which the church belongs. 

"We have stated that the first meetinghouse in the second precinct was 
commenced in 1743. The land upon which it was built was given to the 
parish, and subsequently they purchased additional lots. The building was 
thirty-five by forty-live feet, called a square building, and stood on what is 
now the common, near where one of the large elm trees stands by the path 
whicli formerly crossed to the residence of the late David E. Holman. It 
faced the south and had three doors, one in the south front, one on the east, 
and the other on the west side. Through the central, south door the minister 
of the olden time always entered and with great dignity, uncovering his 
head as did his parishioners while he passed them. It was the custom for 
many to wait outside to pay this mark of respect to the minister, and tor 
those who had entered the building to rise as he entered and remain standing 
until he had taken his seat. The old meetinghouse had the then common 
hipped roof. 1 and often these buildings were surmounted with a belfry, wherein 
hung the bell, but there is nothing to indicate the presence of such an appen- 
dage here. In lieu of a bell in those days, "a drum was beat" or a conch 
shell blown to summon the " clockless people" to service, and sometimes a 
flag was raised for the benefit of those who dwelt beyond the sound of drum 
or shell. What special custom was followed here we do not know, but we 
may be sure that some effective method was used, that the people every one 
attended regularly, and that they were never late. 



'Opinions differ with regard to the appearance of this building; and, according to the testimony of 
several who claim to remember "just how it looked," the root' was peaked not hipped. The sides 
were north and south, the roof sloping in those directions, the ridge pole running east and west, ami 
it had main' windows with very small panes of glass, probably twenty-four to each window. A 
memory picture which thus shows it has recently been made lor Major E. S. Horton — the result of 
the combined testimony of about half a dozen of the oldest inhabitants of the town. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 2(>] 

The building of this meetinghouse must have been a great event, and it is 
said "quite a crowd gathered to see the ground broken, and every male citi- 
zen who could possibly leave his own affairs, attended the raising." The 
structure must have been plain and primitive in the extreme, as we now judge, 
though it compared favorably with the majority of the dwellings of the 
people. It was not finished inside for several years, but eventually it had a 
" tier of galleries " on three sides, a high pulpit with huge sounding-board 
no doubt occupying the other. It was nearly forty years before pews were 
introduced here, and until that time probably the rudest of pine benches were 
the only sitting accommodation afforded. In some of the churches a hundred 
and fifty years ago ; t is said that the seats were so arranged that they were 
raised when the people, as was then the custom, rose for the prayers ; and, the 
amen being pronounced, they fell with a loud slam when the people prepared 
to reseat themselves. This seems hardly compatible with the dignity and 
propriety we have been taught to believe the early fathers maintained, and in 
these " unregenerate days" such a ceremony would not be considered " con- 
ducive to the true spirit of worship." Whatever the style of seats first used 
here, in 1780 the people were ready for a change, for it is recorded that in that 
year pews were introduced into the meetinghouse. " The room upon the 
floor was divided and sold to pay the expense incurred for alterations and 
repairs, amounting, according to record, to £28,000 ; but as if to save their 
credit from a charge of wasteful extravagance, it is added that * one silver 
dollar 1 shall be received for seventy-two dollars of the old emission.' ' 

Another custom which early prevailed was the one maintained by the sect 
called Friends : the men occupied one portion of the church and the women 
another, families being thus divided ; and this fashion obtained in some places 
up to quite a recent date. That it was followed here seems to be proven by 
a record made in 1793, in which the " wimen's body of Seats below " is 
mentioned. It is said that in many of the colonial churches there were two 
ministers. These occupied the seats at the back of the pulpit, while the 
ruling elders had their raised seats in front of the pulpit, and the deacons 
also, only a step lower down. It is also said that social rank was some- 
times a powerful element in the religion even of our forefathers, and that 
seats in church were aiTanged by its standard. Sometimes the places were 
assigned by the committee in charge according to the position of the men on 
the tax list and sometimes by grading their liberality toward the expenses of 
the church. The tithing-man was an important factor in the old-time Sabbath 



'These must of course have been Spanish dollars, then in circulation in this country and taken 
fifteen years later as the standard of the first American dollars coined. It is difficult to even approx- 
imate the actual cost of these repairs. Twenty years previous it took over £2,000 of Rhode Island 
paper money to make £100 sterling, and at this time much more would probably have been required, 
for iu 1780-81 the paper money issued by Congress had become almost valueless. The true value of 
the sum which sounds so large would therefore be very small. 



262 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

Day service, and he was busily employed in keeping mischievous urchins in 
order, waking' the sleepy fathers and mothers in Israel, and even in watching 
stray dogs, who frequently followed their masters to the sanctuary. At first 
a leader lined out the psalms, the singing of which must have been unmelo- 
dious and wearisome to a high degree, since u two breaths" were often 
required in the prolongation of one note ; and later came the choir of " village 
youths and maidens." who. according to a French gentleman, — a traveler in 
this country, — actuall}' " sang three parts, and the women sustained a fourth." 
For many years meetinghouses had no heating apparatus, the women alone 
using footstoves, while the men sat in their "great coats" and sometimes 
their hats. The fate of the children is not deemed worthy of mention by the 
writers; they must have suffered, but of course in silence. 

Another early fashion was to build " Sabbath Day houses," to be occupied 
by the families of the owners between services and as places in which to eat 
their lunches. John Woodcock had one in Rehoboth aud another in Wren- 
tham, and others may have had them in this town though no meution of them 
appears to have been made. This fashion of going to church for the day 
and of bringing lunches continued here until the second preaching service was 
given up a few years ago. In one of the small vestry rooms, for many a 
Sunday, a cup of tea was prepared to cheer and sustain some of the old ladies 
of the congregation, and over this fragrant beverage conversation never 
lagged, nor was it wholly confined to the merits of the sermon just heard in 
the room above. 

The old meetinghouse had its horse block ''at the corner of the house" 
and later its row of sheds. Up to about 1820 it may be conjectured no music 
hut that of the voice had been heard within its walls, for at that time it is 
recorded that the introduction of wind instruments into the services caused 
trouble between Mr. Ilolman and his people, which finally resulted in his 
dismissal. It ought, however, in justice to be said that this was not the only 
cause of dissension; money matters entered into the dispute, for it appears 
that the minister's salary was not paid as promptly as it should have been. 
The first building was occupied for a little more than eighty years and then a 
new one was built a few rods west of it. 

In the year 1807 a number of the members of this parish '"shewing that 
the said Precinct is possessed in their own right of a small lot of land, called 
the Meeting-house lot. in said Precinct with a Meeting house thereon : And 
also of Eleven hundred and forty Dollars, as a fund for supporting a minister 
of the Gospel in said Precinct," petitioned the Legislature to incorporate 
them into a society. It was therefore enacted that Noah Blandin, Jacob 
Bolkcom, Joab Daggett, Thomas French, Caleb Richardson, Jr., Nathaniel 
Robinson, Henry Sweet, and Peter Thacher, — with others who had or should 
join them, — and their successors, should be incorporated into a body politic 
"with perpetual possession," and called "The Congregational Society in the 



HIS TOE Y OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 2G3 

Second Precinct in Attleboro'." These gentlemen and their successors 
were appointed trustees with the usual powers. It was provided that the 
fund could be put at interest " until the principal and interest, with what may 
be added thereto, shall amount to Four Thousand Dollars," and then the 
interest or annual income of the same was to be devoted to the paying of 
whatever Congregational minister might, be regularly ordained and settled in 
the second precinct. In the event of any vacancy of a regularly ordained and 
settled minister, interest could be added to principal, and if at any time the 
interest of said fund should be more than sufficient to pay the minister, the 
surplus could be applied to "rebuilding, enlarging or repairing their meeting 
house, or any other purpose of public utility as the said society shall direct." 
Compensation was allowed, if desired, to the officers of this society, but no 
part of the principal of their fund was ever to be "expended for any purpose 
whatsoever," etc. This act of incorporation was passed in February, 1807. 

The first meeting of the society was held March 30, 1807, when Peter 
Thacher, Jr., was chosen clerk, Eliphalet Wilmarth, Jr., treasurer, and Joab 
Daggett. Thomas French. Peter Thacher, Jacob Bolkcom, Nathaniel Robin- 
son, Noah Blandin, and Ezra Brown, trustees. The necessary by-laws were 
duly framed and accepted, and signed by Joab Daggett, " Chareman " of the 
board of trustees. One of these by-laws is explicit : "It shall be the duty 
of the Trustees to notify at the meeting house door the Sabbath before they 
meet for renewing the securities, and if any Person neglects to renew his 
security at the time the Trustees meet for that purpose must expect to be 
called upon by an Attorney." Members of this society are persons qualified 
to vote in parish meetings, being supporters of the ecclesiastical society then 
in the second precinct. 

Apparently the first mention of a new church occurred at a parish meeting 
held in March, 1819, and a committee of seven gentlemen was chosen to take 
into consideration the question of repairing the old church or building a new 
one. Nothing further seems to have been done for some time, but talk of a 
new building no doubt continued, and soon the propriety of placing it upon 
another lot must have entered into the discussions. The kt meeting-house 
lot" contained about two acres, and while that was sufficiently large it was 
decided for very good reasons to obtaiu more land. About 1820 attempts 
were made by members of another faith to gain a foothold in the East 
precinct. Parish limits being then territorial, freemen, no matter what their 
peculiar forms of belief, would have rights in parish property. Obviously 
serious complications would be liable to arise under such circumstances, 
whether the sect seeking establishment should be one with which the existing 
one could coalesce or not, and some arrangement had to be made to meet this 
threatened exigency. The "Incorporated Cong. Society" presented itself 
as the solution of this problem, and accordingly on February 4, 1824, the 
parish voted to grant a petition made and transfer the meetinghouse and lot 



2G4 A SKETCH OF THE 

to thai society. Present emergencies seemed to be met by this transfer, but 
it might not avail for possible ones in the future, and it was deemed besl to 
get another lot by some form of purchase, and steps in that direction were at 
once taken by the society. In May, 1824, the trustees of the Franklin School- 
house leased their lot to the society for the term of nine hundred and ninety- 
nine years under certain restrictions. This lot contained one fourth of an 
acre and had been given to them, as will be seen elsewhere, by Dr. Abijah 
Everett for the purposes of education. In order apparently to make this 
transfer good six heirs of Dr. Everett in October, 1824, quitclaimed all their 
"right, title and interest" in this land. In January. 1825, there was a 
purchase of about seventy-five rods of land made of Benjamin Bolkcom — 
this lay north of a part of the schoolhouse lot — and in September. 1827. a 
further purchase of about four rods was made of Grideon Sweet, and this also 
lay north of the schoolhouse lot. These transactions were in the name of 
Peter Thacher, who was trustee of the society. 

In 1825 the new meetinghouse was built under the following conditions : 
February 24, 1824, a number of the prominent men of the place formed 
themselves into a company for the purpose of erecting a meetinghouse on or 
near the meetinghouse lot in the second precinct for the use of the Incorpo- 
rated Congregational Society. The expense of building was to be divided 
into shares, in number not less than one hundred, and the price of each 
share was not to exceed fifty dollars. "When the shares should all lie taken, the 
company agreed to appoint a committee, who were to levy assessments on 
these as necessary for the cost of construction, and the members of the com- 
pany were to lie reimbursed for the money thus advanced by the sale of the 
pews in the completed house. All the terms of the agreement appear to have 
been complied with, and all the shares taken. There were thirty-six share- 
holders: Jacob Bolkcom, Peter Thacher, and Jesse Carpenter each took ten 
shares; Jonathan Bliss, six; Gideon Sweet and Kbenezer Tyler, five each; 
five gentlemen subscribed for four shares each, nine for two, and sixteen for 
one each. March 30, Jacob Bolkcom, Elijah Ingraham, Jonathan Peck, 
Noah Clatlin, and Peter Thacher were chosen a committee to obtain plans 
and submit them to the company. On April ('» this committee were empow- 
ered " to purchase a lot of Col. Bolkcom, and also the School house lot to sit 
the meeting house on," and about a week later they were instructed " to take 
the North Baptist meeting house at the North end of Providence for a sampl 
with some variations." In the autumn this original committee were directed 
to make all the necessary arrangements for dedicating the new church, and 
that meeting was then desolved, as during the former proceedings had fre- 
quently been the case, to meet at "a filter time." In January, 1<S26, the 
company decided to finish the vestry at once, and a little later they voted to 
pay Jacob Caprou 8105 to complete that work, materials to lie found. Peter 
Thacher was chosen to provide these materials, while Amos Starkev was 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 265 

instructed "to see that the work was done in a workmanlike manner." 
Accounts show that the building cost, as before stated, about $6,000. 

The society book furnishes a little further information. March 8, 1824, 
they " voted to Build a new meeting house provided the Subscription be fild 
to $5,000 in agreement with a Subscription paper for that purpose." At the 
same time it was " voted to dispose of the Old Meeting house," aud further, 
"to give up the pews in the Old meeting house free of any remuneration 
provided there was a new meeting house built there being 20 in favour and 4 
against (it being understood that all must agree to it or not any.)" A com- 
mittee was chosen to make some arrangement with the pewholders if possible, 
but this could not be done, and appraisers were chosen. These were Ben- 
jamin Shephard, of Wrentham, General Shephard Leach, of Easton, and 
Melitiah Everet, of Foxborough. November 1, 1825, a committee of five, later 
increased to nine, was chosen to dispose of the old building " at their dis- 
cretion by taking it off of the lot in two months from date." It required 
nearly twice as many men to dispose of the old church as to build the new 
one, but they managed to complete the laborious task after some fashion. 
The building was taken clown, for it is known that some of its timbers were 
used elsewhere, but not in what building. 1 

Among all the organizations connected with this church it must have been 
difficult at times to define duties. In the agreement of the building company, 
however, a good bell was included, the first placed in the village, no doubt, 
and the parish had to pay for ringing it. Very soon there was trouble with 
the bounds around the new meetinghouse, and in 1830 it is recorded that 
some villin brok a window. " Praise services " may not be of as recent origin 
as most of us suppose, for in 1836 the parish "voted to use the Meeting- 
house on Sunday evening for a sacred music" — concert probably the 
clerk intended to write. It was in this year that the parsonage was sold, and 
the society voted to put the proceeds into bank stock. In May. 1838, it was 
voted by the company to instruct Peter Thacher, " Trustee of the Proprietors 
of their Meeting House and Lot," to give a deed of that estate to the society, 
he having held it for some years previous in trust for them. This was accord- 
ingly done on the thirty-first of that month, " upon the express condition that 



1 The late Jonathan Bliss, who with his brother George owned the Farmer's mill property, and who 
built and occupied the large house on the west side 1 of the road, opposite the residence of Mr. Homer 
M. Daggett, purchased the entire building as it stood. There was some decided opposition to the 
erection of a new meetinghouse, and threats were openly made to Mr. Bliss to the effect that if he 
attempted to take down the old one it would be burned, as the opposition pi-eferred burning and 
total destruction to tearing down and further use. He paid no attention to these threats, however, 
but had a gang of men in readiness and as soon as the bargain was made set them to work and the 
task of demolition was accomplished without molestation. What became of the lumber is not known, 
but Mr. Jonathan Bliss, son of the above and now resident here, is the authority for these statements, 
and he says he had the old square pews to use for playhouses. These had turned posts all around 
their tops for ornament. He has no recollection of ever hearing his father say what price was paid 
for this lumber, a fact which would be of much interest at the present day if it could be ascertained. 



266 A SKETCH OF THE 

the said society shall control manage and use the said lot and house as they 
shall think proper providing nevertheless the said lot and house shall be 
exclusively used and improved for the worship of (rod by the Said Congrega- 
tional Society, and by their associates and successors," etc. 

Nowhere were the dimensions of the new building found, but they were the 
same as at present with the exception of the length. It was painted white 
and so continued for many years and, after the Methodist church was built, 
was often designated as tk the white church." There was at lirst but one 
gallery, that at the south end for the use of the singers, and the pulpit was 
in front of and on a level with it. This pulpit was painted white and had 
pillars in front, between which sat the deacons, and, the stairs being hidden, 
it was a source of great wonderment to small children how the minister 
reached his seat. The pews then faced the south, but in 1838 this order was 
reversed, the pulpit placed at the north end, and the side galleries put in. 
Not long before the old white pulpit, was taken away, the then youthful minis- 
ter of the parish, Mr. Crane, stood up in front of it to be married; after 
this it lay for a long time in the Bolkcom yard, now Dr. Bronson's, and finally 
disappeared. The new pulpit was of mahogany, ponderous and high, and 
the sofa and chairs were of the same material and covered with black hair- 
cloth. The parsonage money seems to have been used to make these repairs, 
arrangements being made to replace it. In 1826 the company voted to heat 
the church k1, with a furnice or like the new meeting-house in Taunton." This 
proposed method was certainly not then adopted, for two stoves at the south 
end with long pipes extending under the galleries were for many years the 
heating apparatus used. The music about this time, forty or fifty years ago, 
consisted usually of six pieces. For years Daniel Claflin played the double 
bass-viol, Deacon Harvey Claflin and William Carpenter the single bass-viols, 
Eben Smith the violin, E. Gardener Tripp the trombone, and, for a time at 
least, a Mr. Hunt, of Taunton, the flute. The habit of facing the singers 
had become so " firm fixed" that the people continued to indulge in it once 
in each service at least for more than seventy-five years, and it was only 
a few years ago that this awkward turning about was altogether abandoned. 
In 1850 an organ purchased by subscription was presented to the society, 
and the lirst organist, Mr. E. E. Fuller, commenced playing on the first Sun- 
day iu April of that year. A record of his full salary was not found, but 
the previous year the chorister was paid $25. Mr. William D. Wilmarth 
became organist in 1854 and continued for a great many years. 

In 185;i the parish began to talk of enlarging the meetinghouse, and iu the 
spring of 1854 the society appointed Zenas B. Carpenter a committee to con- 
sult a lawyer and see how this could be done legally. As a result some 
alterations in the act of incorporation seem to have been made, as the society 
was not at first empowered to hold real estate. November 4, 1857, the parish 
chose John Daggett, Jesse R. Carpenter, and Daniel Wilmarth a committee 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 267 

to attend to repairs, etc., and the report they duly made was accepted and 
ordered to be sent to the church. This is all the parish records furnish relat- 
ing to this matter, the society having it in charge chiefly. In December, 
1857, they chose these three gentlemen with Sumner E. Capron and Godfrey 
Wheeloek their committee for the same purpose. Alterations were accord- 
ingly made. The meetinghouse was cut in two, and a piece set in, long 
enough to contain seven pews, twenty-eight being thus added to the former 
number. One or two pews were taken away just before the pulpit, which 
was changed for a lower and smaller one, with proper attendant furnishings, 
the old ones being sent to the vestry, where some of the chairs are still in 
use. The gallery fronts were lowered, and pew doors removed. Furnaces 
were put in, and it was at this time perhaps that, as has been said, " more 
thunder was added to the organ." Various other changes were made, and 
marked improvements were made in the vestry. 

October 30, 1858, the building committee made their final report to the 
society, and a U>\x extracts from it are here given: " In the judgment of your 
Committee the House is now worth Twelve Thousand Dollars, ($12,000), that 
a new one finished and furnished as this is could not be built short of that 
sum. We have now a House of worship of which we need not be ashamed 
either in its exterior form or interior finish," which ''has been much beauti- 
fied by Fresco Painting and other ornaments. It is not like the old one offen- 
sive to good taste. The Committee think that the greatest improvement, one 
that will be the most often appreciated, is that of the vestry. It is now one 
of the most convenient in its form and arrangements, pleasant and neat in 
its appearance, and is not exceeded if equaled by any Room of the kind 
known to us. Although it lias cost something to make the alterations it is 
now worth it. It presents a most striking contrast with the old one." Not 
a word of this description, excepting the last sentence, is true of the vestry 
to-day. These repairs cost 84. •200. Citizens of the place subscribed $500 to 
purchase and put up the clock ; the ladies had a fair which netted $300, which 
with presents, etc. they increased to over 8500. The society fund, which had 
been increased to 84,000 or more, was used to pay for the new pews put into 
the building, and these, still owned by the society, represent that sum. 
The work was superintended by Mr. Jesse R. Carpenter with his usual energy 
and finished promptly. On its completion appropriate dedicatory services 
were held. 

As stated, the parish in 1824 transferred their interest in the meetinghouse 
and lot to the society. This was not a legal sale, as was afterwards ascer- 
tained, but was confirmed by the Legislature, which gave further authority 
to the society to dispose of the building. The society has no legal power to 
raise funds for the care, repairing, or building of a meetinghouse, as the parish 
has, and therefore much embarrassment has at times attended its proceedings 
in connection with that organization, and many complications have arisen. 



268 A SKETCH OF THE 

It was therefore deemed proper after due investigation and deliberation for 

the society to transfer this property back to the parish, and this they accord- 
ingly agreed to do December 17, 1860. 

At a parish meeting held August 1, 1872, a committee was appointed to 
report upon the question of buying or building a parsonage, and it was at 
length decided to purchase a house and lot on Peck Street, owned by Charles 
I. Cobb, for the sum of $5,000. Alterations and improvements have from 
time to time been made, and it has been occupied by the several pastors who 
have been over the church since its purchase. 

During this year, 1887, the question as to the advisability of purchasing 
another lot and building a new church has been much agitated, and some 
steps in that direction have been taken, chiefly on the part of some of the 
ladies of the parish, who have pledged themselves to do all in their power to 
accomplish this desired object. Nothing definite has been done, however. 
A meeting was held in which some propositions or suggestions were advanced, 
and the ladies hoped the gentlemen would feel sufficient interest to secure 
a lot which seemed appropriate and was then available. Enough interest 
was not awakened, and, the lot beiug too expensive for the ladies to assume 
the responsibility of its purchase alone, nothing further was done. Many 
consider a change in location necessary, while others deem the present site 
as agreeable as any in or near the centre of the village, and to build far from 
the centre in any direction would be to benefit a few at the cost of the present 
equal convenience to the many. 1 



1 Since the above was written, some further steps tending toward anew church have been taken. 
A special meeting of the Ladies' Sewing Society was called for January 4, 1889, and In Id at the house 
of Mr. E. S. Capron on that date to hear and act upon a proposition to be made by Mr. G. A. Dean. 
This related to " the Weaver estate " on North Main Street, consisting of a lot of land 9!ix 105 feet iu 
size, with a cottage and barn standing thereon, and then for sale by the administrator, Mr. D. II. 
Smith. Twenty-seven ladies were present, and by a nearly unanimous vote it was decided to pur- 
chase this property. The price paid was $4,(500. A small portion only was paid at once, the society 
assuming the remainder of the debt, which was to be paid as they should be able to earn or raise the 
money to cancel it. The deed was passed January 15, 1889, and signed by George A. Dean ami 
Everett S. Capron, trustees for the society, and Emma L. Battey, secretary of the same. The ladies 
have been greatly prospered in their good work, and considerable reductions of the debt have been 
made. While many consider the situation of this lot unsuitable, no one apparently criticizes the 
action of the ladies in making this purchase, because the property is a good investment and should it 
never be used as a church lot it could doubtless lie sold at a considerable advance over the price 
paid. Quite recently the gentlemen have been roused to take some action in this matter, and a 
committee has been appointed, which has held some meetings, but nothing very definite appears as 
yet to have been accomplished. 

In September, IS92, the society made an additional purchase of land (100x163 feet in size) from the 
Hay ward estate for $4,500. It has now 200 feet front on Xorth Main Street and 163 feel on the exten- 
sion of Dean Street, a lot ample iu size should the church ever decide to use it as a building site. 

For a number of years the question of incorporating the church had been agitated, and at the 
annual meeting held January 1, 1892, a committee consisting of four gentlemen was appointed to 
consider the matter and take such steps as should seem advisable. This committee was not called 
together until the latter part of January, 1893, when by unanimous action it was decided to call the 
necessary legal meeting, which was held February IT, lsys. At that time the required action was 
taken, and the matter was soon consummated. The parish up to that time was the legal body, as such 
holding all the property and controlling all business affairs. It agreed to the desired change by 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 269 

It would seem a pity that the land upon which a house for religious worship 
has stood for so many years, and which was given or obtained for that special 
purpose and no other, should lie diverted, even if it could lie, to business 
purposes. Ought religious bodies or those immediately associated with them 
to consent to such proceedings or ratify such transactions ? There is diver- 
sity of opinion as to the power of the parish to give a good title to this hind, 
some claiming that the meetinghouse stands on the schoolhouse lot, a title 
to which might be very doubtful, and others that it is on the Bolkcom land, 
regularly bought by the parish. These are questions which need not be dis- 
cussed here, but changes of some kind seem to lie inevitable either in a new 
building elsewhere or a renewed one here, the vestry having become entirely 
inadequate to the demands made upon it, especially by the Sabbath-school. 
The latter would be the plan the adoption of which would be urged by the 
author — retain the ancient site, preserve the ancient landmarks because of 
the hallowed associations which are clustered about this spot, with its old, 
spired meetinghouse and its little v ' city of the dead." And what object is 
more pleasing and restful to the eye in any scene — whether it be in the 
crowded city or the busy town, on the wooded hilltop, in the quiet valley, or 
by the shining waters of the lake — than a pretty church in a setting of vivid 
green, dotted with memorials to its own peculiar dead, peacefully kt making 
a Sunday where it stands"? Then let the k ' white church" still stand in its 
wonted place, still hold within its honored walls the memories that passing 
years have gathered there. Those years have witnessed rude shatterings of 
some of its associations, lint many abide here still which would depart forever 
should the church move elsewhere, and then the coming years would promise 
only change after change. The quiet of the Sabbath is indeed often broken 
by the shriek of engines and the rush of trains, and the people would fain 
have a more retired spot in which to worship God ; but where in our busy 
village is such a spot to be found, a spot into whose precincts the rattle and 
clatter of activity will not dare to penetrate? Here as elsewhere, however, 
the majority must decide, and perhaps the old church home will soon be 
abandoned. Should this be, then let human ingenuity exert itself to the 
utmost to devise new laws, if necessary, to prevent further disturbance of 
the community's dead. Let the occupants of this "God's acre" slumber 
quietly on ; no sound reaches their ears, no noise disturbs them ; they heed 



selling its property to the church tor a small sum in order to make a good title, ami the latter is now 
its own governing body. The incorporation charter was granted March 1, 1893, to "The Second 
Congregational Church of Attleborough, Mass.'' Originally there were probably very few if any 
members of this parish who were not also members of the church, and the interests of the two 
bodies were then therefore one. With the increase of population this would naturally be changed, 
many becoming members of the parish not being members of the church, under which circumstances 
the affairs of the two bodies must at times inevitably clash. This was the fundamental reason for the 
change. The parish still exists, as it holds the Richardson School Fund, the duties of which trust are 
about all it now has to perform. 



270 A SKETCH OF THE 

not the loutl bum of business or the roar and rumble of passing trains; let 
them sleep their deep sleep in peace until the last trumpet shall awaken 
them. 1 



1 If ii be judged that too much space has been devoted to the affairs of this particular church and 
society, lei It be remembered that, because of the situation of their property, these have at times 
involved not only the entire community lint the town. Furthermore, details available here and pre- 
sented are typical of all the ancient churches in the town and, no doubt, of most of those formed 
during the early days of New England; and, again, in view of the prospect at the time of writing of 
an entire change — the possibility of the complete alteration of the old church building or its removal 
from its ancient site — it has seemed pardonable to the Editor to prolong the sketch. 

It can hardly lie deemed out of place in this note to mention the recent purchase of a fine large 
organ for this church at a cost of over $3,000, which was raised by subscription, entertainments, etc. 
It is certainly litting to speak a word of high commendation of Mr. John Marsh, who has had the 
chief responsibility in this enterprise, and who has worked with unwearied patience and untiring 
zeal for its accomplishment. The new instrument has been placed in the northeast corner of the 
building, and a small room built in the opposite corner under the gallery and with an outside door 
for the pastor's use. The choir gallery is between them and behind the pulpit, which is moved for- 
ward, necessitating the removal of some front pews and all formerly on either side of the pulpit. The 
old choir gallery is used for pews. The organ was used for the first time publicly at a concert on 
July 5, 1894, given by Mr. S. B. Whitney and three members of the famous boy choir at the (Jhurcn of 
the Advent in Boston, where he is the organist. The program was a most attractive one and rendered 
with true artistic taste and skill, and was a musical treat such as Attleborough rarely has the pleasure 
of hearing, and one long to be remembered. 



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HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGIi. H71 



CHAPTER X. 

CHURCHES AND THE MINISTRY, CONTINUED. NORTH BAPTIST CHURCH. 

THIS church was constituted in 1769. Its existence, however, may be 
traced back to a date more than twenty years prior to that — 1747. It 
was at first and for many years afterwards of the Congregational order, 
though differing from that denomination in some respects. " There being," 
say the church records, " a considerable number of Christians in this place 
that are dissatisfied with the Constitution of the standing order of Churches 
in the land : they, with some others formed themselves into a society to 
worship God according to His word and spirit." This was called " a church 
of New Lights, or Separatists," and it consisted of seventy-four members. 
January 20, 1747, the church proceeded kk to set opart their esteemed 
Brother Nathaniel Shepard by solemn ordination as their Pastor," and " the 
day after. Joshuay Everett and William Carpenter were ordained Deacous." 

Mr. Shepard was born in Norton. February 13, 1713. He was the sou of 
[saac Shepard and a descendant of Jacob Shepard, of Wrentham (now 
Foxborongh), who was a son of Thomas Shepard. of Milton. Till he came 
of age he lived in different towns in the vicinity of Boston, and tradition says 
he was a tailor. He married Mindwell, daughter of John Woodward, of 
Newton. After his marriage he settled in the town of Brookline and 
became a member of a church there. It was some time later that he became 
a preacher. He continued pastor of this church until his death, which 
occurred April 14, 1752. He had the reputation of being an earnest 
preacher. The house in which he died is said to have stood a few rods from 
the one occupied by Ellis Blackinton. It is also said "a very large assembly 
attended his funeral." A Mr. Carpenter, of Norton, preached the sermon, 
and " his body was interred in the burying place nearly opposite to Col. 
Hatch's tavern." His children were Jonathan, Nathaniel, Ebenezer, Mind- 
well, Isaac, Elizabeth, Jacob, Hannah, and Samuel. 

This church was from the commencement small and feeble. It ''continued 
public worship and brotherly discipline," but its "number became smaller 
and smaller from year to year." For many years it was difficult to deter- 
mine precisely the real standing of the church members and their doctrinal 
points in regard to other denominations. For a long period they seemed to be 
neither exactly Congregationalists nor Baptists. It struggled on "through 
many trials and discouragements" till the year 17<>9, when by vote it changed 
its constitution " from a Congregational to a Baptist Church in what is called 



272 A SKETCH OF THE 

open communion." At this time there were six male and four female mem- 
bers who agreed in doctrine, and " they formed fellowship with the church in 
Bellingham, from whom they received aid." These six men were Josiah 
Maxcy, Ebenezer Guild, Joseph Guild, .John Sprague, Joshua Everett, and 
John Cheever. -lime 5, 17C>!). they applied to the Bellingham church. 

Two years previous to this time, in April, 17(17, Mr. Abraham Bloss had 
moved from Sturbridge to Attleborough to take charge of this church, lie 
w:is not installed, hut preached here two years, till his death, September 1(5, 
1769. During the previous year, 1768, the church had met together several 
times to consult upon the possibility of continuing upon the open commun- 
ion plan, which they found to be impossible, and the result was the formation 
of the little church of ten members '•on strict Baptist principles." Having 
thus settled down upon the Baptist platform, they soon united with the War- 
ren Association, within whose limits the church was situated. This was in 
1771, and the church remained in that association until 1837, when it joined 
the Taunton Association. 

From the time of the formation there was a gradual increase in numbers. 
Once in three months Mr. Noah Alden preached for the people, and occa- 
sionally they were visited by other clergymen, until Elder Job Seamans 
"came among them." He was of tk Sackville, Cumberland county, and 
Province of Nova Scotia," now in the Province of New Brunswick (1834). 
Mr. Seamans was born in Swansea, Mass., May 13, 1748. He removed to 
Saekville,' New Brunswick, with Elder Mason's company, who emigrated 
to that place from Swansea in 1763. He there became a preacher. After 
preaching for a time to the satisfaction of the church there, he came to New 
England to visit friends. He remained for a time in Providence with Presi- 
dent Manning, of Brown University, who introduced him to the Attleborough 
church. He was invited to become its pastor, accepted the invitation, and 
in October, 1772, removed here with his family. A place was found for him 
with " widow the Chloe Blackinton." She had a farm and offered to let him 
take it on shares. 

Elder Seamans was ordained December 15, 1773. The sermon was 
preached by Elder Backus, President Manning gave the charge, and the right 
hand of fellowship was given by Elder Charles Thompson. In 177'.). he in 
conjunction with Elder Biel Ledoyt, of Woodstock, Conn., was appointed by 
the Warren Association a missionary to visit various parts of New Hamp- 
shire. In the course of the same year he returned to Attleborough, where 
he remained till 1788. He labored here very faithfully for about fourteen 
years. On May 10, 1787, he requested a dismission from the church in this 
place, which was reluctantly granted November 25 of the same year. In the 



1 The place was then called Tantarramar by the French and wasint lie Province of Nova Scotia. 
See Benedict's History. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 273 

first letter which he sent to the church regarding his dismission occur these 
words: "Beloved brethren, I came to you in peace, and have served you 
longer than Jacob served for his beloved Rachel and Leah. And, although I 
have served with many imperfections, yet I can say with truth, that I have 
strove to live in peace, and now I desire to depart in peace." When he came 
to the church there were twenty-three members ; when he left there were 
seventy-four. He removed to New London, N. H., where he had preached 
during his mission, and was settled over the new Baptist church in that 
place, which he established at the same time. Here he continued till his 
death in 1830 at the advanced age of eighty-two. Mr. Seamans married 
Sarah Easterbrooks, by whom he had, while in Attleborough, eight chil- 
dren, four sons and four daughters. 

Rev. William Williams, 1 who was a member of this church, and the 
respected pastor of the Baptist society in Wrentham, occasionally supplied 
the pulpit during the vacancies which occurred after the removal of Mr. 
Seamans. 

November, 1789, Elder Abner Lewis came from New Bedford to Attlebor- 
ough and continued the pastor of the church until September, 1795, when he 
returned to New Bedford. After this Mr. Laben Thurber preached here till 
April, 1797, when he relinquished the office of a religious teacher and 
removed to the east part of the town. 

Elder James Read, who was then resident in Assonet village, Freetown, 
commenced preaching here in April, 1800, and was so well approved that in 
December of the same year the church gave him an invitation to settle, which 
was accepted. In February following he removed to Attleborough, and was 
installed August 18, 1801. The sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. Gano, of 
Providence, the charge given by Elder Pitman, of Rehoboth, and the right 
hand of fellowship by Elder Baker. At the same time Edward Clark was 
ordained as an evangelist. Mr. Clark died April 22, 1811, in the seventy- 
second year of his age. 

Elder Read was descended from John Read, one of the first settlers of 
Newport, R. I. His son John married and settled in Freetown in 1667. 
His children were Joseph, John, and Hannah. Elder Read was the son of 
Joseph Read and Mary, his wife, but the date and place of his birth arc not 
known to the author. He was ordained in Tiverton, R. I., October 30, 1799, 



1 He was a celebrated instructor of youth. He commence! a school for fitting young men tor col- 
lege near his meetinghouse in Wrentham, which he continued for many years with distinguished 
success. He educated upwards of one hundred students (Benedict's History of the Baptists) , the most 
of whom graduated at Brown University. Many of them became distinguished men. In the 
number of 'his pupils were Dr. Maxcy, Hon. David K. Williams, formerly governor of South Caro- 
lina, and Hon.Tristam Burgess, the late eloquent member of Congress from Rhode Island, a cele- 
brated lawyer in Providence and professor of oratory in Brown University. 

Mr. Williams himself was educated at Eaton's Academy, New Jersey, and graduated at Brown 
University in 1769, which was the first class in that institution. He married for his second wife Miss 
Titus, the daughter of Deacon .1. Titus, of Attleborough. 



274 A SKETCH OF THE 

though not over the church in thai place. He continued in the ministry in this 
town from the time of his installation until his death, which occurred October 
21. 1814, in the forty-sixth year of his age. 1 

He was a worthy and useful minister and universally respected as a man. 
The records of the church bear ample testimony of the estimation in which he 
was held by his people. "In the prime of his life and in the midst of his 
usefulness, the Lord, who doeth all things according to his good pleasure, 
hath seen tit to remove him from the church militant to the church trium- 
phant. Leaving the wife of his youth to mourn the loss of a kind husband, 
and three children to mourn the loss of a kind parent, and this church and 
society to mourn the loss of a faithful minister of the gospel, and one whose 
faithful warnings will long be had in remembrance by many of them." His 
funeral sermon was preached by Dr. Gano, and he was buried in the ceme- 
tery at Plainville. 

Elder Read did not confine himself to labors in his own parish in this town. 
but took frequent preaching tours into other places. It is said of him : 
" He found much pleasure in preaching the gospel in the destitute places of 
Southeastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut." He even went 
into western New York and always and everywhere found a " welcome in 
these then sparsely settled regions." One says: ''It is believed that he thus 
laid the foundation of several churches. An absence of whole weeks on 
these missionary tours was always at his own expense. He returned home 
from them burning with a desire to be able to preach in other villages beyond. 
His salary was not ample enough to allow him to give his whole time to the 
church. There being no parsonage he rented a house and piece of land near 
the church, and by the produce of five days labor of the week, added to the 
support of his family." A member of his family says that his salary was 
three hundred dollars per annum, a sum that did not suffice to support his 
family even with the most rigid economy and industry. He had a small fund 
— 82,000 — which he had saved before he entered the ministry, and from this 
fund he drew from year to year as necessity required. 

He was a kind-hearted and self-denying man, "an earnest, laborious 
preacher of the gospel, and his preaching eminently scriptural." One say- : 
iL Like Dryden's faithful pastor he 

' Preached the joys of Heaven, and pains of Hell, 
And warned the sinner with becoming zeal. 
But on eternal Mercy, loved to dwell.' " 

He was held in high esteem by his brother ministers. " and when Ood called 
him from his earthly labors to come up higher," one of them writes: " We 
and the churches feel and mourn his loss." 

1 He must have been born in 17GS or 17G9. — Editor. 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUdH. 275 

He delivered a " Century Sermon" on the one hundredth anniversary 
of John Shepard's (•• the ancient") birth in Foxborough. This was about 
ten years before his death, and the occasion was made one of "great 
attraction." 

Mr. Read married Rebecca Burton, of Warren, R. I., who died in 1833, 
aged sixty-six years. They had three children: Andrew B., who died in 
1877; Samuel Stillman (the third son), who died about 1831 at the early 
age of twenty-seven ; and James H. (the second son), born August 30, 1801, 
and who is still living at the period of this writing, having reached the very 
advanced age of eighty-five. 1 

April 28, 1815, Rev. Stephen S. Nelson, who was then preaching in Bell- 
ingham, was invited " to take the Pastoral care of this church." He was 
dismissed in May, 1820. For one year the pulpit was supplied by Rev. 
Jonathan Wilson, and the succeeding year by several ministers. 

Rev. Silas Hall, of Raynhain, came here in 1823 and remained four 
years. He was subsequently pastor of the Baptist church in Taunton. He 
was a veteran preacher in this part of the State, having supplied numerous 
churches in various towns. He continued his services as a preacher till near 
the time of his death, which occurred at Raynhain. 

Rev. William Phillips succeeded Mr. Hall as pastor. He was ordained 
here in February, 1827. The sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. Benedict, of 
Pawtucket. Mr. Phillips graduated at Brown University in the class of 1826 
and attended the Theological Seminary at Newton. He remained over the 
church here but two years, having received a call from the Third Baptist 
church in Providence to become their pastor, which he accepted. He con- 
tinued there until 1842, when he resigned his charge and ever after declined 
settling as pastor over any society, though he continued to preach in neigh- 
boring churches till his death. 

Mr. Phillips was born in Provincetown, Mass., August 24, 1801. He died 
May 30, 1879, at his residence near Providence, aged seventy-seven years, 
nine months, and six days. In 1827 he married Susan, daughter of Jere- 
miah Cole, of Providence. His second wife was Roxalana, daughter of Ben- 
jamin Edwards, of Charlestown, Mass. At his death he left a widow, five 
sons, and one daughter. In 1830 he was elected a trustee of Brown Univer- 
sity and held the office till his death. In an obituary notice of him, pub- 
lished soon after his decease, the writer thus speaks of his character as a 
preacher: "In the pulpit Mr. Phillips gained attention by his rich and per- 



1 Mr. Read has been for many years a resident of Providence, R. I. He was a warm friend of the 
author for a long period. He retains his faculties to a remarkable degree, has the vigor of intellect 
belonging to middle life, and his penmanship might be the envy of many a youth, as a beautifully 
written letter to the Editor, containing facts of much interest, bears ample testimony. Deacon Read 
died June 5, 1893, aged ninety -one years, nine months, and six days. [" He enjoyed pretty good health 
up to about a year before his death, and retained his mental faculties quite clear until within a few 
months when his mind seemed to fail some."] 



276 A SKETCH OF THE 

Buasive voice, and by his agreeable delivery. And his sermons, clear and 
orderly in their method, and full of thoughtful instruction, delivered from a 
study of the word, and a living, progressive Christian experience, had a 
charm and force of their own. imparted by the gentle and gracious character 
of the man. and the excellent spirit that was in him. He was a good man 
and true, and universally honored and loved." 

Rev. Jonathan E. Forbush was received into the church and chosen pas- 
tor April 1, 1832, and remained for four years. 

Rev. Silas Hall officiated a second time as pastor, commencing iu January, 
1837, and remaining two years. 

Rev. Reuben Mowry was the next pastor. He came here in June, 1839, 
and continued a successful ministry for eight years till May, 1847, when he 
requested a dismission to accept a pastorate in Homer, N. Y. 

Rev. N. G. Lovell had charge of the church for three years, commencing 
his labors in 1847 — being ordained June 23 of that year — and remaining 
until June, 1851. This was his last pastorate. He supplied a church in 
Vallev Falls, R. I., for a few months and died there in November, 1851. 

Rev. William H. Alden, now of Portsmouth, N. H., was ordained over 
this church September 1, 1852. He had supplied the pulpit for about a year 
previously, while still a student at Newton Theological Seminary. He con- 
tinued in the pastorate till April 26, 1856, when he requested a dismission to 
accept the call of the First Church of Lowell, this State. 

Rev. G. F. Warren was next called. He accepted the invitation of the 
church, and commenced his ministry October 1, 1857, when he was installed. 
He was dismissed in October, 1860, after a very successful pastorate. 

Following Mr. Warren, Rev. J. F. Ashley, of Templeton, supplied the 
pulpit three months and was here on the breaking out of the war in the 
spring of 1861, when he enlisted. He was chosen captain of Company I, the 
volunteer company that was formed. "May 12th, the church unanimously 
passed a resolution earnestly protesting against the action of the company 
and the citizens, hoping he might be left to his duties at home." This action 
was of no avail and he led his company to the front. March 30, 1862, he 
asked to be dismissed. This request was granted, and his pastorate ended 
one year after its regular commencement. 

Rev. Abijah Hall accepted a call October 19, 1862. In December, 1865, 
his repeated resignation was accepted. To him succeeded Rev. George 
Cooper for a few years. He was ordained here June 1, 1866, the regular 
duties of the pastorate being assumed the following October. He was dis- 
missed at his own request in December, 1869, and went to Gloversville, N. Y. 
He is now in Richmond, Va. In 1871 Rev. Lyman Chase, of Hightstown, 
N. .J., received and accepted a call from the church. He remained only 
about a year, but was much esteemed. In 1872 Rev. William Fitz, of 
Montpelier, Vt., became pastor, and during that year a commodious parson- 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOVGH. 277 

aire was built. He resigned in 1873, because the society was not able to 
meet the obligation it had imposed upon itself as an inducement for him to 
take charge of the church. 

In April, 1874, Rev. Samuel T. Frost became pastor. His labors ceased 
at his own request July 1, 1875. After him the church called Rev. W. H. 
Kliug, of Wakefield, R. I., who became their pastor December 22, 1875. 
His ministrations ceased in the autumn of 1881. In the spring of 1883 a 
unanimous call from both church and society was extended to Rev. F. W. 
Towle, of Rochester, N. Y. He remained until the spring of 1886, 
becoming very much endeared to the people. At that time failing health 
made it necessary for him to resign his labors and employ himself in a differ- 
ent vocation. 

In August of 1886 a uuanimous call was exteuded to Rev. Charles H. 
Wheeler. He was born in Wellesly village in the town of Needham, this 
State. He graduated at Brown University in 1882 and at Newton Theologi- 
cal Seminary in 1*85. He commenced pastoral labors in Pittsfield, N. H., 
and from that place came to this town. He was installed here October 6, 
1886, on the anniversary of the yearly Associational gathering, and is the 
present pastor of the church (1*87).' 

The first meetinghouse was not finished till 1784, though it was erected 
many years previous, before the Revolutionary War, and meetings were 
held in it during that time. Peter Blackinton gave the lot on which it stood. 
The deed of gift was not made until some time after the house was built. 
It bears date October 13, 1783, and is given to "Daniel Daggett. Levi 
Maxey, Gent., Joseph Guild, Juu., Yeoman," — the committee for the 
church, — "for the use of a meeting house lot, and that only forever." 
Further, "Said lot contains by estimation one third of an acre, lie it more 
or less. (Reserve to said Blackinton one apple tree on said premises), — and 
said Society to maintain two thirds of the fence on said lot. With war- 
ranty." The first building was finished "in the old-fashioned style, with 
sounding-board, pulpit almost as high as the galleries, old men's seats flout- 
ing the pulpit, square, high, upright pews, with railings through whieh the 
minister was seen, no stoves, no window curtains." 

The present meetinghouse was built in the spring of 1817 and is substantially 
the same as when erected. The present site " between the two roads, 
was offered by Col. Hatch, to which an addition was made by William Black- 
inton." The new building had at first no vestry and was twenty feet shorter 
than now, and the church continued to use the old building, which stood 
where the schoolhouse now stands, for its social meetings for a number of 
years after this was built. About the same time a house was purchased of 
the "Cotton Manufacturing Company" for a parsonage, which was used 



i Rev. S. Knowles is the present pastor (18V*3). 



278 -I SKETCH OF THE 

until 1828. During that year a parsonage was built, it being the bouse later 
occupied by Mr. Dexter Day. The presenl parsonage, as has been stated, 
was built in 1872. 

A.s we have seen, this church was formed in 1769, with ten members. In 
1793 this number had increased to seventy-four, and ten years later there 
had been an additional increase of thirty. There have been periods of 
special revival under several of the pastors, notably Rev. Mr. Nelson. In 
1813 there were one hundred and eleven members; in 1816, about a year after 
Mr. Nelson became pastor, the church had nearly doubled in size, there being 
then two hundred ami seven members. The following year, 1817, "thirty- 
three were dismissed to form the Baptist Church in Foxborough." At the 
end of eight years from this time we find the numbers greatly reduced, there 
being then one hundred and twenty-five members ; two years later we find 
one hundred and forty-nine; and in 1842, while Rev. Mr. Mowry was pastor, 
the largest number, two hundred and twelve. In 1844 quite a number were 
dismissed to form another church, and for more than ten years ensuing there 
seemed to be a steady though gradual decrease, until under Rev. Mr. 
Warren large additions were made, and under Rev. Mr. Cooper's pastorate 
the number again -exceeded two hundred. 

Many have left this church and congregation l<> worship with other societies 
in the vicinity, hut the congregation is again increasing, and the present aver- 
age is about two hundred, and the membership of the church one hundred 
and liftv-seven. The Sunday-school has about one hundred and sixty mem- 
bers, and the average attendance is about one hundred and forty. 

"Connected with the Church is a legal Society, formed and organized 
under the R. S. by Hon. John Daggett, Feb. 11th, 1854." This society 
has the care of the property and the financial affairs of the church. Its 
resources are the voluntary offerings of its members and the congregation, 
as the sittings in the church are free to all who choose to attend the religious 
services. 

SOUTH UAPTIST CHURCH. 

This church, which is now extinct, was established as early as 1760. Its 
records cannot be found. April 20, 1789, the first and second Baptist 
churches in Attleborough met and agreed upon fellowship as sister churches. 
Previous to this union there seems to have been some trouble over doctrinal 
matters. Elder Isaac Backus, of Middleborough, writes to the " Brethren" 
of this church, referring to those troubles. He and two brethren from his 
church were invited to be present at the ordination of some elder over the 
South Baptist church, which occurred .Inly 3, 1765. Upon examination it 
was found that this church held to " communion with pedobaptists," there- 
fore Elder Backus could not act with them. Other dissensions arose, but of 
their settlement the author knows nothing. The doctrinal matters must have 



HISTORY OF ATTLEB0R0UC4H. 279 

been satisfactorily arranged, or the union above mentioned could not have 
been consummated. 

Elder Elihu Daggett was the first preacher. It is believed that he was 
never regularly settled here. He occasionally preached at the North Baptist 
church. He was the son of Deacon Mayhew Daggett, of this town. His 
wife was Rebeccah Stanley, daughter of Jacob Stanley, one of the first of 
that name who came here from Topsfield. He had two sons, Ichabod and 
Mayhew, in the French War. 1 He was interred in the north burying-ground. 
On his gravestone is the following inscription: "Sacred to the memory of 
Elder Elihu Daggett, who died August 29th, 1769, in the 60th year of his 
age." "Sacred to the memory of Mrs. Rebeccah Daggett, (his widow) who 
died September 20th, 1799, in the 85th year of her age. 

" What we left behind us, others possess; 
What we gave to the poor, we carried with us." 

The next preacher was Elder Elisha Carpenter, Jr. He was settled 
June 7, 1778, according to a certificate found cited on the town records. He 
remained pastor of the church till about 1798, when he removed to Providence, 
N. Y., where he died. 

Elder Carpenter's connection with the church was evidently not entirely 
dissolved until some years later than the above date, for in a letter to a sister 
dated " Attleborough, Jan. 26, 1802," he mentions the business meeting at 
which the church dismissed himself and his wife and were about to send them 
"away in Peace, with recommendations as they thought best." He speaks 
of having preached a few sermons and should preach what he could while he 
stayed. From this letter it would seem that he was acceptable to the church, 
and they were loth to part with him.'- He was a native of this town, a son of 
Elisha Carpenter, and was born August 17, 1745. His wife was Anna Free- 
man, also of this town. 

Soon after Elder Carpenter's removal the church was dissolved and the 
members connected themselves with other churches in the vicinity. The 
meetinghouse was taken down about 1810. It stood on the south side of the 
road leading from what was known twenty years later as the late Thomas 
Cooper's place to that of Captain Joseph Tiffany. 

FIRST UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY. 

The first meeting was held August 17, 1816. when the society was organ- 
ized. The original compact states that " Daniel Richardson, Jr., Obed 
Robinson, and forty others associated themselves together as the First Uni- 



1 See Porter's Memoir of Colonel Jonathan Eddy, p. 4. 

s He may have left town "about 1798," returning to preach sometimes, and the church may have 
refused a final dismission until about the date of the letter quoted. The expression " preach what he 
could " seems to imply feeble health. — Editor. 



280 A SKETCH OF THE 

versalist Society in Attleborough." February 20, 1818, it was incorporated 

by Act of Legislature under that name. The first religious services were 
held in a hall belonging to Samuel Newell, of West Attleborough. He was 
the proprietor of " Newell's Tavern" at that time, and this hall was no 
doubt the one connected with his famous inn. 

The first minister was the Rev. Richard Carrique, who commenced preach- 
ing here in May, 1817. A lot was purchased, and during the summer of 1818 
a meetinghouse was built. It stood on the old post road a few rods south of 
the First Congregational meetinghouse and opposite Newell's tavern. The 
building was dedicated on December 29, 1818, at which time Mr. Carrique 
was ordained (or installed?) and Rev. Hosea Ballon preached the sermon. 
Very little is known of Mr. Carrique's previous or subsequent life. A 
notice of the death of his son in Pawtucket states that he was born in 
Williamstown, this State, and from the dates given it would seem that the 
father must have resided in that place previous to his coming to this town. 
The same account speaks of the Rev. Mr. Carrique as "a much respected 
clergyman," and he was doubtless a man of considerable ability. He 
delivered an oration in the Baptist church upon a memorable occasion, and 
he seems to have been always connected with matters of public interest. 
During his residence in town he held meetings in the East village in 
Bolkom's hall, and to these attempts to establish an interest in this denomi- 
nation in that part of the town there was decided and marked opposition 
manifested on the part of some at least of the '•'•orthodox" residents. Mr. 
Carrique's salary was four hundred and fifty dollars a year. He was dis- 
missed in January, 1822. 

The next minister was the Rev. Robert Kilham, who commenced preaching 
March 18, 1822, and was soon after installed. He was dismissed in April, 
1828. To him succeeded the Rev. Nathaniel Wright, who was installed 
during that same year, 1828. He remained for several years — was here 
doubtless in 1834 — but the date of his dismission could not be ascertained. 

The church thus continued for quite a number of years at Oldtown, but at 
length — and probably not long subsequent to the last-mentioned date — the 
society or some of its members commenced holding services in North 
Attleborough. AVhere these were at first held is not known to the writer, 
hut after continuing them for a time sufficient interest was manifested to 
warrant the purchase of a lot, which was accordingly done, and in 1841 a 
new church edifice was er*ected on the site still occupied by the society. 
This building was dedicated on the 3d of November, 1841, and the sermon 
was preached by the Rev. William S. Balch, of Providence. The records 
state : " The weather was tine, the house was full as we could seat and stand, 
and some could not get in." 

Meanwhile the church at West Attleborough dwindled away and finally 
ceased to exist. k> The building w r as sold at auction and bought by Mr. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 281 

Bartholomew Cushman who later sold it to the Methodists at North Attle- 
borough." They took it down and removed it to that village, putting it up on 
the lot where the high school building now stands. (This was the society, it 
is said, many of whose members embraced the faith of the Millerites, and the 
building was used by that sect for its religious services.) Subsequently Mr. 
H. M. Richards became its owner and removed it to the Union House lot, 
joining it to that hotel, where it was used as a hall. When the hotel was 
burned, the hall was also burned. 

In March, 1841, Rev. Benjamin H. Davis assumed the ministerial charge of 
the society, and succeeding him Rev. Mr. Lloyd and Rev. Mr. Coffin had 
charge each for a short time, but at what precise dates is not known. 

Rev. J. D. Pierce became pastor in 1845, but after three years, on account 
of failing health, he was obliged to relinquish his duties. After his resigna- 
tion in 1848, Rev. Joseph S. Dennis accepted the charge and remained until 
1852. He was followed by Rev. C. Craven in January, 1853, who remained 
but a short time. 

In May, 1855, Mr. Pierce was recalled to the pastorate from Clareinont, 
N. H., and accepted. For more than a quarter of a century he was the faith- 
ful and devoted minister of this society, and was always ready for every 
good work which he found to do, and interested himself in whatever con- 
cerned the general interests and welfare of the town. He was particularly 
earnest in promoting the cause of common school education and was for 
many years an active member of the school committee, as well as a teacher. 
By his wise and judicious conduct and exemplary character he won and 
justly deserved the respect and confidence of all denominations throughout 
the town, and his death was regarded as a great public loss. 

The following Memorial Record ' was prepared by a committee chosen for 
the purpose and presented by them to the First Universalist Society. 

"'Joseph Dexter Pierce was born in the town of Scituate, Massachusetts, 
Nov! 15th, 1815. Having lost his father in early youth, he was brought to 
manhood by a mother's care. In early life he was apprenticed as a car- 
penter, and for some time worked at his trade. He had, however, a taste 
for intellectual pursuits, and, at his own expense, obtained a thorough 
academic education in the public schools of his native town, and at the 
Derby Academy in Hingham, Mass. He studied for the ministry with Rev. 
Dr. Hosea Ballou, 2d, the first President of Tufts College at Medford, 
Mass. 

"While yet a student he preached his first sermon, Nov. 10th, 1839, in 
East Boston, where he was ordained the same year. After a few months 
labor in East Boston, he received a call to the Universalist society in Hart- 



1 Copied from the Attleborough Chronicle of February 23, 1SS4. The committee were B. Porter, Jr., 
S. H. Bugbee, E. R. Price. 



282 A SKETCH OF THE 

land, Vermont, and was settled there Sept. 13th, 1840. This pastorate con- 
tinued nearly five years, until May 11th, 1845. 

" At the age of twenty-nine years he received a call to the First Univer- 
salis! society in A ttle borough, and preached his first sermon as pastor of 
this society, -lime 29th, 1.S45. This ministry, after three years successful 
service, he was obliged to resign on account of ill-health. He continued to 
reside here, and on the recovery of his health, engaged in teaching in this 
place, and did pastoral work in Wrentham until the spring of 1850, when the 
First Universalist society of Claremont, New Hampshire, extended to him 
a call to become their pastor. 

" He accepted the call and commenced his labors March 17th, 1850. His 
ministry in that place continued Ave j^ears, and was so successful, that, to 
this day, there are people in Claremont who remember with grateful emotion 
the words of truth and sympathy which fell from his lips. 

"In May. 1855, he received a unanimous call to return to the First Uni- 
versalist society at North Attleborough, and accepted it. His first sermon, 
after his recall, was preached June 3d, 1855. Here he labored unceasingly 
in the Master's vineyard until called to receive the reward of those who love 
their fellowmen, Tuesday, Nov. 16th, 18*0, at the age of sixty-five years 
and one day. 

tl During this pastorate of more than twenty-five years he worked heartily 
and suffered cheerfully, that he might advance the good doctrine in which he 
firmly believed — ' that from the beginning. God had chosen all men to salva- 
tion, through sanctilication of the spirit, and belief of the truth.' He was 
a constant attendant upon conventions and conferences, and interested in all 
the work of the denomination. He served thirteen years as a member, and 
mos1 of the time as chairman, of the committee on Fellowship, Ordination 
and Discipline. He was interested too, in all educational and benevolent 
enterprises. Rut his chief work was in his pulpit, in pastoral work, and in 
the Sunday School. As a sermonizer, a reasoner, he stood high in the estima- 
tion of his brethren. As a pastor, carrying the faith he preached, and doing 
his Master's work, wherever sickness and sorrow called him, in all the homes 
of his own parish, and often in the homes of other parishes and denomina- 
tions, he came as near the standard of the good minister of Christ as it falls 
to the lot of man to attain. When the church edifice was enlarged and im- 
proved, his heart was cheered ; and the prosperity of the society assured, 
when by his efforts the church was organized. And so much did he value its 
influence that almost his last work was an effort to enlarge its membership 
and secure its efficiency. Such are the simple annals of the good minister of 
Christ. 

"Joseph Dexter Pierce had a natural gift of preaching, and his daily life 
exemplified the spirit and teachings of the Divine Master. Of feeble health, 
— he once said that he had not known a waking hour free from pain for 



HI ST OB Y OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 283 

fifteen vears, — yet he devoted his time and talents to the work he loved 
with tireless zeal. He was in all the higher and grander elements of char- 
acter an almost exceptional man. In him, living, this church and the world 
had a true exponent of the principles of Fniversalism, one. who by the daily 
beauty of his life gave dignity and power to its teachings, and who, dying, 
left his character to this society for their guidance and imitation, and his 
memory as a sacred trust." 

November 30, L855, Mr. Pierce married Martha 8. Price, oldest daughter 
and child of George and Martha Grant Price, of this town. Four daughters 
of this marriage survive: Agnes, Mrs. John 1). Long; Bertha, Mary W., 
and Helen, Mrs. Charles Esseltyn. 

Mrs. Pierce was in every way eminently fitted for the position of a min- 
ister's wife. She was a woman of superior intellectual endowments and 
attainments and therefore an aid and an inspiration to her husband in the 
public duties of his office. She was possessed of a true, unselfish nature, 
a pure and lovely Christian character, and was peculiarly adapted to be the 
helpmeet of such a man as he was in all his faithful, unselfish ministrations 
among the suffering and sorrowing of his people. She survived him but 
a few years and died December 14, 1886, not only universally regretted, but 
mourned for with a real, heartfelt sorrow by all those who knew her well. 

Mr. Pierce was a man of rare character, and he lived a rarely unselfish 
life, endearing himself to all who came in contact with him to an unusual 
degree. One recently testified to the truth of this statement and spoke of 
hearing frequent mention of his great worth, while to this day many humble 
persons repeat . the story of his deeds of kindness and true charity to them 
and with simple, earnest words touchingly tell their own sorrow for his loss. 
Trulv he was of such good men as they of whom the Master said: vw They 
shall have their reward." and when they '-rest from their labors, their works 
do follow them." 

The church edifice, built and dedicated in 1841, was twice somewhat 
changed, once in 185!) and again in 1865, when it was enlarged and iin. 
proved both externally and internally. From that time it remained wholly 
unchanged till it was abandoned, a period of nearly twenty years, though it 
became in every way inadequate to the needs of the parish. 

The members of the society who previous to 1840 removed from West to 
North Attleborough retained the original parish organization, and the society 
is therefore the one incorporated in 1818. With the church it is otherwise. 
Its members for some reason declined to remove from Oldtown and con- 
tinued there for a time as a regular religious body, hut finally diminished so 
that the church died away and the original organization was lost. Up to 
1859 the only organization in North Attleborough was that of a society, but 
on March 9, 1859, when upon the completion of the alterations and repairs 
the edifice was rededicated, a church of about forty members was formed. 



•J 8 4 A SKETCH OF THE 

This was the result largely of the zealous efforts of the then pastor, Rev. 
Mr. Pierce, who had been laboring continually for a long period with this end 
in view. 

The Rev. John S. Cantwell, i>.i>.. was the pastor who succeeded Mr. 
Pierce. He came here February 12. 1881, and was installed on the twenty- 
seventh of the following May. Soon after this time a decided movement 
was made in the direction of the much-needed new church building, and the 
good work was so earnestly and efficiently pushed forward that sutlicient 
funds were subscribed in a short time. One of the original terms of the 
subscription was thai no debt should be allowed to remain on the completed 
edifice. Plans were adopted and labor commenced by removing the old and 
laving the foundations for the neAv building, all of which was accomplished 
by September, 1882. The old building was purchased by the Wamsutta 
Hotel Association and placed on Elm Street adjoining the hotel, where it is 
used as a hall, and where for some time the town meetings of North Attle- 
borough have been held. 

The cornerstone of the new building was laid September 1*. 1882, and 
the occasion was made very interesting. The exercises commenced with an 
appropriate introductory address by the pastor of the church, following 
which was the Scripture reading by Rev. Mr. lllman and a prayer offered by 
Rev. C. W. Tomlinson, d.d., of Pawtucket. The choir of the church sang 
(he hymn " ! sing unto the Lord a new song " ; and a hymn, written for the 
occasion by Mrs. Frank Mason, was sung by the entire concourse of people 
to the tune "America." Then came the ceremony of laving the cornerstone 
in its place with the impressive ritual of the Order by officers of the Masonic 
Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. The cornerstone is a huge brown stone, 
engraved on the front or eastern side with an inclined cross, on the north 
side with tiie square and compass, and on the south side with the date 1882. 
Sixty-eight different articles were placed in the cavity, such as photographs. 
specimens of coin and scrip, copies of newspapers, a history of the society, 
etc , and some of these were special gifts for this purpose. As the stone 
was lowered to its position, the Temple Quartet, of Bostou, rendered the 
anthem " Lift Thine Eyes " with beautiful effect. Then followed the special 
ceremonies of the Masonic Order upon such occasions, during which more 
music was rendered by the Temple Quartet, the final piece being " Keller's 
American Hymn." As the closing notes of that beautiful song died away. 
fifty of the Sunday-school children came forward, and each one placed a 
bouquet of flowers about the cross upon the stone — a fitting service appro- 
priately performed in laying the foundation for a sacred edifice. The 
address of the day was delivered by Rev. A. J. Patterson, D.D., of Boston, 
and was very eloquent. The singing of the Doxology by all the people 
brought the exercises to a close, and Rev. T. VV. lllman. then pastor of the 
Second Universalis! society, pronounced the benediction. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 285 

At the time work was commenced on the new building $31,000 had been 
subscribed exclusive of the amount realized from the sale of the old build- 
ing. The edifice was completed in less than two years and was dedicated 
April 17, 1884. It is of the Gothic style of architecture, constructed of 
red brick, the front especially being handsome and effective. The tower is 
one hundred and forty feet high, its base sixteen feet square, with corner 
buttresses, and the windows set in ornamental brickwork. The clock is fifty- 
six feet from the base, and above this the tower becomes six-sided, tapering- 
upward in a beautiful spire. On the corner opposite the tower is a porch 
with a gable thirty feet in height, and connecting the two a cloister thirty- 
eight feet long covered by a receding roof. Above this cloister " is the 
most beautiful feature of the front, — a foliated window twenty feet across, 
and sixteen feet to its keystone." The point of this window arch is sixty- 
two feet high and is ornamented with brickwork, as are all the other windows 
throughout the building. 

On the north side of the edifice is the chapel, two stories high and con- 
taining several rooms, with an L in the rear which contains the library, infant 
schoolroom, etc. Upon the west side is the parsonage, an attractive two- 
story house. There are in the front of the church two vestibules connected 
by the cloister and each opening into the main audience room, which is 
" sixty feet either way." This is a cheerful, well-lighted room, having 
neither gallery nor ceiling. The pulpit is opposite the front entrance doors, 
and the pews are arranged in semicircular form, with the choir gallery and 
organ on the north side of the pulpit. Behind this gallery is the door of 
communication with the chapel. The Sabbath-school room on its first floor 
is also a well-lighted room, thirty-four by thirty feet in size, and above it are 
the parlor, tea room, and kitchen, all thoroughly appointed. In the rear of 
the audience room is the passage leading to the parsonage, whose interior 
quite fulfils the expectations raised by its exterior, for it is a pretty and 
commodious house. The entire structure pleases and satisfies the eye and 
presents a striking appearance. It is very handsome, but neither too much 
so nor too imposing for its surroundings, — a country village, — but is appro- 
priate to its position and a great ornament. It was erected at a cost of 
$40,000 and is said to be the handsomest church of the denomination in this 
State. The idea of placing no debt upon the building was carried out in 
both letter and spirit, a fact we heartily wish could be recorded of every 
church edifice of every sect throughout the entire land. 

There are eight memorial windows in the audience room, placed there by 
friends and relatives in memory of the following persons : Captain and Mrs. 
Abraham Hay ward, Mrs. Oscar M. Draper, Rev. Joseph D. Pierce, Mr. and 
Mrs. Ira Richards, Mr. Stephen Richardson, Mrs. Helen D. Smith (wife of 
C. E. Smith), Mrs. Juline Richards (wife of the late H. M. Richards), and 
Mrs. Franklin. The memorial to Mrs. Draper, the beautiful central window 



286 .1 SKETCH OF THE 

in the front of the church, is the largest and handsomest of the number.. 
That to Mr. Pierce is on the opposite end of the church, over the pulpit, and 
the other six are placed three on either side of the building. 

Dr. Can twell resigned March 1, 1*8-4. The following November the pres- 
ent pastor. Rev. William F. Potter, came here and was installed in January, 
1885. ] lie was born in Southbridge, this State, in May. 1843. lie received 
both his academical and theological education at St. Lawrence University, in 
Canton, N. Y., where he graduated in 1868. His first pastorate was in 
Merrimac, .Mass., and previous to his coming to this town he had charge 
of churches in Wakefield, Arlington, and East Boston respectively. This 
is his largest charge. His wife was Miss Lotta Lord, of St. Lawrence 
County, N. Y. 

There is a prosperous Sabbath-school connected with this church. Much 
attention is given to the music here, and the choir far exceeds in excellence 
that of any other church in town. The service of song holds a far more 
important place in the ceremonies of religious worship to-day than it held in 
those of our early New England fathers, and the present standard of educa- 
tion in this regard pronounces a liberal expenditure of money in the direction 
of obtaining the best possible music in our churches a wise expenditure. 
This large society has now a worthy and appropriate church edifice, one 
adequate to its needs and almost perfect in its appointments. The only 
regret possible in its contemplation is that the heart of him who worked his 
lifework among this people could not have been cheered and encouraged by 
witnessing this proof of earnest effort on their part, and that his eyes could 
not have been gladdened by the sight of its beautiful completion — a reward 
for his untiring zeal and the consummation of his dearest earthly hopes. 

HEBRON CHURCH. 

This church was gathered by Rev. Thomas Williams immediately after his 
dismission from the west parish in 1827. On the 25th of December of that 
year several members of the First Church who resided in or near the village 
now called Hebronville (or Hebron) requested dismissal for the purpose of 
forming a new church, and they "unitedly agreed, in order to their greater 
usefulness in promoting the interests of religion, to become a new church, 
under the creed of Congregationalism." A small but neat meetinghouse 
was built at the same time on the line between Attleborough and Seekonk, 
— half in one town, half in the other, — to which and the neighborhood the 
name of Hebronville was given by the founder. 

Rev. Mr. Williams became the first pastor. He was the son of Joseph 
and Lucy Hitter Williams and was born in Pomfret, Conn., November 5, 



' Mr. Potter resigned May 1, IS89, on account of ill-health. Hev. F. A. Dillingham is the present 

pa-tor. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 287 

1779. He entered AVilliams College in 1795, but in 1798 went to New Haven 
and graduated at Yale College in 1800. During the three succeeding years 
he was a teacher in Beverly and Boston, Mass., and Woodstock and Norwich, 
Conn. In the year 1804 he studied theology with Dr. Emmons, of Franklin. 
He was ordained as an evangelist at Killingly, Conn., May 16, 1804. During 
the years 1803-4-5 he also acted as a home missionary in New York, in 
addition to the other occupations mentioned. In 1806 he preached for a few 
months in Branford, Conn., and during the nine years succeeding he was 
acting pastor of the Pacific Church, in Providence, R. I. November 6, 
1816, he was installed over the church at Foxborough, and was dismissed in 
November, 1821, having meanwhile again become acting pastor over his 
former church in Providence. 

He was installed over the First Church in this town September 29, 1824, 
and dismissed "by mutual consent, without council," December 11, 1827, 
when, as has been seen, he became the pastor of the Hebronville church. 
This connection was dissolved in 1832. From that time on he was largely 
engaged in missionary service, especially in Providence and its vicinity. lie 
was for several years acting pastor in Barrington, R. I., resided in Hartford, 
Conn., and East Greenwich, R. I., for a short period, returning from the 
latter place to Providence, where he remained until his death. It is said that 
during the period from April, 1840, to November, 1868, he preached not 
less than 2,200 times. In 1814 Brown University conferred upon him the 
honorary degree of Master of Arts. 

On May 20, 1812, he married Ruth, the daughter of Isaac and Ruth 
Jewett Hale, of Newbury, Mass., by whom he had seven children. She died 
at Providence March 7, 18(57. Mr. Williams died in the same place, of old 
age, September 29, 1876, ageri ninety-six years, ten months, and twenty-four 
days. For several years " he had been the senior surviving graduate of Yale 
College, and he was the last living graduate of an American college in the 
eighteenth century." 

Mr. Williams was a clergyman well known in this vicinity, and particularly 
to the people of this town, in whose churches even for many years after he 
ceased his pastorates he was a frequent preacher. Many will remember 
" Father Williams," as he was called in his later years; the} 7 will recall the 
rather tall, spare form, clothed in garments of a somewhat quaint fashion; 
the scanty, flowing white locks ; the broad forehead, prominent nose, sunken 
cheeks ; the large, determined mouth and the piercing, fiery eye ; they will 
recall too the voice, which was low, almost indistinct at times, but which 
when he became interested and animated in his preaching rose to a higher 
pitch, growing louder and louder until its penetrating tones fell with perfect 
distinctness upon every listening ear. His sermons and prayers both seemed 
rather long to this generation, which demands its complete religion in a nut- 
shell, the opening of which shall consume but a short space of even the Lord's 



288 A SKETCH OF THE 

day : but both were couched in clear, well-defined terms, and the language 
was forcible, often eloquent, and always easy to be understood, for his trnin- 
l>ct bore " no uncertain sound." He was, as someone has written, " a man 
of vigorous and active mind, one who entertained decided opinions on all 
subjects, religious and secular, and who was fearless in expressing- them. 
He was animated in the delivery of his sermons, and always secured the 
attention of his hearers, not merely by his matter and manner, but by occa- 
sional use of strong and peculiar language. In preaching and sermonizing 
he indulged largely in doctrinal subjects, and he adhered during his long life 
to the theology of New England." 

He enjoyed peculiarly the power of wit and sarcasm, which he used when 
occasion required. He often engaged in discussions on public affairs and on 
various subjects, chiefly perhaps on religious doctrinal points, and he never 
failed to repel the attacks of his opponents with keen repartee ; and he always 
said something which they had reason to remember. Many anecdotes are 
extant of his quick retorts in these discussions, which often completely 
shattered the bolts of his adversaries, leaving them powerless and himself 
the easy victor in the field. 

He was a truly disinterested man, laboring often without hope of reward 
and hardly reserving to himself sullicient funds to meet his own necessary 
expenses on the journey of life. "He regarded himself as an instrument in 
the hands of his Master," one says, and " he appeared to me the most disin- 
terested laborer 1 ever knew." 

He was the author of several volumes of sermons and numerous pamphlets, 
and he furnished divers articles for various periodicals. A number of these 
publications passed through several editions. They are too numerous to 
mention all of them, but a few are given, as they show the character of the 
man: "An Explicit Avowal of Nothingarianism, In a sermon by Demens 
Egomet, " another sermon by the same writer, "The Greatest Sermon thai 
ever was preached." "Little Sermons on Great Subjects," "Jehovah; or, 
Uni-Trini-tarianism, A Sermon," "A Discourse on the Battle of the Great 
Day of God Almighty," " A Sermon on the Perfection of God, in the Imper- 
fection of His People," etc. 

His most interesting discourse was his funeral sermon on Dr. Emmons' 
death, which occurred September 28, 1810, entitled "The Official Character 
of Rev. Nathanael Emmons, d.i>., Taught and Shown in a Sermon on His 
Life and Death." It was understood to he the agreement between these two 
some time before the death of either of them that the survivor should preach 
the funeral sermon of the other. This discourse was prepared by Mr. Wil- 
liams years before Dr. Emmons died, and he made a journey to Franklin to 
read it to the subject. The good Doctor seemed to find it not wholly satis- 
factory, for after a time he interrupted his friend and began to demur at 
so much praise, insisting it was not deserved. "Tut, tut, Dr. Emmons," 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROimiJ. 289 

said Father Williams, " you must remember that you are a dead man ;" and 
he went on with his reading, omitting we are sure not a jot or a tittle of the 
prepared eulogy. 

Mr. Williams was a man of very strongly marked character in every 
respect and of equally marked abilities. He was in a singular degree a man 
of one purpose, and to that purpose he devoted himself entirely through his 
long life. For more than threescore years and ten he labored actively and 
earnestly in many places in the work he was so signally called to do. The 
good he did who can tell? He has gone, but his deeds remain. 

Up to the year 1842 the Hebronville church continued to have Congrega- 
tional ministers. In the spring of that year it became matter of conviction 
to the members that there were good and sufficient reasons for modifying 
and changing their creed. It was therefore voted to give up the creed of 
Congregationalism as a test of church membership and to adopt a covenant 
which should embrace all Christians without regard to sect. They thus 
became "an independent Church of Christ," denominating themselves "The 
Hebron Church, of Hebronville, Massachusetts." Their principles and 
beliefs are such as are held by other sects, though they perhaps give wider 
scope to individual beliefs or the expression of them than some others. 
They hold each church wholly independent and recognize no synod, 
presbytery, or conference; that is, they "recognize no earthly authority 
in church or state " over them, but they "believe on Christ's authority'' : 
they have "the right and duty of self-government under the law of Jesus 
Christ," and they " recognize the same right in every local Christian 
church." 

The following is a list of the successive pastors from the formation of the 
church to the present time : — 

Rev. Thomas Willi;ims. Rev. -I. C. Seagraves, 

Rev. Charles Simmons, Rev. Gardner Clarke. 

Rev. William H. Hayward, Rev. Reuben Allen. 

Rev. John W. Caldwell. Rev. Solomon P. Snow, 

Rev. Joshua A. Stetson, Rev. Samuel Heath, 

Rev. Junia S. Mowry, Rev. William B. Heath. 

Rev. George \Y. Wallace, Rev. John Q. Adams. 

The present pastor is Rev. Albert F. Remington, who commenced his 
labors April 1, 1875. ] 

The original building was sold and removed in 1870. and the new church 
erected in the same year was wholly in Seekonk. This edifice was burned 
down in 1875, and another built and dedicated on August 6 of the same 
year. The membership is not far from one hundred, and the church has 
a prosperous Sunday-school. 



■Mr. Remington died September 7, ls^s. His successor was the Rev. S. F. Grady. The present 
pastor is Rev. Joseph Forth (1893). 



290 HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 

BRIGGSVILLE CHURCH. 

October 2, 1777. a church was organized under the Free-Will Baptist order 
with thirty-one members. The church building is a few rods over the line of 
Rehoboth, and the original membership was about equally divided between 
that town and this. There was no settled pastor for three years, but at the 
end of that time Rev. James Sheldon, of Providence, took the charge of the 
church. He was ordained in 1780 and dismissed in 1792. 

A time of "occasional supplies" followed, until in 1795 Rev. Jeremiah 
Iron-, was ordained and settled. He remained until 1799. The church 
received its name from him, it being known in Rehoboth as "The Irons 
Church." From the time of Mr. Irons' dismission until 1808, Elders William 
Northrop, Daniel Hix, and others supplied the pulpit. At that time Elder 
Samuel Northrop became pastor, but the length of his pastorate is not known. 
After him various k> Elders" supplied the pulpit, some being active pastors, 
until 1836, when Rev. David Steele was ordained. Following him was Rev. 
John W. Colwell, ordained in 1841. His successor w T as Elder Joshua Stetson, 
who was ordained in 1845. Elder Gardner Clarke succeeded him and was 
acting pastor from 1846 till 1853. 

Mr. Clarke was born at Highgate, Vt., August 21, 1812. He spent his 
childhood and youth at Bradford, that State, and he received a good academi- 
cal education. He was ordained at Cabot, Vt., in 1843. His labors among 
the people of the Briggsville congregation were very successful. At the time 
of his resignation of the charge the church numbered seventy-five members, 
a gain of nearly or quite a half during his stay. In 1837 Mr. Clarke married 
Jane R. Deming, of Wethersfield, Conn., by whom he had three daughters. 
He still resides in this town. He has had no particular charge for many 
years, but has preached more or less. In years past he frequently took 
charge of the services in the Second Congregational Church and sometimes 
on only a moment's notice. He has long been familiarly known to people in 
all parts of our town, both as a clergyman, a citizen, and a much-respected 
man. He is among the few still remaining of the passing generation. 1 

His successor over the Briggsville church was Elder Lowell Parker. Elders 
George W. Wallace and John Pratt and Elder Handy followed, and after 
them for a number of years the pulpit was supplied by students from Brown 
University. In the year 1875 the church had become greatly reduced and 
numbered only seven active members. During 1881-82 Rev. Mr. Clarke 
preached to the people for the second time "by the united request of the 
community." 

The former members of the previous or passing generation are mostly 
dead : some few have united with other churches, and what was once a rlour- 



'Mr. Clarke died -Inly 4, 1892. Had he lived a few weeks longer lie would have attained the age it 
was his great desire to reach, that of eighty years. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOEOUGH. 291 

ishing little church is now nearly or quite extinct. For some years the only 
service held has been one each Sunday, under the charge of the Methodist 
denomination. 

THE CENTENARY METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

On November 26, 1865. Rev. D. H. Ela, a Methodist minister from Paw- 
tucket, R. I., assisted by Mr. J. Davis, a layman from the same place, held 
the first meeting, from which the society started, in Union Hall, East Attle- 
borough. Rev. Mr. Ela preached at the morning service, held at half-past 
ten, and Rev. J. J. Lansing at the afternoon service, held at half-past two 
o'clock in the same place, and Mr. Ela again in the evening. Thus Method- 
ism began in this town, and meetings continued to be held during the fol- 
lowing winter and previous to the organization of the church. December 
10, 1865, the Sunday-school was organized, with forty members. J. Davis 
was superintendent ; Ezra Arnold, assistant superintendent ; Freeman Robbins, 
librarian : and William B. Hammond, secretary. The first class meeting was 
held on December 16, 1865, with thirteen persons present. 

The church was organized March 10, 1866, by Rev. D. H. Ela, and the 
following were the original members: Ezra Arnold, Anna Arnold, Delia A. 
Arnold, Harriet A. Fuller, Delia R. Pierce, Edward D. Parmenter, Emily M. 
Parmenter, Mary A. Stone, Eliza A. Clark, Howard Drake, Augusta Drake, 
and Ellen M. Hammond. At a conference held at Bristol, R. I., March 23, 
1866, the first pastor was appointed. 

The original membership was composed chiefly of those who were profes- 
sors of Methodism and therefore had no church home in town until this time, 
and a very small number came from the Second Congregational Church. 
This church was organized under the name of " The Davis Centenary Meth- 
odist Episcopal Church," but subsequently for good and sufficient reasons the 
word Davis was dropped from the name and is not used by the church at all 
now. The word lk centenary " was taken because the church was formed just 
a century from the time Methodism was started in this country. In the year 
1766 a few persons who had belonged to " the Wesleyan connection " in Eng- 
land formed themselves into a society. This was done in a carpenter's shop 
on Barrack Street, in New York, near the site of the present city hall. This 
was the small beginning of this Protestant denomination, now the largest in 
the land. 

The first building, on the site of the present one on North Main Street, was 
commenced in 1866. ground being broken in the autumn of that year, and 
the cornerstone being laid on October 26. The vestry was occupied 
for the first time on "the first Sunday in June, 1867, and the completed 
church building was dedicated February 23, 1869. The sermon upon that 
occasion was preached by Rev. Mark Trafton. This building was erected at 
a cost of $17,000, $7,000 only of which was provided for, leaving a debt 



292 •' SKETCH OF THE 

upon the society of 510,000. At the end of four years, in 1873, one half of 
that large debt had been raised, and the other half in 1883. In November 
of that year this happy event was " celebrated with a grand jubilee," a re- 
union of all the former pastors of the church and many friends, and the occa- 
sion was one of great thankfulness and rejoicing. 

On Sunday morning, December 23, 1883, within a month of the time the 
debt had been lifted, the church was totally destroyed by fire. A fine new 
organ had just been placed in the building at a cost of $1,700, and this was 
also burned, due Roman Catholics of the East village, then worshiping 
in Union Hall, on the very day of the fire offered the use of that room to the 
unfortunate congregation for certain hours of the day; the Second Congrega- 
tional Church made a similar offer, and Mr. J. M. Bates a room in one of his 
jewelry shops. This last offer w. s accepted, and the society continued to 
worship there until the vestry of the new church was ready for occupancy. 
The room was occupied for nearly a year, and Mr. Bates generously declined 
to accept any remuneration for its use. 

" The ashes were not cold on the site of the burned edifice, before measures 
were taken for erecting a new church building." Early in the spring follow- 
ing the fire work was commenced, and December 1, 1884, the vestry was 
completed and occupied. About three months later the entire church was 
finished, and was dedicated in March, 1885. It is a much handsomer and 
more commodious building than the first one and more convenient and com- 
plete in its arrangements. It contains audience room, vestry, infant Sabbath- 
school room, and ladies' parlor on the ground floor, and a large kitchen, 
dining-room, and various small rooms in the basement. This building cost 
nearly $20, 000, and the fund in the hands of the society at the commence- 
ment was §12,000, the amount of the insurance on the old building. 

Though the people of this church have had to labor under many discour- 
agements in their very midst and to make many sacrifices to secure their 
present substantial and attractive house of worship, they have not forgotten 
to manifest the true spirit of Methodis in by doing outside missionary work. 
In May, L873, Rev. E. D. Hall, with Mr. and Mrs. N. C. Luther and Mr. 
and Mrs. F. Robbins, formed a mission at Chartley, in Norton. A Sunday- 
school was established, and a church very soon organized, consisting at first 
of nine members. A chapel costing $1,500 was built and dedicated on 
February :!, 1876, free of debt. The present membership of this little chinch 
is about thirty, with a congregation of sixty or seventy. 

The following is a list of the pastors of the Centenary Methodist Church, 

with the dates of their appointments : — 

Rev. Alexander Anderson .... 1866-68 Rev. John W. Willett 1S77-7S 

Rev. Henry D. Robinson .... 18(19-70 Rev. A. W. Seavey 1S79 

Rev. W. H. Starr 1S71-72 Rev. George W. Ballon 1880-81 

Rev. E.D.Hall 1873-74 Rev. J. A. L. Rich 188&-84 

Rev. John C. Go wan 1875-76 Rev. Warren A. Luce 1885-87 



HISTORY OF ATTLEDOROUGH. 293 

Rev. Walter Ela is the present pastor. He commenced his labors in this 
town in April, 1887. 5 

In the little more than twenty years of its existence, this church has in- 
creased from twelve or fifteen members to nearly if not quite two hundred 
and fifty. Its Sunday-school is a very large and nourishing one. It has 
upon its roll about three hundred and fifty names, and the average attendance 
is two hundred and fifty. 

THE HEBRONVILLE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

This church was organized April 4, 1875, in Hebron Hall, where it con- 
tinued to worship for several years. In 1881 the pastor in charge seemed 
especially to recognize " the necessity of a new church edifice, and early in 
the year set himself at work to secure it." In a short time quite a sum of 
money was subscribed and work commenced, and the cornerstone was laid 
in October of the same year. It required strenuous exertions on the part 
both of pastors and people to complete the church building, which was 
erected at a cost of about $12,000. They were however very successful and 
on April 5, 1883, the pretty edifice was dedicated, " virtually free from debt." 

This church has had nine pastors, only one of them remaining three years. 
At the time of its formation there were twenty-seven members, and at pres- 
ent there are about fifty. The society holds regular services in Dodgeville 
as well as in Hebrouville and has a Sabbath-school in both places, each num- 
bering over a hundred scholars. 

The first pastor, in 1875, was Rev. John Q. Adams, who remained but one 
year. In 1876 Rev. J. H. Sherman was appointed, and he continued three 
years. Rev. Robert Clark, 1879 ; Rev. George W. Wright, 1880 ; Rev. 
Charles S. Neetler, 1881 ; Rev. Eben Tirrell, 1882; Rev. S. M. Beale, 1883 ; 
Rev. J. Q. Adams, 1884. Rev. Charles W. Hinckley was the pastor in 1887. 
[The present pastor (181)3) is Rev. W. B. Heath.] 

AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH. 

This church was established about 1871, and in that year land was pur- 
chased of Dr. J. M. Solomon on the "plain " between the Boston and Provi- 
dence and the Attleborough Branch railroads. The committee of the church 
at that time were Isaac R. Johnson, John Williams, and Israel Jackson. The 
first building was a small house purchased by the society. It stood where 
Murray Church now stands and was used by Mr. Staples as a shop. This 
building was burned down. Since that time some additional laud has been 
purchased and a new church edifice erected, larger and more convenient than 
the former. The entire property is valued at $2,500. 



1 Rev. A. McCord was the successor of Mr. Ela, assuming the pastorate iu the spring of 1889. To 
him succeeded the Rev. Richard Povey, and to him the present pastor, Rev. George E. Brightman. 
During this year, 1893, a parsonage has been built on Sanford Street, just in the rear of the church. 



294 A SKETCH OF THE 

This church belongs to the New England Conference of African Churches. 
The original number of members whs about twelve; the present number is 
sixty-six. There is a Sunday-school connected with the church, which num- 
bers over fifty scholars. The pastors are as follows : Rev. R. H. G. Dyson, 
Rev. .lames II. Anderson, Rev. Charles C. Ringold, whose terms extended 
over two years each. Rev. Daniel Bradley, Rev. Robert Peaco, Rev. E. 
George Riddle, whose terms continued for three years each. Rev. George 
II. Simmons came here June 14, 1886, and remained about a year. In 1887 
Rev. M. A. Bradley was appointed pastor. [Rev. C. D. Hazel is the present 
pastor, 1893.] 

GRACE CHURCH. EPISCOPALIAN. 

The first service in town under the auspices of the Protestant Episcopal 
Church was held at North Attleborough about September 1, 1858. This 
service was u by request, about two hundred being present." The officiating 
clergyman was the Rev. Julius S. Townsend. He had been rector of Trinity 
Church, Pawtucket (then in Massachusetts). Regular services were held in 
both the North and East villages, in the latter place in Union Hall in the 
evening: and on March 30, 1859, k ' a parish was duly organized under the 
name of Grace Church," with Mr. Townsend for its rector. The double serv- 
ices were continued, and it was the rector's desire and plan to have a church 
building in both of the above named villages. He labored very earnestly 
and faithfully for a year and a half, but was then compelled to resign the 
work because of his ill-health. This was in March, 1860. 

During the four succeeding months the services were conducted by several 
different clergymen, and then Rev. Edward Cowley became rector. He 
resigned at the end of a year. While he was in town the services were held 
at the Falls instead of at North Attleborough. From this time — about 
June, 1861 — until March, 1864, services were discontinued. Then for three 
months Mr. (now Rev.) Samuel H. Webb took charge at the Falls as lay 
reader. 

In June, 1864, Rev. A. C. Patterson, "a missionary at large," became 
rector, and while he had charge the land upon which the chinch is built was 
purchased. Up to this time services had been held in four different places in 
town; namely, Union Hall, East Attleborough; Union and Odd Fellow-, 
halls, North Attleborough; and at the Falls schoolhouse. Mr. Patterson's 
rectorship was a short one and closed by his resignation, and from the time 
he left town until 1871 the interest in the work of this denomination seemed 
to subside. Occasional efforts were made to resume services, but they were 
unsuccessful. 

In 1871, however, "a united and decided effort was made to > revive the 
parish." A subscription paper was started to raise funds for building a 
church, and $2,000 were pledged. Services, too, were held at Mr. W. D. 
Whiting's and in the Free Evangelical Church. In September of that year 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 295 

Rev. J. S. Beers became the rector, and regular services were resumed and 
held in Templars Hall. October 17 the ground was broken for the church 
edifice. A few months later Mr. Beers commenced soliciting aid in Boston, 
in which work he was very successful, and the cornerstone was laid 
June 14, 1872. This ceremony was performed by the Grand Masonic Lodge 
of this State, and the religious services were conducted by the Grand Chap- 
lain, Rev. E. M. P. Wells, d.d., of Boston. 

Meanwhile an additional lot of land had been purchased, and two months 
after the laying of the cornerstone the rectory was commenced. It was fin- 
ished in June, 1873. The church was finished and opened for its first service 
March 12, 1873. It has sittings for two hundred and eighty-four people 
and is valued at $11,000. The rectory is valued at 84,500. These figures 
show that in a very few years a large amount of work was successfully done 
bv this small parish. The church was not consecrated until over a year after 
its completion, for in the Episcopal denomination no church edifice can be 
consecrated until it is entirely free from debt, a provision in the church 
polity that all denominations might well adopt. 

The number of members in the church in I860 was eleven ; when the reor- 
ganization took place there were eighteen ; and the present number is one 
hundred. There are more than a hundred families connected with the par- 
ish. The Sunday-school was reorganized October 1, 1871, and it now num- 
bers one hundred and thirty, with an average attendance of about ninety. 

The consecration occurred on June 18, 1874, and there were special 
services during two days. A large number of the clergy from Boston, 
Providence, Taunton, and many other places were in attendance. The con- 
secration sermon was preached by the Rev. Phillips Brooks, of Trinity 
Church. Boston. 

Grace Church has had four rectors since its reorganization. Rev. J. S. 
Beers was the first of these. He was born in Fairfield County, Conn., and it 
was not until he had attained the age of twenty-one that he decided to enter 
the ministry. Previous to that time he had for some years been employed 
in some business house in Bridgeport, Conn., and it was there, doubtless, 
that he formed the habits and gained the knowledge which enabled him to 
manage successfully the business and financial matters of the churches over 
which he was subsequently placed. The fact that he had reached his majority 
before beginning the special preparations for his lifework showed that he 
had weighed the matter carefully in his own mind before making his decision 
and that he thoroughly understood its purport and requirements. As has 
been said, he acted from judgment, not impulse, and devoted himself thor- 
oughly and entirely to his work, laboring for the temporal good of his 
charges and their higher spiritual good with equal zeal and fidelity. 

Mr. Beers was a man of great energy, for, notwithstanding his lack of 
early education and mental training, he graduated from the Episcopal Theo- 



2!)!') A SKETCH OF THE 

logical Seminary in Philadelphia "with an honorable standing." lie accom- 
plished a great work in this town in the building of the church and rectory 
and in doing much toward extinguishing the debt of the parish. He re- 
signed in the autuin of 187G and removed to Towanda, Penn. He remained 
there until 1885, when he received the appointment of general missionary of 
the Episcopal Church in this State. After turning his attention to books he 
became quite a student and found recognition as a scholar of ability, for in 
1886 Trinity College conferred the degree of Master of Arts upon him. 
After his appointment as a missionary he took up his residence at Natick, 
this State, and continued there until he died in November, 18.S6, at the end of 
a life not long in years, for he was but fifty, but complete in much work 
well done. One says of him: " His consecration to the Christian ministry, 
thorough knowledge of business methods, and indomitable energy, gave him 
success in this field of labor," that of a missionary. 

Rev. Frederick A. Fiske was the rector who succeeded Mr. Beers. He 
was the son of Rev. Elisha and Margaret Shepard Fiske, of Wrentham, where 
he was born April 15, 1816. He was fitted for college at the well-known 
Day's Academy in that town and graduated at Amherst College in 1836. 
After this he took the full course at Yale Theological Seminary and then at 
once entered upon ministerial work. He was a Congregational minister for 
nearly or quite twenty years and settled in some pastorate during the greater 
part of that time. For some three or four years previous to 1865 he had 
a private school for boys in Newton, this State. He had been a teacher 
between the time of his graduation from college and his entering the theo- 
logical school, and he gained a wide reputation as a successful educator. 

The results of a severe illness compelling him to seek the benefits of a 
milder climate, he accepted the position of superintendent of education in 
North Carolina in 1865. He continued in this office for three years and 
tilled it most acceptably. He was, however, always possessed with a strong 
desire to return to New England and resume the duties of the ministry there, 
counting the days spent in that work the pleasantest of his life ; and therefore 
in 1868 he resigned his position at the south and returned to the north. 
It was about two years subsequent to this time that lie entered the Episcopal 
Church. He became rector of Trinity Church in Great Harrington, this 
State, and later of St. Paul's in P)rookfield, Conn., and from the latter 
place came to this town in 1876. After two years' labor in and for this 
church, death called him, for his work was done. 

The words of others most fitly describe the character and life of this 
singularly devoted man. Says the Attleborough Chronicle: "Mr. Fiske 
was a man of scholarly attainments, irreproachable character, genial, social, 
and kind in all his intercourse with the church and world. His rectorship 
among us has been abundantly blessed, and his departure so unexpected, has 
elicited the most profound grief and heartfelt sympathy. Bishop Paddock, 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 297 

at the funeral services, made a feeling tribute to the departed, speaking 
of the great loss all had sustained, — of his unselfish devotion to his work 
and people. He loved to minister as one that serveth. It was his highest 
honor, the basis of his life. His service has been very faithful. Wherever 
his work, that work was honorably performed and his reward was with God." 

In the convention address delivered in May, 1879, is the following notice, 
a beautiful tribute from the pen of Bishop Paddock: "In the modest 
rectory, that, with the Church at its side, crowns the little knoll of an ample 
lot in a pretty village of Bristol County, one of our best rural pastors lay 
down to die soon after he had given God thanks for the good example of 
dear Dr. Wells, (a loved city missionary of the Episcopal Church in Boston.) 
This man, coming to his parish two years before, had found the wise and far- 
sighted work and outlays of his valued predecessor burdened with such 
honest, but partially unexpected indebtedness as changed times have brought 
upon many of the parishes all over the land. The time came, last autumn, 
when about $2,000 of this indebtedness must he raised, to avert disaster. 
He did not create the obligation ; but it was Christ's cross that lay right 
athwart his path, to remove it. First letting it cost himself more, perhaps, 
han he would expect of any one else, he then roused the hearts of all, even 
to the children, of his flock, and they all responded nobly. Then strengthened, 
as he supposed, in his gentleness and modesty, by a statement and commen- 
dation from his Bishop, he went from door to door in Boston, to let others 
bear the burden with him, and so fulfill the law of Christ. From a few he 
received refusals which pained him, from a few good advice against parishes 
getting into debt, from others modest offerings towards his longed for getting 
out of debt and saving a valuable property. Twice he broke in his weary 
rounds ; but at last he succeeded and went home with the church's property 
saved, and his life given for it. After a few weeks of exhaustion and suffer- 
ing, the Rev. Frederick Augustus Fiske, Rector of Grace Church, North 
Attleborough, died Dec. 15, 1878, and was buried by myself and other 
brethren amidst a town full of mourners. He was a man of manly and 
strong piety, clear and happy in his convictions, and of willing and unweary- 
ing labor." 

January 5, 1869, Mr. Fiske married Avlin W. Woods, a granddaughter 
of the Rev. Dr. Leonard Woods, of Andover, one of the founders of the 
theological seminary in that place. She survives him, and one son by a pre- 
vious marriage, Mr. F. E. Fiske, of Taunton. 

The next rector of this church was Rev. George R. Wheelock, who 
remained but one year. He came in September, 1879, and resigned in 
September, 1880. 

The church was without a rector until January 23, 1881, at which time the 
Rev. George E. Osgood, the present rector, assumed its charge. He was 
born in Boston June 6, 1854. He was educated at the Waltham High 



298 A SKETCH OF THE 

School and under private instruction for two years, ending with a four 
years' course a1 the Episcopal Theological School at Cambridge. He then 
became assistanl for Dr. William R. Huntington, then rector of All Saints' 
Church at Worcester, now of Grace Church. New York City. He was at 
the same time rector of St. Matthew's Church at South Worcester. He 
remained in these positions for two years and a half, when he came to this 
town. 

October 2, 1880, Mr. Osgood married Helen F. Read, of Hamden, Maine. 
They have two children, Phillips E. and Edith E. Osgood. 

Up to the autumn of 1887 there was a debt upon the rectory amounting to 
about $'2, 900. During that season the necessary sum was raised by subscrip- 
tion among the people of the parish, and the entire church property thus 
wholly freed from obligations. The church is constantly increasing in 
prosperity. 

There is one memorial window in the church, placed there in memory of 
Mi>s Adeline Bowers, who was born November 2.'!, lT'.'H. and died October 
18, 1868. ] 

THE FREE EVANGELICAL CHURCH. 

The beginning of this church dates back to 1843-44. At that time " a 
body of earnest christian workers" left the Baptist Church because they 
had embraced the doctrines of Millerism. They built a chapel at Plainville, 
where they worshiped for some time. April 30, 1854. they organized 
themselves into this church, their basis of organization being lk The Doc- 
trines on which Evangelical denominations are agreed," them creed and 
practice being that of open communion Baptists. Naturally the accepted 
rule of admission to membership in this church is baptism by immersion, hut 
members of other churches are admitted who have not been so baptized; 
hence doubtless their peculiar name. 

During the first year there was no regular pastor, the pulpit being supplied 
by twelve different ministers. On March MO, 1859, Rev. Cyrus Cunningham 
became the settled pastor, and from that time the church received recognition 
from the other churches in town and elsewhere. At the organization there 
were twenty-four members, and at this time there were seventy. 

Mr. Cunningham was born in Newton, this State. He received a high 
school education and made his preparations for the ministry with a clergyman 
in Salem. This was his second pastorate, the previous one having been in 
Westborough, this State, where he remained for four years. His wife was 
Mary Daggett, and while they resided in this town they had one son, who is 
a Baptist clergyman. Mr. Cunningham remained here seven years, and 



1 In tin- autumn of 1S01 a new building on the church lot was begun, and finished in the spring of 
1892. The second tloor Is lor the use of the Sunday-school, and the first tioor contains parlor, dining- 
room, kitchen, etc. U< cost, including furnishings, was about $6,000. It is called the Parish House. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOEOUOH. 299 

during that time the church services were conducted in Burden's Hall. He 
is now pastor of the •' Shawmut Avenue Messias Church " in Boston. 

Rev. John A. Heagy was the succeeding pastor. During- his stay the 
church edifice was built. It was commenced in 1867, but not entirely com- 
pleted for three years. The lecture room was finished and used for fully 
two years before the entire building was completed. The dedication occurred 
February 24. 1870. 

The third pastor was Rev. G. H. Childs, who remained here only two 
years, from 1870 till 1872. In the latter year Rev. H. Canfield accepted the 
charge. At that time the church had one hundred and thirty members and 
the Sunday-school one hundred and fifty. 

To Mr. Canfield succeeded Rev. John Wood, who remained several years. 
He was much interested in all public town matters, educational work, etc. 
During the summer or fall of 1885 he resigned and with his family went to 
California the ensuing winter. In October, 1886, Dr. E. M. Levy became 
pastor, but he remained only about a year, when he resigned. Some time 
after this Rev. W. L. Lockwood received a call from the church after having 
supplied the pulpit for a while. 

The church edifice in this society was erected at a cost of from $8,000 to 
$10,000, and repairs to the amount of some $7,000 have also been made. 
This entire sum has been paid. In 1883 the parsonage at the rear of the 
church was built. The present membership is over two hundred, and the 
Sunday-school, formed very soon after the organization of the church, has 
a membership of probably between one hundred and fifty and two hundred. 1 

CENTRAL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH. 

The people of Attleborougli Falls were for many years compelled to go 
either to North Attleborough or Oldtown for public worship. The need of a 
church organization and a church building had long been felt. Attempts 
were from time to time made to have some permanent organization, and a 
clergyman once came to town and labored for about a year, and then the 
attempt fell through from opposing obstacles which arose. Finally in March, 
1866, a Sabbath-school was established with Welcome Aldrich as superin- 
tendent. The late Job Savery took a great interest in this work and did 
much to advance it. The school held its sessions in the basement of the 
schoolhouse in the village, where other religious services were also held. 
These latter were conducted in turn by various pastors of different denom- 
inations in town. As this arrangement did not prove wholly to meet the 
demands of the surrounding community a canvass was made and sufficient 
money subscribed to insure a regular Sabbath supply of preachers. The 
committee having this matter in charge was composed of representatives 

1 Is 1 .'.;. Present pastor, Rev. A. R. Paul]. 



300 -I SKETCH OF THE 

from several denominations, each one of which was to have a specified 
portion of the year for the setting forth of its "particular views." 

This plan at first promised great results, but it failed completely before 
the cud of a single year. The previous arrangement was again adopted, but 
with little success, and every prospect looked wry discouraging. A newly 
settled pastor in another part of the town had his attention called to the then 
state of affairs and made efforts to renew the enterprise. Not much could 
be done at once, but the Massachusetts Home Missionary Society had begun 
to look after the spiritual needs and interests of this community, and at the 
meeting of the Taunton Conference held in October, 1873, at North Middle- 
borough, this matter was presented to the members present, and a day was 
appointed for the conference committee to visit the town and look over the 
ground. This was done with the result that the Home Missionary Society 
was instructed to send a permanent preacher to this community as soon as 
it could find the right man. 

Among the different ones sent was a young man under appointment as a 
foreign missionary, and it was at once decided that lie was ••the one looked 
for." and he was urged to remain until he should be called to his foreign 
service. George 11. Tilton's first Sabbath at the Falls was January 1, 1874. 
He is the son of William N\"ells and Sarah Ann (Morrill) Tilton and was 
born in Nashua, N. II., January 31, 1845. He lived in Concord and Hop- 
kinton, that State, while a child, his parents having removed to those places. 
He attended district schools, the Contoocook and Hopkinton academies, and 
for a term the Rumford Grammar School at Concord, under a very faithful 
teacher, Mr. James W. Webster. He then entered Williston Seminary, at 
Easthampton, this State, where he graduated in 1866, ready for college. He 
graduated at Amherst College in 1870 and at Andover Theological Seminary 
in 1873, and on June 4 of that year he was ordained at Hopkinton, N. H. 
He then took a course of medical instruction in New York City, having his 
missionary work in view. Soon after finishing that course he came to this 
town. •• was cordially welcomed by the people, and was promptly offered 
$600 to come and preach for them six months," and at the end of that time 
wras given a renewal of the offer for an indefinite period. Mr. Tilton took 
bold of the work before him in earnest and very soon found there was 
sufficient interest in the community to justify the formation of a church, 
which was done. He continued here, working with and for this people until 
the new church building was completed. He resigned in May, 1875. 

He preached for fully a year and a half after this in Wolfborough. N. II.. 
marked success following his labors there. He had meanwhile been obliged 
to relinquish his former plan of becoming a foreign missionary, and as a 
result of overwork he was compelled to resign all active work for some 
months at this period. He commenced preaching in the Congregational 
Church in Rehoboth village in October, 1*77. and took up his residence there 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 3()1 

January 1, 1878. He continued to preach there for five years and on 
November 2, 1882, was regularly installed as pastor. On June 6, 1876, he 
was married to Ella Minerva, a daughter of Thomas and Minerva Wheaton 
(Freeman) Mann, of this town. They have three children. 

Mr. Tilton still continues in this pastorate, a pleasant and successful one. 1 
He was the projector of the enterprise which has given to the town of Reho- 
both its beautiful ''Memorial Hall," and to his earnest efforts the satisfactory 
result of the enterprise is very largely due. It is pleasant to praise the 
generosity of those who contributed their money so liberally in this cause 
and to record the fact that Mr. Tilton's labors have been appreciated. 
Entirely without his knowledge friends procured an excellent portrait of 
him, and upon the day of the dedication of Goff Memorial Hall this was 
publicly presented to him with well-deserved words of praise and with the 
request that he would permit it to remain in the hall, that future generations 
may see " the good man " who so faithfully labored for their good in pro- 
moting the interests of the town. 

Rehoboth and old Attleborough were so long and so closely allied that 
what interests the one town has a more than common interest for the other, 
and the old Orthodox church of the older town and the new Orthodox church 
of the younger town have a special tie between, in that both have been 
benefited by the labors of the same earnest and faithful minister. 

As was stated, soon after Mr. Tilton commenced Lis work here, sufficient 
interest was manifested to warrant proceeding in the movement towards a 
church organization. A meeting was held March 1!». 1874, and a Cono-reo-a- 
tional church was formed, calling itself the Central Congregational Church 
of Attleborough. The first deacons elected were Edwin Shepardson and 
Welcome Aldrich, the first treasurer William Fisher, and the clerk H. N. 
Daggett. A council for the recognition of the new church was held in 
Agricultural Hall on the thirty-first of the same month, Dr. Blake preaching 
the sermon. Meetings continued to be held in the schoolroom, but the place 
was entirely inadequate to the wants of the congregation, and simultaneously 
with the formation of the church a movement in the direction of a building 
was made. 

This enterprise, once started, was " pushed forward with great energy, both 
by the pastor and H. N. Daggett, and some other stirring men of the village." 
It took just five weeks from the formal recognition of the formation of the 
church for these energetic men to perfect their arrangements and commence 
the contemplated work of building. The old burying-ground was the site 
selected for the edifice, and it was necessary to remove some of the bodies 
interred, there. It was with considerable difficulty in some cases that the 



l In 1891 Mr. Tilion resigfreil his pastorate in Rehoboth, preaching hi* last sermon to his people 
there on November '2S of that year. He went to Lancaster, X. H., where lie still is located. 



302 A SKETCH OF THE 

consent of the relatives was obtained, but all such obstacles were finally 
overcome. The building committee were Handel N. Daggett, John F. Sturdy, 
and Edwin Whitney. They began work on May ">. 1*71, and on June 16 
the cornerstone was laid. The pastor. Rev. Mr. Tilton, made the historical 
remarks, and Rev. J.J. Woolley, of Pawtucket, delivered the address upon 
that occasion. The exercises were participated in by Rev. Samuel Bell, Rev. 
John Whitehill, Rev. H. Canfield, of this town, and Rev. Dr. Blodgett, of 
Pawtucket. In the cornerstone were placed the names of the members of 
the church, a copy of its creed and covenant, a copy of the order of exercises 
of the day. two copies of the Chronicle containing editorials on the establish- 
ment of the church, specimens of scrip and specie, and the business card of 
Mr. .1. F. Sturdy. The stone was laid in its place by Mr. Daggett. 

The work of building went rapidly forward under the efficient supervision 
of the committee. Mr. Daggett arranged with much forethought and had the 
masons, carpenters, and painters on hand when their special work was ready 
for them, " and they did not leave it till it was done." Early in December, 
1874, services were held in the vestry, and "by the untiring efforts of the 
committee the structure was completed in less than a year." The building is 
of wood, with a brick basement, is about forty-one by sixty feet in measure- 
ment, and of Gothic design, with a spire whose top is one hundred feet from 
the ground. The clock was the gift of the village and cost 8500, and the 
bell was presented by Mr. John F. Sturdy. The lecture room will seat about 
three hundred people ; there is also a library room and a kitchen department 
with all necessary arrangements. The audience room above seats about four 
hundred. 

It is forty-four feet high to the peak of the roof and is well finished and 
furnished. It has eight side windows of colored glass and three rose 
windows, the largest and smallest in the front end, and the other opposite, 
over the chancel. The chancel contains the pulpit and choir seats, with the 
organ at the right or west side, and there is a small gallery at the opposite 
end of the church. At the left of the chancel is a tablet containing several 
texts of Scripture, and the date of the organization of the church, the laying 
of the corner-stone, and the names of the several pastors. This church 
cost between $16,000 and $18,000. The largest contributors were H. N. 
Daggett, J. F. Sturdy, and the late Willard Robinson ; and several others 
among the business men of the village were very liberal in their donations. 
The ladies of the congregation also did their full share of the work. The 
fruits of one young lady's industry purchased the beautiful communion 
service; '' a group of young ladies " gave an antiquarian supper and raised 
$100 for settees and organ for the vestry ; and the older ladies by a series 
of fairs raised $500 towards furnishing the church. The work was a great 
one to accomplish in so short time, for exactly one year by date from the day 
the ground was broken, on May .">. 1875, the completed church building was 
dedicated. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 303 

There was a large congregation present on that occasion, and several 
clergymen of prominence took part in the exercises. Rev. S. M. Newman, 
Rev. H. B. Hooker, d.d., Rev. William Barrows, d.d., and Rev. M. Blake, 
d.d., among them. Rev. Mr. Bell, then pastor of the Second Congregational 
Church, made an historical address, and the dedication sermon was preached 
by Rev. J. M. Manning, d.d., of Boston, from 1 Kings 8: 27. Fine music 
was rendered by musicians from Providence, and a dedication hymn com- 
posed by Mrs. L. B. Sw r eet was sung by the congregation. This was the 
closing event of Mr. Tilton's pastorate, and his labors here terminated at 
that time, greatly to the regret of the people of the church and the 
community. 

The next minister in charge was Rev. F. E. Marsten, 1 and he was followed 
by Rev. F. 1). Kelsey, their pastorates together covering a period of five 
years. 

In August, 1880, Rev. George O. Jenness commenced his labors here. He 
was born in Methuen, this State, April 14, 1837. He was educated partly at 
Atkinson Academy in New Hampshire and at the Baptist College in Rich- 
mond, Va. He pursued his theological studies with Rev. Ebenezer W. 
Bullard, of Hampstead, N. H., now of Stockbridge, this State. He was 
ordained in 1869 and commenced preaching in Virginia. Subsequently he 
modified some of his views aud became a Congregationalist and had his first 
pastorate as such at Wakefield, N. H. While there he accepted the call to 
this church. Mr. Jenness was married January 13, 1872, to Mary A. Merrill, 
of Hampstead, N. H. They have two children living, Annie M. and Manora. 

The Central Church organized with twenty-four members and at the 
present time it has sixty-two and a congregation averaging about one 
hundred. The Sunday-school, organized in March, 1866, has upon its roll 
one hundred and fifty names and an average attendance of ninety. - 

MURRAY UNIVERSALIST CHURCH. 

The first attempts made by this denomination to establish religious services 
in East Attleborough were not far from LS20, or during the pastorate of the 
Rev. Richard Carrique over the First Uuiversalist society in Oldtown. 
There was, however, at that time great opposition manifested against these 
attempts by some of the leading Congregationalists of that part of the town, 
who were very decidedly opposed to the doctrines of Universalism. Plow 
long the meetings continued is not known, but it is certain that no permanent 
foothold was gained at that time, and that no further efforts were made for 



1 In June, 1877, Mr. Marsten married Ida M. Freeman, daughter of the late Joseph J. Freeman, of 
Attleborough Falls. The ceremony took place in the church and was performed by Rev. Mr. Kelsey, 
his successor. Mr. Marsten is now settled in Columbus, Ohio, where he i- pa-tor of a large Presby- 
terian church. 

- Mr. Jenness' successor was Rev. Walter T.Taylor. The present pastor (1*9:1) is Rev. J. II. McLaren. 



oil 4 A SKETCH OF THE 

nearly or quite half a century. There were then probably very few of this 
denomination in the East village, but, as with the succeeding years population 
increased, people of this faith in larger numbers became residents, and some 
twelve or fifteen years ago they were numerous enough to think of having a 
church and parish of their own. 

In the initial work no one was more earnest than the late Charles E. Hay- 
ward. The first decisive public step was taken on June 1!». lx7.">, when the 
organization of Murray Universalist Parish took place. The services were 
held in Union Hall from this time until December 16 of the same year, when 
Murray Chapel, the upper part of the late Edwin J. Hortou's building on 
North Main Street, was dedicated to the purposes of religious worship. 
Services continued to be held there for nearly ten years. The society was 
incorporated May 11, 1881, as Murray Universalist Society. The name was 
given in honor of Rev. John Murray, the founder of the denomination in 
this country, lie came from England in 1770, and one says: "The cir- 
cumstances under which he lauded at Good Luck, New Jersey, and preached 
in the old Potter Meeting-house, which Thomas Potter had built in the faith 
that ' God would send a preacher.' read like a romance. He was the John 
Wesley of Universalism." 

The first pastor of Murray Church was Rev. Franklin C. Flint. He was 
here but a few months, from November, 1875, until his death, which 
occurred March 2-">. 1876. The second pastor was Rev. Alphonso F. White, 
who remained nearly two years, from September, 1*76. to July, 1878. 

In the September following. Rev. Thomas W. Illman received a call from 
the church, which was accepted, and he commenced his labors here October 1. 
1*7*. He was born in Philadelphia, Penn., January 29, 1853; he went 
through the course of instruction in the public schools of his native city. 
graduating from the Central High School in July, 1*70. The following year 
he entered the Divinity School of Tufts College, this State, took the regular 
four vears' course there, and then remained another year for special study. 
He was settled first in Saugus, this State, at which place hi' was ordaiued 
September 12, 1876. 

Soon after his settlement here the matter of a church building began to be 
talked of and special efforts in that direction to be made. Mr. Illman 
labored with great faith and earnestness in this cause, and he was ably sec- 
onded by all the people of his parish. In May, 1881. the society decided to 
buy a lot on South Main Street, jusl below its union with North Main Street, 
for 82,000. Efforts were redoubled and. before the pastor resigned, sufficient 
money was pledged to assure the desired result and to warrant beginning the 
work of building the edifice. 

Mr. Illman resigned this pastorate May 1. 1884, to take charge of the 
Third Universalist Church of New York City, on West Eleventh Street. He 
remaiued there until June 1. 1**7. when he accepted a call to Brattleborough, 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 305 

Vt., to one of the largest churches in the denomination. 1 August 15, 1877, 
he married Maria Louise Poole, of Philadelphia, by whom he has had three 
daughters. Helen Louise, Adelaide Poole, and Florence Sweet Illman. 

Rev. Hiram A. Philhrook succeeded Mr. Illman as pastor of this church. 
He was born in Bradford, Vt., in October, 1834. He was educated at Green 
Mountain Institute and finished with the divinity course at Tufts College. 
His first charge was at Calais, Maine, and he remained there thirteen years, 
with the exception of sometime spent in the army, where he served as cap- 
tain in the Eighth Maine Regiment. After leaving Calais he was over a 
church in Nashua, N. H., then in Pawtucket, R. I., and still later in Rock- 
land, Maine. He commenced his ministerial labors in this town September 
14, 1884, and a month later, on October 28, the ground was broken for the 
foundation of the new church building. 

In 1858 Mi-. Philbrook married Louisa King, of Claremont. N. H. They 
have two daughters. Laura Mary and Maria Philbrook. He resigned in 
1888, to take charge of a church in Boston. 

The cornerstone of the new church building was laid December 11. 1884, 
with appropriate ceremonies, and the vestry was completed and ready for 
occupancy in July, 1885. The remainder of the work was rapidly pushed 
forward, and the main audience room \v:is finished and occupied for the first 
time on November 15, L885. The building committee early appointed were 
J. Lyman Sweet, chairman. Lev. Mr. Illman (his place subsequently being 
occupied by Rev. Mr. Philbrook), W. R. Cobb, the late Charles E. Hayward, 
L. J. Lamb, and E. O. Richardson. Each and all of these gentlemen were 
most faithful and efficient, as the result testifies. 

The church is of Queen Anne style and very pretty both in design and 
finish. The audience room has a seating capacity of three hundred and 
twenty -five, and the Sunday-school room below seats two hundred. 14 1 ere are 
also parlors, kitchen, etc., conveniently and appropriately arranged, accord- 
ing to the requirements of the present day. The pulpit furniture was 
presented to the society by Mr. Charles F. Lamb, of Waltham, a former 
parishioner of Mr. Philbrook, the communion table by Mr. N. J. Smith, 
and the chandelier by Mr. R. F. Simmons, of this town. 

It was at first proposed to build a chapel only, at a cost of perhaps 85,000 
or 86, 000. but it was finally decided to have a church, though that meant a far 
larger outlay. The present building with the land has cost $16,000 ; and the 
end aimed at, a paid for church, has not been attained without great effort 
and even personal sacrifice on the part of many of the people. Large sums 
of money have been contributed by a few, notably by Mr. Hayward, Mr. 
Sweet, and Mr. Lamb, and many others have given of time and money pro- 
portionally perhaps as generously as they. Though a great work had been 



Atthe present time (ISii.'J) Mr. Illman is pastor of tin- Universalist church in Concord, X. H. 



306 A SKETCH OF THE 

accomplished by iris predecessor. Mr. Philbrook found much waiting to be 
done when he came to the parish, and he labored perseveringly with his peo- 
ple until the consummation was reached. Most wisely, it was decided not to 
dedicate the church till every dollar of the society's obligations was paid, and 
too much credit cannot be given to the ladies, who for two or three years 
worked unceasingly to cancel as much as possible of the debt which remained 
when the building was finished. Early in the year 18*7 about $800 was still 
unpaid, and Mr. J. L. Sweet very generously offered to be responsible for 
$500 of that amount if the ladies would raise the remainder by a certain 
date. This by no means small task was accomplished, chiefly by a series of 
very pleasant entertainments, anil the entire debt thus liquidated. 

The dedication services were held May 11, 1887. They were participated 
in by many friends of the society from home and abroad and by several emi- 
nent clergymen. The dedicatory prayer was offered by Rev. E. II. Capen, 
D.D., president of Tufts College, and an address to the parish was given by 
Rev. Mr. Potter, then pastor of the First Universalis! Church of this town. 
Rev. Dr. George H. Emerson, of Salem, Rev. W. A. Start. Mr. II. G. Dun- 
ham, of this town, a student in Tufts Divinity School, and the pastor also 
took part in the exercises, and the sermon was preached by Rev. Mr. Illman, 
the former pastor. 

We cannot better close this sketch of Murray Church than by quoting a 
few sentences from Mr. Illman's discourse at its dedication. He says : 
•■ As one who was with you at the beginning of the building movement, and 
who has watched it with interest in all its stages, I would be qualified to 
speak of the sacrifice and generosity which this little temple represents. 
Every such movement reveals the souls of people ; and I can bear testimony 
that free-hearted loyalty and devotion, in no stinted measure, have been 
shown to abide in the souls of the people of this church and of this town. 
I restrain myself. 1 cannot be amiss, however, to mention the name of 
Charles E. Hay ward, as one whose wholesome liberality made this church 
possible, and whose spirit lingers near it, although, in life, he was not 
permitted to enter its doors for a single service. It is a monument to the 
devoted spirit and unselfish labors of many faithful men and women, both 
living and dead. Believing that to truly generous hearts, such as yours, a good 
work well done is itself praise enough, I will content myself with extending 
to you all most hearty congratulations that your labors have been crowned 
with success, and that you can offer to the service of God and His children's 
highest welfare so beautiful and so complete a gift, and offer it, too, free from 
every shadow of encumbrance."' ' 



'The next pastor, Rev. .Jabez Xewton Emery, at the time he was called of Bellows Falls, Vt., came 
herein 1888, commencing his labors on the first Sabbath of September in that year. lie left Septem- 
ber 30, ]>■'!, tn accept a pastorate in Bridgeport, Conn. To him succeeded Rev. Daniel L. Fisher, 
who came in February, 1892, and left August 31, 1893. During hi- pastorate a parsonage was built by 
the society on County street, he being the first to occupy it. October 1, 1S93, the present pastor. Rev. 
A. Francis Walch, commenced his labors. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOEOUGH. 307 

st. mary's church (roman catholic). 

St. Mary's Parish dates back nearly forty years, to 1850, during which 
year it was organized by Rev. Joseph McNamee, of Pawtucket, R. I. 
There were very few Roman Catholics in the district at that time, but a suffi- 
cient sum of money to purchase a lot of land was raised by subscription. 
The onlv obtainable lot was the rocky spot on the main road between the 
Falls and North Attleborough, just west of the elevation called " Peck's 
Mountain." In 1852 Father McNamee died, and Rev. P. G. Delany. also of 
Pawtucket, had charge of the people of this faith in town for the following 
two years. His successor was the Rev. Philip Gillick, of Greenville, R. I. 
He continued his residence in that place, but he devoted the larger portion of 
his time to this parish, and under his administration more active work was 
commenced and much was accomplished. 

Up to 1857 the religious services had been conducted in private houses or 
in Barden's Hall, but during that year a church w T as built on the site pre- 
viously purchased. This was a plain, inexpensive structure, but it answered 
the actual needs of the people at that time and for some years. At the 
time the church was built Father Gillick took up his residence in North Attle- 
borough, living in various places there and for a time even in the basement 
of the church, until finally he built himself a house by the side of the church. 
He did a great and arduous work, for, besides accomplishing much in this 
town, * k he built or purchased places of worship in Franklin, Wrentham, Wal- 
pole. Foxboro', and Mansfield, all of which he attended to regularly until 
advancing years and increasing numbers of Catholics obliged him to seek 
the assistance of another priest." He had, in all, three assistants, the Rev. 
Fathers Conaty. Foley, and Ryan. In 1*74, on account of his advanced age 
and feeble health, Father Gillick resigned " the post he had so long, so ably, 
and so well filled," giving it into the hands of the Right Rev. T. F. Hen- 
dricken, Bishop of Providence. It was in February, 1874, that Father Gil- 
lick ceased his active labors here, and he removed to the State of New York, 
where he died on the 10th of the following May. 

He was immediately succeeded by the Rev. Edward J. Mongan, and his 
first assistants w r ere Rev. Andrew Brady and Rev. P. F. Doyle. Father 
Mongan is still the incumbent of St. Mary's parish, and the present assistant 
is Rev. John T. Lynch (1887). 1 He has worked zealously and successfully 
during the fourteen years of his administration. A debt resting upon the 
church when he came here has been paid off, and the parish has been in a 
very prosperous condition. At the time he came here the church had far 
outgrown its accommodations, and in 1*77 the present site and buildings 



1 Since the above was written Father Mongan'* assistant has been removed. The work in Mansfield 
having so increased as to require a resident pastor, he ceased his labors there and confined himself 
to the requirements of his own special parish in North Attleborough. 



308 A SKETCH OF THE 

were purchased. These were the old Tifft property on Washington Street, 
North Attleborough, the dwelling well known to the people of the town as the 
wt Round house." Tins house is occupied as a residence by the officiating 
priests and the stone barn has been remodeled and converted into a place of 
worship. Ahout $20,000 was the price of tins property, and in two years 
from the time the church took possession it was entirely paid for. In addi- 
tion the building fund for a new church edifice already amounts to £10, 000. x 
There, are from eight to nine hundred members of this church and parish, and 
the congregation at the regular services averages from six to seven hundred. 
The Sabbath-school numbers two hundred. There is here an insurance 
organization under the guardianship of the church, called the Catholic 
Forester's Association ; this numbers aboul fifty members. Besides attend- 
ing to his own parish, Father Mongan has charge of the services of his church 
at Mansfield [see note]. 

ST. .ioiin's church and parish. 

In 1883 the portion of St. Mary's parish comprised in the east part of the 
town was set apart b} T Bishop Hendricken and organized by him as St. 
.John's parish. For some time previous to this date, it having become more 
difficult for the people of the East village to attend church on account of the 
removal from the Falls to North Attleborough. Father Mongan had regularly 
celebrated mass in Dean's or Union Hall. The first pastor appointed over the 
new parish was the Rev. John J. O'Connell, then curate of the Church of the 
Immaculate Conception in Providence. He came January 6, 1883, and still 
remains in charge. 

Services were continued in Union Hall up to December, 1883, hut the people 
had for some time been desirous of having a more suitable place. At the 
time the parish was organized quite a sum of money had already beeu collected 
with that object in view, and work was at once commenced. Laud was pur- 
chased on North Main Street of the family of the late F. D. Bliss, including 
the house standing thereon and now used as the priest's residence. 

The cornerstone of the new edifice was laid September 17. 1883, the ser- 
mon being delivered by the Rev. J. C. Walsh, of the Holy Communion Church, 
Providence. Pastor and people were earnest and zealous and the work of 
building went rapidly and vigorously on toward completion. The church is 
one hundred and ten feet long, fifty feet wide, and built after the Grothic 
style. It is a handsome structure and makes as a whole a tine effect. The 
lofty spire is an especially noticeable feature, and the top of its surmounting 
cross reaches to the height of one hundred and thirty-eight and a half feet 
from the ground. The auditorium is of excellent proportions, finished and 



■The new building has been commenced. The cornerstone was laid in the spring of 18S9, and the 
work of construction is going on. It is estimated that it will cost $75,000, and it will be a large and 
handsome structure. The basement is occupied for worship, but the room above is not yet completed. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 309 

furnished well, the style of finish used in the roof being particularly pleasing. 
The colors used in the decoration are soft and agreeable to the eve, and the 
stained glass windows add much to the general effect of the entire room, 
which is harmonious and in good taste. The beautiful window over the high 
altar is the gift of Rev. James Murphy, of St. Teresa's Church, Providence, 
and represents the patron saint of this church. The side windows are also 
gifts from various members of the church. The high altar was presented by 
the congregation, and the side altars by friends of the parish. A large organ 
occupies the choir gallery, which is over the vestibule, and the only gallery in 
the church. The Sunday-school room or vestry, a large room, occupies the 
basement of the building. The church seats seven hundred people. The 
members number six hundred, and the average attendance at mass is four 
hundred. The Sunday-school numbers one hundred and twenty-five. The 
entire property is valued at $25, 000. ] 

The dedication took place September 22, 1885, the Right Rev. Bishop 
Hendricken conducting the services, which were very imposing and impressive. 

Father O'Connell has accomplished much since he entered upon the work 
of this parish, and he has not only endeared himself to his own people, but 
has gained the respect of the community by his courteous and friendly bear- 
ing towards those with whom he has in various ways, both public and private, 
come in contact. 

st. Stephen's church. 

The energy of Father Mongan was not satisfied even when he had thor- 
oughly established a church in the East village, and he turned his attention 
to another portion of the town. At least ten or twelve years ago he com- 
menced holding services in Dodgeville. For many years a large proportion of 
the people residing in the villages of Dodgeville and Hebronville have been 
foreigners, they having almost entirely superseded natives in mill work. Very 
many of these inhabitants are French Canadians or of that extraction and 
were born and bred in the Roman Catholic faith. As their numbers increased 
they needed more and more attention and at length a church and pastor of 
their own. 

We have not been able to ascertain the exact date, but about eight or ten 
years ago (1877-78) a church was built and called St. Stephen's. It stum Is 
on the road between the two villages and at no great distance from either. 

The congregation numbers about six hundred, and there are three hundred 
and fifty communicants, fully two-thirds of whom are French Canadians and 
the remainder probably chiefly Irish. There are about eight marriages and 
thirty baptisms annually, and about thirty persons in the parish have taken 
the pledge of total abstinence. 



1 A lot opposite the church was purchased by Mr. P. M. Carpenter, ami a commodious ami pretty 
rectory was built upon it, which was finished during 1S91. The cost was some $6,000. 



310 A SKETCH OF THE 

The pastor at present in charge is the Rev. Patrick S. McGee, formerly of 
Canada. 

There have been various religions societies which have held meetings in 
town at different times, continuing in some instances for quite a long period 
and having considerable numbers of attendants. These meetings have been 
held in halls or small rooms hired for the purpose, none of the organizations 
having attaiued sufficient success to enable them to own buildings for them- 
selves. Among these may be mentioned the Mission of Glad Tidings, in 
existence for quite a period and holding its regular services in a hall on 
North Main Street, Attleborough. Episcopal services were hsld for some 
time in the same village under the care of Rev. Mr. Osgood. Now the society 
called All Saints' Mission has a rector of its own, Rev. I. T. Bagnall. A 
Congregational church has recently been formed in North Attleborough, 
calling itself Trinity Congregational Church, of which the pastor is Rev. 
E. L. Warren. 

About 1<S70 the American Millennial Association, of Providence, R. I., 
bought some land in the extreme southern portion of the town and every year 
since that time have held camp-meetings there for people of their peculiar 
beliefs. Among the prominent men connected with the association in various 
places and leaders in these meetings may be mentioned Elder Lemuel Osier, 
Father Shipley, as he was called, Rev. Cyrus Cunningham, from the West, 
J. Pierson, of Newburyport, this State, J. Orrock, Mr. Bundv, Josiah Litch, 
J. L. Litch, Robert Knowles, and a Mr. Stewart, of Franklin, Mass., who is 
treasurer of the association. Of the several leaders in organizing these camp- 
meetings, Elder Osier is the only one now living. 

The grounds consist of a pretty grove lying on the south side of the road 
which runs from the road between Dodgeville and Hebronville to Briggsville. 
just cast of the Boston and Providence railroad. The original purchase was 
live acres, since increased to ten. There are at the present time (1893) 
some sixty cottages on the grounds, and the place has come to be in a small 
wav quite a summer resort. A keeper resides there all the year through, and 
the owners occupy their cottages during the summer months, certain trains 
stopping at the adjacent crossing to accommodate such of the gentlemen as 
do business in Providence. 

The Adventists generally hold their camp-meeting some time during 
August, though it has been held as early as June and as late as September. 
Their services continue for ten days. There arc representatives of associa- 
tions from many parts of the country, some of the Middle and Western States, 
and from Canada, though the greater number are from New England. 

For four years Methodists of the vicinity have held camp-meetings con- 
tinuing for five days, and for two years the society of Christian Workers have 
had meetings which have continued for ten days. These services attract large 
numbers of people from the surrounding country in all directions. 






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HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOU'iU. 311 



CHAPTER XL 



SCHOOLS. 



OUR New England pioneer settlers were in many respects like all others. 
They had first of all to fell the trees of the forests and to build for 
themselves habitations, then they had to subdue the land and compel it to 
furnish the means of subsistence ; but the ideas of our forefathers went 
further and higher than simply to supply themselves with shelter and food. 
All those things they left behind them in abundance ; but they came here to 
found free institutions, and their commonwealth must be built upon a basis 
both religious and intelligent. 

At one of the first meetings of the proprietors of Rehoboth, or the 
" plantores of Seacunk," held probably within a few months of the settle- 
ment of that town, it was voted " that the meeting house shall stand in the 
midst of the town," and very early the schoolmaster's lot was set apart. 
This was usually near the meetinghouse lot. The church and the school 
stood side by side. 

November 13, 1677, at a town meeting it was voted " that Daniel Smith 
should write to the young gentleman at Dorchester, to signify to him, that it 
was the town's desire that he would be pleased to come up and teach a school 
according to those former invitations that our Reverend Pastor made to him." 

May 18, 1680, the town was notified by the selectmen that one Mr. Edward 
Howard had engaged to teach school, and his terms were " twenty pounds a 
year in country pay, and his diet, besides what the court doth allow in that 
case" ; and the following year the selectmen were directed to " endeavor the 
utmost to re-engage Mr. Howard to keep the school another year." In 
December, 1683, the selectmen "did fully agree" with a Mr. Taylor to 
keep school for one year, his pay to be " £5, in money, £10. as money, and 
his diet." 

In October, 1698, it was voted " that a school-master, as the law directs, 
should be attained," and when the selectmen had procured one they were to 
•'agree with him, for his encouragement to keep school." At this time the 
schoolhouse had to be repaired " and made fit for to keep school in." There 
seems to be no mention of the date of its construction. 

March 15, 1699, the selectmen made an agreement with Thomas Robinson, 
of this town, to keep a reading and writing school for the term of three 
months, " to begin the first or second week in April, at the farthest," and for 
his labor " he is to have three pounds, half in silver money, the one half of 



312 A SKETCH OF THE 

it when he has kept half the term, and the other half when his quarter is 
expired: the last part of his pay in corn equivalent to money." 

Up to this time it is conjectured that hoys only had had the benefit of 
public instruction; but in December of this year, 1699, "the selectmen 
agreed with Mr. Robert Dickson to keep school in Rehoboth for six months," 
he engaging to do his utmost endeavor " to teach both sexes of boys and 
girls to read English, and write, and cast accounts. In consideration of 
said service, the said selectmen, in the town's behalf, do engage to pay him 
thirteen pounds, one half in silver money, and the other half in good mer- 
chantable boards, at the current and merchantable price; the boards to be 
delivered at the lauding place, at Samuel Walker's and Sergeant Butter- 
worth's pier." 1 "All these votes were in accordance with the law of 1647, 
providing for the taxing of the people of the towns for the support of free 
public schools, to which every child might have access, — the first legislative 
act in the world affording free public instruction, through a general taxation 
of all the people, to the children of all the people." 

In 1708 the course of study was enlarged, the schoolmaster then " agree- 
ing to instruct in reading, writing, grammar, and arithmetic." Early in the 
year 1712 it was "voted to raise thirty pounds annually, for the support of 
schools." One " neighborhood " was to have ten pounds, and "be obliged 
to maintain an English school," and other portions of the town were to have 
" the remaining twenty pounds, and lie obliged to maintain a grammar school." 

Up to this time there is no mention of separate schools for Attleborough ; 
therefore those of our town, if indeed there were any, must have been iden- 
tified with or included in those of Rehoboth. The lirst records found on our 
books are for 1716, over twenty years after the incorporation of the town. 
On March 20 of that year, by those who were ''by the providence of God 
inhabitants of Attleborough, it was voted and agreed upon that Deacon 
Daggett should be schoolmaster." Later in the year this record is found : 
"At a town-meeting Lawfully warned the 17th of December, 1716, for to 
Consider and Resolve what they will do with Respect to the Hireing of A 
School-master and see whether they accept of Mr. Josiah .Tacques as school- 
master on any of those terms Mr. Freeman has agreed for him, the said 
Jacques, it was voted to hire Mr. .Jacques of Mr. Freeman for one year for 
a School-master, and to pay Mr. Freeman twenty pounds in current money 
of this province, or proportionally for less time, if he should not stay so 
long." This man of whom the town hired the schoolmaster was Mr. David 
Freeman, who lived nea r the South Attleborough cemetery; therefore there 
seems to be no doubt that our first schools were kept in that part of the 
town. At this time there were no school buildings here, and for almost a 
hundred years the schools were kept in the houses of different inhabitants. 



^his was at Seekouk Cove, at the mouth of the Ten Mile River. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. :\\:\ 

For the year 1717 one Thomas Cathcart, of Martha's Vineyard, was the 
town schoolmaster, his salary being thirty pounds. The closing words of 
his reseipt for this salary leave uo doubt as to his reception of the money or 
its full equivalent: " I say received by me, Thomas Cathcart." 

At this time Attleborough included the Gore, now Cumberland, R. I., and 
the population did not probably exceed live hundred people. This territory 
was all one district, and only one school was kept, as may be proved by the 
early records, where the school and the schoolmaster are iuvariably mentioned. 

Under date December 5, 1718, is found the following record: "The 
meeting then held to consider what may be done respecting the school, to 
see where the town will place it; whether by a committee that may then and 
there be chosen to manage that affair, or any other way that may be thought 
proper. The Town voted and agreed that ye school should be kept seven 
months in one quarter of ye Town at a time, and that Quarter shall have 
power to place the school as they shall think most proper and convenient." 
At this time a committee of the five following men was appointed to make a 
division of the town into four quarters ; namely, H. Peck, Ensign Whipple, 
Ensign Read, John Lovell, and Samuel Day. It was part of the duty of this 
committee to order the quarter in which the school should first be kept, which 
should follow, and so on until each quarter had had its proportionate seven 
months of schooling. No records, are extant of any reports from this 
committee, and for about twenty years succeeding this date it is probable 
that " the method of public instruction" remained about the same. 

In 1737 there was a division of the town into four districts, or quarters, 
" Northeast and Southeast, Northwest and Southwest." 

On the records are found orders on the town treasurer showing that George 
Allen held the position of schoolmaster in 1 724-i?i;-28 and 1732, and he was 
paid from thirty to fifty pounds a year. These salaries were always or 
nearly always exclusive of "diet," and the inference is that the teacher 
was also entitled to conveyance to and from the school when necessary, as 
Mr. Ebenezer Tiler was several times paid by the town for " horse hire 
going to fetch ye schoolmaster." Sometimes in the earliest days the records 
show that persons offered to be responsible for the teacher's maintenance for 
a certain portion of the year; but later this matter was more frequently 
adjusted at town meeting, the warrants for the meetings stating that one of 
the questions to be decided by the town was " to see if they will do anything 
towards boarding the schoolmaster." 

The records do not show what studies were pursued, as sometimes is the 
case in those of Rehoboth ; but it is natural to suppose that they were, as in 
that town at first, the elementary ones of reading, writing, and arithmetic, 
or "casting accounts," and those only. 

During some years there was no school at all, such being the case in 1735 
and 1736. The record states: "In ye first place, it was put to vote to see 



;514 .1 SKETCH OF THE 

whether the town will hire a school-master, and the vote passed in the 
negative." Bui whether this decision was from a temporary lark of interest 
or lack of funds dors not appear, no reasons or explanations being given. 
"The teachers at this time, as far as known, were John Gratrax, Benjamin 
Ide, and John Robbins, Jr. The latter was evidently a prominent man in 
his generation, as he held the office of town clerk and selectman several 
years." 

In 1711, the Legislature passed an act " authorizing the division of towns 
into school districts." and those towns which numbered fifty families were 
compelled by this act to provide for proper instruction in all the English 
branches, and those which numbered a hundred families must add to these, 
instruction in Latin and Greek. 

The records for the following year. 174."). show that progress had been 
made in this town. '' At a town meeting lawfully warned and held ye 1 1th 
day of January, 171."), voted to choose a committee to divide the town into 
five parts and the (iore to be one part. Voted also that the school lie kept in 
two places, six months each in each part, during the next two years and six 
months." In the words of another: "This committee made the division 
and named the houses where the school should be kept. This was the first 
step towards the district system, though its inception was still in the future. 
By this plan the school 'ambulated' from quarter to quarter, and house to 
house, and when one quarter had had its six months' schooling — three months 
in each of the two places — it waited two years and six months before its turn 
came again to drink at the fount of knowledge." 

Besides this new arrangement of districts another change of importance 
occurred at this time. ' k A new impetus" was given to the cause of educa- 
tion in our midst, though its source cannot now be traced. It would cer- 
tainly be very interesting to know what person or persons first suggested the 
new departure. The records say that the warrant for the above-mentioned 
meeting in January, 1715, contained an article as follows: "To see if the 
town will vote any money to be expended in keeping women schools." That 
so important an innovation might have due consideration, the article was laid 
over to an adjourned meeting, when it was voted to raise thirty pounds old 
tenor money, u to encourage ye keeping of women schools."' Whether this 
appropriation was put to immediate use cannot now be ascertained. It was 
more than twenty years after schools were started in Rehoboth that they 
were, according to the records, open to children of both sexes; in our town 
it was almost thirty years before girls were admitted to the privileges of 
public education, and it would seem that at first they had separate schools. 
In Rehoboth the same teacher agreed to teach both boys and girls; here the 
distinct appropriation would seem to indicate a distinct school for " women." 
What the ideas of our forefathers really were on this question must be left 
to conjecture. Perhaps they deemed women in general incapable of learning 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 315 

or regarded "reading-, writing and ciphering," as accomplishments and 
unnecessary to the right performance of their then, in some senses, rather 
limited duties. Certainly the pleasures to he derived from education would 
not enter into the discussions or decisions of the stern men of those rigid 
and exacting times ; but, whatever their ideas or motives, they determined to 
try the experiment. They could scarcely have foreseen the consequences of 
such a step or have realized to what it would lead ; for had this been possible 
they might have been appalled at the effects produced by the now exten- 
sive higher education of women and have withheld their favorable vote for 
the initial departure in that direction. 

We who read the history of this movement backwards can see that it was 
sure to come, and we have reason to be proud and grateful that it was left to 
our own time, "the enlightened nineteenth century," and conspicuously to 
our own laud, to interpret in its highest sense the name first given to woman, 
by planting schools and colleges where she may be prepared for her proper 
position in life as the helpmeet for man to-day. Against great opposition, 
rational public opinion seems finally to have accepted and set its seal of 
approval upon the idea that the liberal education of women is, or is destined 
to be, a benefit, not an injury, and that the better the courses of instruction 
given them in almost all departments of knowledge, the better are they fitted 
to act well their part and to fulfil the duties of their sphere in life, whether 
that word " sphere " is considered in its narrowest or widest sense, according 
to the standard of yesterday or to-day. The results of the equal education 
of men and women have already been stupendous, and the possible conse- 
quences for good no one can calculate. Our town has kept pace step by step 
with other towns in the coeducation of her children. It would be of great 
interest to ascertain what was the cause of the change in public opinion here, 
and we can but deeply regret that the records upon the subject are so 
meagre and unsatisfactory. 

For several years after the changes mentioned but little can be found upon 
the town books relating in any way to schools, and during some years no 
appropriations were made, or at least no records of any were made. In 1771 
it is recorded that in the east part of the town there was tk one week's addi- 
tional schooling," no reason for the addition being mentioned. About this 
time the item of " diet" disappears or rather ceases to be decided by the town 
separately, the salary of the teachers being doubtless sufficiently increased 
to include that item, and they allowed to attend to the matter on their 
own account. A vote taken by the town in November of the year 1771 
shows "that increased facilities for educational advantages were required,' 
the natural consequence of increased population and increased amounts of 
territory occupied. 

It was voted at that time to choose a committee "• to divide the town into 
twelve parts, and appoint the places where the school shall be kept." The 



316 A SKETCH OF THE 

committee examined the territory, considered the needs as to space and num- 
bers, and after due deliberation decided to make thirteen divisions. Having 
completed this work they presented their report, recommending the voters of 
the town to assemble and decide upon it. This was done, the previous vote 
was rescinded, a vote approving of the thirteen divisions was taken, and the 
houses where the school was to be kept were named. About this time men 
of considerable prominence in the town held the position of schoolmaster. 
Conspicuous among these was Elisha May, an account of whom appears 
elsewhere, his name appearing on the records as early as 176s and again in 
later years. There can be no better proof of the high estimation in which the 
office of instructor was held in those times than to find such a man occupying 
the position. 

In 1769 we find Ephraim Starkweather teacher of the "Grammar School" 
for a year. He was a man of prominence in Rehoboth, where he was born. 
His name appears on the Committee of Correspondence during the early part 
of the Revolution. In the years 177f> and 1 77-s he was representative 
from his native town to the General Court and served as senator for three 
years. 

In 177G it was •• voted to divide the school money, that each one may have 
his equal part. Voted that no person shall semi out of Ins own quarter. 
Voted that any quarter that neglects to improve his money within the year 
shall lose it. Voted that each quarter shall draw one thirteenth of the 
money raised for schooling." The amount of money raised at that time for 
this purpose is not stated. 

In the year 1782-83 one Ebenezer Bacon was schoolmaster for a time. 
The records state that he received £2 8s. for keeping school two months in 
•• Lt. Bolkcom's quarter." 

At a meeting held September 13, 17*4, among other things it was "voted 
to Dnhh' the School money," a consummation greatly to he desired. During 
that year Samuel Tingley received £2 Is. 4d. for keeping school one month 
and boarding himself. 

In 17*7 the town voted to divide into twenty quarters. For some reason 
this was not done, and at the next meeting it was " voted and agreed to let 
the quarters stand as they he, and the money shall he divided among the 
quarters according to the number of children in said town from four to six- 
teen years old." This is the first mention of the appropriation of school 
money according to the number of children. Previously each quarter had 
had the same amount without regard to the size of the school. This method 
of dividing the money — per capita ■ — continued in a general way, though 
subject '• to some interruptions and various i li fi cations " for almost a cen- 
tury, until the district system was abolished. 

A 1 >< »ut 1789. when towns were by law authorized to divide their territory 
into school districts, the law met with strenuous resistance. There was a 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 317 

strong popular opposition to it, chiefly on the ground that as the town raised 
the money it should retain the right and power to see to its appropriations 
and expenditures and not leave this to the discretion of irresponsible dis- 
tricts. This opposition continued for some time. Under a later law it was 
left to the discretion of the town to appoint a committee to make appraisals 
of district property, and it was the commendable practice of some towns 
to select a committee for that purpose from adjoining towns to insure 
impartiality. Now by the enactment of other laws these matters are again 
voted by the town. This town did not immediately carry the new law into 

effect. 

.March 17. 1789. "Voted to choose a committee to divide the town into 
twenty quarters for schooling." The committee numbered thirteen. March 
1.3, just previous, is found the following entry : " This may certify that 
William May is appointed by the selectmen to keep a Grainier school in the 
town of Attleborough. Ebenezer Tyler, Town Clerk." 

In 1808 the town fully complied with the above law, chose a committee and 
divided the territory into eighteen districts, and the committee's report, 
exactly and carefully describing their " metes and bounds," is copied verbatim 
on the town records over the names of the committee. 

It is probable there were no schoolhouses up to 1804, as the records make 
no mention of any previous to that time. In that year the town gave the 
districts authority to raise money and build houses, '• to select a spot where 
to build and to act upon any other matter that may lie deemed beneficial to 
said districts, and not contrary to law." The district of Oldtown seems to 
have been the first to act upon this privilege granted by the town, and the 
Falls was next in order to take the necessary steps towards a building, by 
virtue of a warrant signed by the selectmen. After 1808 all the districts at 
different times received similar authority. For over twenty years the town 
elected the prudential committees, who received and expended the appropria- 
tion moneys and also made the arrangements witli the teachers. Committees 
were also chosen by the town, one or two from each district, " to view and 
inspect the schools." but reports of their work are not extant. 

It was in the year 1804 that a committee was first chosen to decide upon 
and select textbooks to be used in common in all the schools. The gentle- 
men composing this committee were Rev. John Wilder, Rev. Nathan Holman, 
Rev. James Read. Ebenezer Bacon, John Richardson. Jr.. Dr. William 
Blanding, Joel Read, Elijah Ingraham, and Peter Thacher. and the majority 
of them were reelected several times. 

In 1789, as before stated, the first mention is made of the school mouey 
having been divided per capita, but the amount is not given. The numbering 
was generally done about November 1 each year. In 1798 the sum allowed 
to each child was determined by town vote to be fifty-eight cents; in 1801 
this sum had increased to seventy-five cents, and in 1807 to one dollar per 



318 A SKETCH OF THE 

child, which sum continued to be the amount allowed until 182). Tin- year 
1815 was the only exception to the general rule, as then for some reason one 
half of the appropriation was equally distributed between the districts, and 
the other half according to the number of scholars. 'The amount of money 
distributed or the changes in the number of weeks of schooling is not 
recorded. 

During the next few years there were not many changes of any kind. 
About 1829 it was voted that the prudential committees should be elected In- 
each district, instead of by the town, as had been the case previously. 
November 1, 1830, it was " voted to appropriate the school money by dividing 
it among the several districts in the manner following, to wit, all districts 
numbering 50 scholars and upwards shall be intitled to one dollar each; 
otherwise those districts if any they be numbering less than 50 shall be 
intitled to two cents in addition to the dollar in the same proportion as the 
number falls short of 50. Example, a district numbering 25 scholars, 
draws $1.50." 

April 2, 1838, " Voted to make the superintending school committee a rea- 
sonable compensation for services." Up to this time probably those services 
had been gratuitous. The same year it was voted that the Massachusetts 
School Fund should be appropriated as was other school money. " The 
Revised Statutes, Chap. 11, Sect. 13, provide that all moneys and stocks in 
the treasury on the first day of Jan. 1835, which shall have been derived 
from sales of the Commonwealth lands in the state of Maine, and from the 
claim of the Commonwealth on the government of the United States for 
military services, and which shall not be otherwise appropriated, together with 
one half of the moneys thereafter received from the sale of the lands in 
Maine, shall constitute a permanent fund, to be called the Mass. School Fund, 
for the encouragement of common schools, provided, that said sum shall 
never exceed one million dollars." These lands were a part of the domain 
of this State when Maine was a portion of it, and the title remained vested 
in the Commonwealth after Maine became a separate State. The military 
claims were those made by this State upon the United States government, for 
expenses incurred in calling the militia into service in defence of the country 
during the War of 1812. The original claim was for §800,000. This was 
resisted and there was a conflict of authority between the State and national 
governments because Massachusetts did not fully comply with all the requisi- 
tions and did not place the militia furnished under full control of a military 
officer of the United States. For these reasons only a portion of the claim 
was paid to the State. The fund is placed in the hands of the secretary and 
treasurer of the Board of Education as commissioners, and new investments 
must be made with the governor's approval. The income only is to be used 
for the benefit of the schools, and is to be distributed in the following 
manner : — 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOEOUGH. 319 

One-half of the annua! income of the fund shall be appropriate.! and distributed without 
a specific appropriation for the support of public schools, and in the manner following : to wit, 
every town complying with all laws in force, relating to the distribution of said income, and 
whose valuation of real and personal estate, as shown by the last returns thereof, does not 
exceed one million dollars, shall annually receive two hundred dollars; every such town, whose 
valuation is more than one million, and does not exceed three million dollars, shall receive one 
hundred and fifty dollars ; and every such town, whose valuation is more than three million, 
and does not exceed five million dollars, shall receive one hundred dollars. The remainder of 
said half shall be distributed to all the cities ami towns whose valuation does not exceed ten 
million dollars, in proportion to the number of persons between live and fifteen years of age 
belongim: to each. All money appropriated for other educational purposes, unless otherwise 
specially provided, -hall be paid from the other half of said income. If the income in any 
year exceeds such appropriations, the surplus shall be added to the principal of said fund. 

Towns which do not maintain at least one high school and who do not raise 
by taxation at least three dollars per capita for the children between five and 
fifteen receive no apportionment from this fund. It is provided that the 
school committees of the various cities and towns shall receive and apply the 
portion of this income accruing to them to the benefit of the schools, and 
that they may, if they so deem best, appropriate any sum not exceeding 
twenty-five per cent, of the amount received for books of reference, maps, 
and apparatus for the use of the said schools. The valuation of this town 
for 1887 exceeded $6, 000, 000. The appropriation must therefore be accord- 
ing to the number of children between five and fifteen years of age. The 
amount is not far from Si 00. 

From 1838 till 1850 school affairs seem to have run on smoothly in their 
fixed groove, but in the latter year there were incendiary tires at several of 
the schoolhouses. The selectmen offered a reward of $500 for the apprehen- 
sion of the criminals, and the town resolved itself into a "committee of the 
whole," for the protection of property. There is no record that the reward 
was claimed, that any person was arrested, or that there was any further 
trouble of a similar nature. 

The following report of the school committee for 1845 was found among 
the author's papers. It is presented entire, not only because as coming from 
his pen it will give pleasure to some readers, but because of some facts and 
statistics contained in it, which will interest those concerned in the progress 
of the cause of public schools in the town and the State : — 

During the past year the schools in this town have generally been prosperous, and useful; 
and have contributed in some degree in educating the youth of the town in knowledge and vir- 
tue; in making one step in advance in that long path of improvement in education, so much of 
which remains unattained. In saying thus much in their favor, we do not intend to convey 
the impression, that we should rest satisfied with the condition to which they have already 
attained. They are far from what they ought to be and might he. There is no institution, 
planted here by our fathers, which is susceptible of such indefinite improvement as our com- 
mon school system. There is no conceivable end to it> advancement. There are some institu- 
tions of human origin which seem to reach their maturity at once, and ever after to remain 
stationary. But here is a most useful and excellent system of education intended to enlighten 
the whole people, in which the most expanded benevolence may have room for an unlimited 
exercise of its powers. In improving the means of universal instruction philanthropy may 



320 A SKETCH OF THE 

find a glorious field for the gratification oi its desires, and without any danger of attendant 
evils. No one need fear too much improvement in the intellectual resources of a Republican 
people. In other part.- of the world, under other systems of government, the advocates of 
arbitrary power may fear the march of human improvement the effects of the general diffusion 
of knowledge among the people, They may dread a free school as an enemy to their govern- 
ment. But with u-. the reverse is true; the friends of Republican government dread the igno- 
rance of the people as the source of our greatest danger; and regard the general intelligence 
of the people as inir surest safeguard and best support. In faet.it ha- become a maxim of 
admitted truth, that the foundation of a Republican government rests on the intelligence and 

virtue of the people. 

We again commend our free schools to the guardian care of the inhabitants of the town. 
Be not niggardly in your appropriations for their support. Whatever -urn you expend for the 
education of the rising generation — for those who are soon to succeed you in the various and 
important duties which you have assembled here to discharge, will return to you with tenfold 
interest — not. indeed, in perishable gold and silver, but in that which is of much more value,— 
in the increased knowledge, virtue, and happiness of your children. It will not, indeed, return 
to you. in kind, but it will come back to you in the richest blessings. You will receive your 
own with usury. Education is not merely an embellishment — an ornament — which can be 
dispensed with, but it is a necessity in a free gov't. All experience in civil affairs, all history, 
all reason teaches us with one voice, that an enlightened education of the people is necessary 
to tin permanence of our civil institutions, to guard and guide the people in the exercise of 
their rights. True liberty can never flourish among a people enveloped in mental darkness. 
Deprived of the sunlight of knowledge it will perish like a plant in the shade. An ignorant 
or illiterate nation are sure to degenerate into anarchy and despotism. Let every friend of 
free institutions use his best endeavors to promote the cause of universal education; let him 
cherish our system of free schools. If our town i- somewhat distinguished for agricultural 
improvement — for manufacturing industry — for the enterprise of its inhabitants, and their 
general competency as to the means of living, — let us be equally solicitous to maintain as 
respectable a standing in our appropriations for the cause of education. Let us be. at least, 

just to ourseh < if not liberal in the amount which we bestow, or rather loan, for this noble 

object. If we have been as a town blessed with a good measure of success in our business 
pursuits and the mean- of wealth, let us manifest our gratitude for the blessing by an increased 
interest in the intellectual and moral culture of the rising generation. An enlightened self- 
interest vv <>ii bl prompt us to tin- course. Here at least " true self love and social are the same."' 

The Committee would call the attention of the Inhabitants of the town to the ureat evil of 
tie irregular attendance of scholars upon the schools. This frequent non-attendance is not 
unavoidable, but, in a great measure, results from a want of proper care, or from indifference 
on the part of parent-. The average attendance in most of our schools, during the winter, 
has been more than -Jo per cent, less than the whole number of scholars. This is an evil which 
ought to be remedied. There is one remarkable exception to this remark in District No. 20, 
Hebronville, where the average attendance during the whole school has been almost equal to 
the whole number attending from week to week. This presents an example which deserves 
our commendation, one which we hope will induce an imitation in the other Districts. 

From statistics given in the last Report of the Secretary of the Board of Education, we 
learn one fact which will surprise the public — an evil the exposure of which will, we trust, 
excite the community to a remedy. We refer to the great number of children in the < om rh 
who do not attend school. In that Report it is stated that the whole number of children in the 
State, between the ages of 4 and Hi. in the year 1843, was l'.c_'.i)2T : that the whole number of 
scholars of all ages attending school during that winter was 169,191; leaving a balance of 
22,836; hut deducting the number over Hi and under I who attend school included in the whole 
number above mentioned, it leaves a balance of 42,312 who did not attend school during that 
year, and probably the same proportion continues at the present time. The community may 
well ask, can this be true in the State of Massachusetts, where more attention is given to the 
subject of education than in anj other State; here where we have taken so much satisfaction 
in the belief that provision had been made by law for tin education of all. and of which all 
had partaken? But if such i- the case here, in the enlightened state of Massachusetts, where 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 321 

public opinion and law both favor the cause, what must it be in those States where uo public 
provision has been made for the education of youth ! 

The greatest glory of a Republic is the general diffusion of useful knowledge among its 
citizens. Their national renown should consist — not in military victories and conquests, but 
in the intellectual pre-eminence of the people. 

If the people of this country wish to preserve and perpetuate their civil rights and Repub- 
lican form of government, and transmit them for the enjoyment of future ages, they must 
in-iirc it by giving a liberal and constant support to our common schools. As our schools are 
intended as nurseries for those who are to take the control of public affairs, nurseries where 
the great majority of the people obtain the only means of education which they ever enjoy, we 
think it obvious, that the instruction given in them >hould be adapted to their situation and 
duties in society, not only in the common branches which will fit them for the ordinary busi- 
ness <>f life, but also in such studies as will qualify them for the responsible duties which they 
have to perform as members of civil society. Boys of a suitable age should be instructed in 
a knowledge of the State and National Constitutions, and in the general principles of the 
government, and in the civil history of the country. 

It should be one great object of our gov't and people to extend to all the blessings of edu- 
cation. This is the great mission of a free people. Let us in this respect present a contrast 
with the monarchies of the old world. Let it be our great object to form men. Let the old 
world have their splendid palaces, their sublime cathedrals, — their courtly retinues, their titles 
of nobility, and all the pomp and pageantry which attach to Royalty. — let them have their 
standing armies and their bloody battlefields — but give us the fruits of peace, universal educa- 
tion, the emancipation of mind, the freedom of the soul. Let them display their wealth 
accumulated for ages, where the intellects of the many poor are darkened and enslaved in the 
midst of the luxuries and the grandeur of the noble tew. When the enlightened traveller 
comes from other lands to examine the condition of our country, and inquires for the monu- 
ments of our national renown and exploits, we would be able to point him to our colleges ami 
academies, and our free schools scattered all over the land, where the minds of all can have 
free access to the fountains of knowledge. — as the best exhibition of our national character 
and the proudest monuments of our national glory. We would point him. not to our great 
and populous cities where vice enervate: — (not to our accumulated wealth — ) but to the mil- 
lion- of minds w Inch we have enlightened and improved and blessed by the means of education. 

1'er order of the Committee 
Attleborough, April 7, 1845. .1. Daggett, Sec'y. 

April 7, 1851, the matter of a high school came before the town and was 
referred to the following committee of six gentlemen : Rev. -Joseph S. 
Dennis, Lyman W. Daggett. Caleb M. Paine, Dr. Phineas Savery, A. M. 
Ide, and Rev. Jonathan Crane. The school rates had by this time largely 
increased, for at the above-mentioned meeting it was voted to raise :?4..">u per 
scholar and apportion it as had previously been done. On November 24 the 
high school committee made a report in which they suggested the advis- 
ability of at once establishing high schools, agreeably to the law which 
demands the maintenance in towns of at least one school " whose teachers 
shall be qualified to instruct in the history of the United States, bookkeep- 
ing, surveying, geometry, algebra, general history, rhetoric, logic, and the 
Latin and Greek languages" ; or, if a central place cannot lie found, two or 
more schools can lie kept whose terms together shall equal twelve months. 
This not being done the town is liable by the provisions of the law to a 
heavy tine; namely, twice the amount ever raised in one year for schools. 
Three fourths of this amount would lie returned, but one fourth would be 



322 A SKETCH OF THE 

paid into the county treasury. At this time $4,150 had been raised for 
school purposes in this town. This committee further recommended the 
establishment of three schools, one each in the east, west, :tud north dis- 
tricts, to be maintained by each district, and, if cither district refused, that 
its portion of the appropriation should be equally divided between the other 
two. The town at this meeting voted to establish high schools and referred 
the mutter to the town school committee to make inquiries and arrange- 
ments :ind report. 

No further action seems to have been taken by the town until April 5, 1853, 
when the sum of $600 was appropriated to carry out the vote of the town 
regarding the establishment of high schools. The committee of inquiry 
and arrangements made a report describing a division of the town into three 
high school districts 

A warrant dated May 7, 1855, contained the following article: "To see 
if the town will instruct their school committee to cause the common English 
version of the Bible or the New Testament of said Bible to be used in the 
Public Schools of this town at least once per day by all the scholars of suffi- 
cient intellectual attainments in the opinion of the teachers to read the 
same." May 23 it was voted to adopt the above article. 

There were further delays over the establishment of the high schools, and 
it was not until dune 5, 1856, that action was again taken by the town in 
regard to them. At that time a committee of nine, three each from the east, 
north, and south districts, was appointed to consider, receive propositions, 
etc. At an adjourned meeting held June 28 this committee reported. The 
town accepted the report and voted to establish two instead of three high 
schools, one at North Attleborough and one at East Attleborough. " Voted 
that the sum of §12,000 be, and the same is hereby appropriated for con- 
structing suitable school houses, and purchasing lots to locate the same; One 
moiety thereof to be expended upon each building and lot." The committee 
at North Attleborough were Samuel d. Ladd, Stephen Richardson. 2d. Abiel 
Codding, Jr.; at East Attleborough, d. C. Hidden, V. H. Capron, L. B. 
Carpenter. These committees met but could not agree upon locations. 

In 1858 the school districts were resurveyed. There were nineteen dis- 
tricts and those in charge of this matter made report of some changes in the 
lines, which were accepted by the town. 

In 185^ ■?•"> per scholar was appropriated and divided in the usual manner. 
The following year it was voted to divide one seventh of the school appropri- 
ation between the districts equally and six sevenths between the scholars 
equally, after paying for the services of the school committee. 

in 1865 the school appropriation amounted to $5,500. 

April 1, 1867. "Voted to establish one High School at East Attleborough, 
and one at North Attleborough, and that three thousand dollars be appropri- 
ated for their support." A committee of five was chosen to provide suitable 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 323 

places and make necessary arrangements. These five were Henry Rice, 
F. G. Whitney, J. R. Branson, J. W. Capron, William P. Shaw. 

In 1869 the school property was taken possession of by the town and an 
appraisal committee appointed. Their subsequent report placed the total 
appraisal at $33, 230.74. 

In 1872 the appropriation for schools was $9,000. April 1, 1872, 
" Voted that the Dog Fund be appropriated to the use of Common Schools." 
In 1877 the appropriations for school purposes were k ' $13,000 for Common 
Schools, and S3. 500 for High Schools." 

Fourteen years after the establishment of the high schools by vote, build- 
ing sites were finally selected. No undue haste in action had followed upon 
the towu's decision to erect suitable buildings; time was taken to give the 
matter meet and proper consideration and deliberation, and finally affairs 
were in such condition as to admit of further action. 

At a town meeting held April 4, 1881, $25,000 were appropriated and the 
following named gentlemen elected a building committee : .Joseph G. Barden, 
George N. Crandall, Charles F. Bliss, Henry Rice, Charles F. Hayward, 
Edward R. Price, and Rev. John Whitehill, the last named being chairman. 
March 20, 1882, a further appropriation of $6,000 was made to complete the 
two high school buildings, and $500 for necessary apparatus for the two 
schools. 

By an act of Legislature approved May 12, 1882, to take effect January 1, 
1883, school districts were abolished in this State. When this law took effect 
the towns assumed the expense of text-books, and since that time these have 
been furnished to the scholars free of charge, that is, for their use so long as 
they are required in the various grades and classes, but they remain the prop- 
erty of the town. In this same year, 1882, a second appraisal of the school 
property was made. On .January 6 a nominating committee was appointed, 
and Handel N. Daggett, George A. Dean, George N. Crandall, Frank B. 
Richards, William P. Shaw, Joseph G. Barden, and Flisha (J. May were pro- 
posed by them and accepted by the town to make the appraisal. These gen- 
tlemen accomplished the proposed work and made a detailed report. The 
total valuation was $36,595.44. 

March 17, 1S,S4, a third appropriation of $242.1)2 was made for the high 
school buildings, making their entire cost $31,242.92. These buildings are in 
both instances pleasantly situated. The one iu Fast Attleborough stands on 
the corner of Bank and Peck streets ; that in North Attleborough on High 
Street and on more elevated ground. They are built on the same plan but 
have some changes in their towers, entrances, etc. They are well built and 
well finished both outside and in and are furnished with the appliauces nec- 
essary to the proper carrying out of the course of instruction required. 
Each contains an especially useful and important laboratory, large school- 
rooms, necessary recitation rooms, anterooms, offices, etc., and they are 



32 1 A SKETCH OF THE 

comfortably and conveniently adequate for the purposes for which they were 
constructed. They are palaces of beauty and luxury, physically and intel- 
lectually, when compared with the homely, comfortless buildings of early 

daVS. There are three excellent courses of stud} 7 pursued in these schools, 
the classical, the general, and the English, the first two extending over four 
year-, and the latter over three. They furnish a good education to those 
who do not desire or cannot have a longer continued school life, and a good 
foundation for those in town who intend to pursue higher courses elsewhere. 

Enough facts and figures have been given to show something of the great 
growth of the town in the important matter of general education, and some 
idea may he obtained of the proportions the work of the school committee 
had assumed. Not only had the increase both in the number of schools and 
scholars added materially to their labors, but the additions required year by 
year in the directions of advantages to be given and improvements to be 
made in the courses of study pursued and the places where they were to be 
pursued had also constantly augmented the demands upon their time. It can 
readily be seen that the work of a school committee must always be in some 
measure •"district" in its nature, especially in a town so large as ours had 
come to be. Its members could not separately become thoroughly conversant 
with the workings of every school in detail, including the performance of the 
other duties devolving upon them, without devoting their entire time to the 
business. The need of a superintendent of schools had become obviously 
great, and in their report for the year 1S.S2 the school committee wisely 
recommended the town to make an appropriation for that purpose, for, as 
they considered, such an officer was indispensable "to the highest welfare of 
our schools." 

The town acted upon this suggestion, and at its annual meeting. .March 19, 
1883, made the necessary appropriation. In May following a superintendent 
assumed the duties of this office. 

It having come to the ears of the present (1887) incumbent, Mr. Maxson, 
that it had been a matter of conjecture and comment among some people 
what could engage a superintendent's time, he in his report for the year 
ending February 28, 1886, enumerates in the following words a few of the items 
that engage such an officer's attention : " Under the free text-book system 
much time is taken in the purchase and distribution of the supplies. He 
must buy everything needed in the schools, from shoe-pegs for the primary 
to chemicals for the high schools, considering in each case the questions of 
price, quality, and suitability. Ink musi he carried to this school, a broom 
to that, and books to another. Good teachers to fill vacancies must be hunted 
up. requiring much time and the writing of innumerable letters. The schools 
must lie frequently visited, and the work examined. Truancy must be inves- 
tigated, cases of discipline considered, misunderstandings between parents 
and teachers removed, school surroundings studied, pupils classified and 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 325 

promoted or degraded, uniform examinations prepared, teachers advised and 
directed, changes in the system considered, text-books examined, teachers' 
meetings and grade meetings held, and regular office hours observed at each 
village two days in the week. Having done all these things, and by personal 
inspection informed himself of the wise, faithful and full execution of the 
school system, he must in his spare moments acquaint himself with the school 
system in other towns and cities, and with advancement in educational matters 
in the world at large, that he may improve his own system." The superin- 
tendent further states that in the discharge of some of the duties thus enu- 
merated he had, during a little more than five months prior to his report, made 
five hundred and sixty-three calls at the different schoolrooms and ridden on 
an average nine miles a day. The question might better be not LL What dues 
he have to do?" but " How can he do so much?" 

In 1K-S4 it was voted to expend 820,000 on enlarging and repairing school 
buildings ; $-27,900 was the appropriation for the schools, $2,000 for incidental 
educational expenses, and $1,500 for text-hooks, stationery, etc., all of 
which, under the present system, are supplied at public expense. 

In 1<S85 $600 was appropriated for carrying children from outlying terri- 
tories to their various schools. 

Since its first appropriation for the purpose in 1872, the dog fund has con- 
tinued to be used for the benefit of the schools. This is a yearly increasing 
fund and in 1886-87 amounted to $1,034.67. In the same year the appro- 
priation for schools was $.">0, 000 ; for incidental expenses, $1,500 ; for text- 
books and supplies. $2,500; for the conveyance of scholars, $600; for 
repairs, $8,000 — a total, including the dog fund, of $38,634.67. To this 
must be added the money obtained from the several school funds, to determine 
the entire sum at the disposal of the town and of some special portions of 
it for the public schools. 

The records give no clew to the number of pupils in the early schools, and 
it is not until a recent date, 1850, that any approximation can be formed. 
About thai time it was stated that $4,150 had been raised for schools, and the 
cost per child was $4.50. There may probably have been then some nine 
hundred children, with an average attendance considerably less : hut no 
positive figures can be given, as the records furnish only the two above. For 
later years more exact figures can be given. In ls.sO the average member- 
ship was 1,541, with a daily attendance of 1,359, and the cost of teaching 
per capita $11.39. 

The change from the district to the municipal system marked itself at once 
as advantageous, for the first report from the superintendent showed an increase 
of pupils and presented many encouraging features. A comparison of the fig- 
ures for 1880, two years preceding the change, and those for 1885, two years 
succeeding, show great improvement. In those five years there was an increase 
in both membership and attendance of thirty-three and a third per cent, and 



326 A SKETCH OF THE 

a decrease in the cost per pupil of thirty-nine cents on membership and fifty- 
four cents on attendance. These facts speak for themselves and need no 
comment. This increase has been continuous. The report for the year 
ending February, L887, gives the number of pupils within the required ages 
as 2,616, with an average attendance of 1,894.8. There are twenty-four 
school buildings and sixty teachers, three of whom are males. The cost of 
teaching has largely increased since "ye olden time" and during 1887 was 
Sl'i.'.l'.i per capita, based upon the average attendance of pupils, and over 
our dollar more per capita for text-books and supplies. These figures are on 
a basis of thirty-eight weeks as a school year, though this varies in length 
from thirty-six to thirty-eight weeks according to circumstances. 

A number of years ago drawing was introduced into the schools, and for 
some time a special teacher was employed. Now text-books are used in this 
department, and the regular teachers have charge of this branch of instruc- 
tion. Formerly singing was almost entirely optional with teachers, and the 
result was naturally irregularity and inaccuracy. The present custom of 
employing a regular instructor in music proves highly beneficial both in a 
practical ile and enjoyable sense. Children are taught to read music as they 
are taught to read their primers and, as they advance in this direction, to 
assume at will the different parts of songs or choruses. This knowledge will 
at least give pleasure to themselves and others and in many instances may 
prove to be of great value. Our schools have already attained considerable 
proficiency in this section of their prescribed courses of study, and the yearly 
report of the professor of music shows continual advancement and improve- 
ment. The training in this department is left largely to the regular teachers, 
it being the work of the special instructors to have the oversight and direction 
and to instruct as to the best methods of accomplishing the desired results. 

A certain amount of physical exercise is demanded in all the grades. 
Twice a day the pupils have a u marching or calistheuic exercise," and in 
some of the higher grades there is a regular drill in light gymnastics. In 
many of these exercises the light dumb liells used add greatly to the effect, 
and the "drills" are made more elaborate by musical accompaniment. This 
enhances the enjoyment of the pupil, rendering the exercise desirable from 
that point of view and helping to make it perhaps among the most service- 
able in the school life. In buildings where fire escapes are necessary the 
children are taught to use them, going through the routine frequently. This 
knowledge has not fortunately thus far been put to a practical test in our 
town, though it has in some of our large cities and has proved of the great- 
est use. From constant practice children have been through their drill with 
mechanical precision at the teacher's command, while fire was raging near 
them, the regularity with which they moved preventing a panic and enabling 
all to escape, thus saving many lives. Much more attention is paid to the 
health of children in th^ schools than formerly. It has been proved that 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOimil. 327 

well warmed, equally well ventilated, and comfortably furnished rooms, by 
ensuring better physical conditions, ensure consequently a higher standard of 
excellence in intellectual progress and development. 

The North High School has had four principals ; namely, Bun-ill Porter, Jr., 
from May, 1867, to July, 1879; Henry M. Maxsou from September, 1871), 
to October 1, 1885; F. S. Hotaling from October 1. 1885, to April. 1886; 
George W. Lyman from April, 1886, to the present time (1887). This 
school has had seven assistants : Lucy L. Holden, Mrs. Sarah Austin, Mary 
I. Hinckley (now Mrs. E. A. Hall), Elizabeth K. Goss (now Mrs. Albert 
Dodge, of Minneapolis, Minn.), Agnes Pierce (now Mrs. John D. Long), 
Bertha Pierce, and Mary W. Pierce. The average membership has been 
about fiftv, and the graduates number about one hundred and seventy-five. 

The East High School has had six principals : Calvin G. Hill, William 
Wilkins, A. F. Wood, Jr.. J. Osmond Tiffany (who served thirteen years, 
from 1872 till May, 1885, when he resigned). J. H. Lord from May, 1885, 
till December, 1885, and W. C. Hobbs, who took the position in January, 
1886, and still continues. The assistants have been seven in number ; namely, 
Mrs. C. G. Hill, Emma Tonks (now wife of Rev. John Baxter, of England, 
and for a time a missionary in East Africa), Miss Kelton, M. C. Sheffield, 1 
Miss Hawes, Annie Rice, Helen W. Metcalf, and Emma C. Lord. Miss 
Metcalf is now serving the second time, and Mary W. Pierce, of North 
Attleborough, teaches here for a stated number of hours as well as in that 
village. The average membership of this school has been about forty-five, 
and there have been probably about one hundred and fifty graduates. 

The town has had three superintendents of schools : Francis E. Burnette, 
Andrew W. Edson, and Henry M. Maxson, who was elected October 1, 1<*vS5, 
and continued to serve until after the division. The instructors in music are 
J. H. Whittemore and his daughter, Mary E. Whittemore, who have held the 
position for several years. The school committee for 1887 were George E. 
Osgood, J. O. Tiffany, Byron R. Hill, Henry S. Kilby, George Randall, 
Harvey Clap, Mary A. Mathias, Lidora E. Briggs, Leda J. Thompson. 
These officers are elected for periods of two and three years, so a portion only 
of the terms expire annually. At the annual meeting of 1886 Mrs. John 
Wood and Miss Briggs were elected to a position on the school board, 
the first women in town to hold that position, and the latter received a 
reelection. 

There are three school funds in the town, the largest of which is derived 
from a legacy of Abiathar Augustus Richardson, who died in 1843. The 
portion of his will relating to this legacy is herewith quoted. After ordering 
his executors to pay his debts and two bequests of household furniture and 
clothing, he devises as follows : — 



Wife of G. E. Brightman, now (1893) pastor of the Methodist Church. 



328 A SKETCH OF THE 

Item, — The residue and remainder of my estate, both real and personal I dispose of as 
follows: I first direct that the same shall be converted into cash or its equivalent, as soon as 
may be convenient after my decease, which shall forever constitute a school fund to be used 
and the proceeds appropriated as herein expressed; the principal (no part of which is ever to 
be expended) shall be loaned out at lawful interest, with good security on real estate, and the 
interest thereof oidy shall be annually taken and appropriated to the use. support or mainte- 
nance of the common free schools in the Second Precinct or Parish in Attleborough, in which I 
live, for the benefit of all the schools in said Parish, which fund shall be managed by twelve 
persons belonging to said Parish as a board of trustees, who are to be chosen once in three 
years, — and any vacancies which may occur, whenever said parish shall deem proper, may be 
filled by said parish. 

Lastly I do nominate and appoint John Daggett, Esquire, of sail) Attleborough, to be the 
executor of this my last will and testament, who is hereby directed to sell and deliver over the 
proceeds as aforesaid. 

Witnesses, Dated July 9, 1842. 

John Daggett, Signed 

Harvey Claflin, Abiathar A. Richardson. 

Phineas Savery, J. W. (.'apron. Clerk. 

Codicil, dated Jan. 31, 1*43. 

I hereby order and direct that the income of the school fund mentioned in said will, shall be 
distributed to the schools, meaning the school districts, whose school-houses are located within 
the present territorial limits of the second parish mentioned in my said will in manner follow- 
ing, to wit: One-half of said income, shall be distributed equally to each and every of said 
School Districts, and the other half shall be distributed to them in proportion to the number of 
scholars in each district, and if ever in the course of time, the said Parish should be dissolved, 
abolished or discontinued, or should fail to elect a Board of Trustees, as provided in said will, 
or the said Trustees should by any means be incapable in law of holding said fund, in that case 
1 direct that such fund be managed by trustees chosen by one from each School District legally 
chosen : and if ever the present School District System should be abolished or discontinued, in 
that case I direct that said income shall be appropriated to the support of such free school or 
schools as the trustees for the time being shall establish in said limits. 

My will is that the Board of Trustees mentioned in my said will may be selected by said 
parish from any of the inhabitants within the territorial limits of said Parish, and in any case 
of any failure of a Board of Trustees to hold said fund, I direct that said fund shall be managed 
by Trustees appointed as the Supreme Court shall prescribe. 

January 25, 184(5, John Daggett, executor, notified the standing committee 
of the Second Parish of his being ready to pay into the hands of the trustees, 
when chosen, the fund accruing from this estate, it being then in his hands. 
.March 28, it was voted by the parish to choose the following persons to act 
as trustees of this fund : Samuel Carpenter, John Daggett, committee at large, 
Lucas Daggett, Willard Blackinton, Seba Carpenter, Elias Fuller, Daniel 
Carpenter, Elkanah Briggs, Noah Blanding, Forrist Forster, Draper Par- 
menter, and Gardner Dunham. On May 3, 1850, these twelve trustees were 
incorporated by Act of Legislature, under the title of Trustees of the Richard- 
son School Fund in Attleborough. They were vested with full power and 
authority to lill vacancies in their board, make all necessary regulations and 
by-laws for their government and the security and management of the fund, 
and with power to hold both real estate and personal property. They had 
power to receive, invest, and manage the estate of the fund, and to take 
charge of the income, paying it over to the schools, as directed by the will. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 329 

The corporation was empowered to appoint officers according to its by-laws, 
and to establish rules and regulations for the distribution of the income of the 
fund, ''provided, the said rules, regulations and by-laws do not conflict with 
the purposes of said will or the laws of the Commonwealth." 

At the time of Mr. Richardson's death, or when paid over to the trustees, 
this gift amounted to $11,000. Since that time it has nearly doubled in 
value. In 1*87 its value was given as $20,250.58. It is invested, according 
to the tenets of the will, in real estate loans and chiefly in this town. Up to 
this time there has been a six per cent, interest obtained. In the more than 
fortv years since the legacy was given there have been but two presidents of 
the board of trustees. John Daggett, the first appointed, held the office from 
1846 till his death in 1885. The present trustees are Everett S. Horton, 
president; Frank I. Babcock, secretary; Charles E. Bliss, treasurer; Shep- 
hard W. Carpenter, James H. Sturdy, John Thacher, Everett S. Capron, 
Hartford S. BaOcock, George F. Bicknell, Joseph 31. Bates, William II. 
Smith, J. Lyman Sweet. 

South Attleborough, or what was formerly District No. 8, has the benefit 
of a bequest made to it by " the Frenchman," Joseph A. Richaud, so long a 
resident there. He kept a store, made some money, and as he never married 
he made this district the heir to his entire little property, provided it should 
not be called for within six years after his death, by a nephew who was 
supposed to be living in France. Richaud was a deist and his will, which he 
himself dictated, " disavows a belief in the divinity of Christ, and the Chris- 
tian religion." In this same document he declared his disbelief in Mahomet, 
and asserted that he had a reliance on the " only living and true God," and 
to him he commended his spirit. This property amounted originally to about 
$700. It has probably increased, but we have not been able to ascertain 
exactly its present value, how it is invested, or the amount of income it 
yields annually. 

The third fund is that of the Holmes neighborhood. This is from a, legacy 
of Milton Holmes, which consisted of a dwelling-house, some woodland, and 
some money, and the fund was established in 1863. The income was used 
up to 1878. About that time the institutions where the money was invested 
ceased to pay interest, and for some time there was danger that the principal 
would be lost. Happily this misfortune was averted, and the money has been 
restored. This fund is managed by trustees. H. K. W. Allen and Joseph 
L. Holmes were the first appointed. The latter resigned in 1878, and A. F. 
Underwood was chosen to take his place. He and Mr. Allen are still in 
charge. The fund now (1880) amounts to about $2,100. 

FRANKLIN SCHOOL. 

This appears to have been the flrst private school in town. On February 
5. 1800, Peter Thacher, Abiathar Richardson, Gideon Sweet, Nathaniel 



330 A SKETCH OF THE 

Robinson, Ebeuezer Tyler, second, Daniel Carpenter, Jr., Eliphalet "Wilmarth, 
Daniel Carpenter, Caleb Richardson. Jr., Benjamin Bolkcom, Henry Sweet. 
Jr., Elijah Ingraham, Dexter Sweet. Gideon Sweet, Jr.. John Wilmarth, 
Noah Blandin, Noah Tiffany, Jonathan Robinson. Joshua Bassett, Otis 
Capron, Elijah Capron, Abiathar Richardson, Jr.. Nehemiah Bourn. Jona- 
than Peck, and Abijah Everett, met at the house of Benjamin Bolkcom and 
agreed to build a schoolhouse " nigh the meetinghouse." It was also agreed 
that Jonathan Peck should build the house for £''52*, and he was to complete 
it by September of the same year. ''Then agreed that Each Proprietor that 
doth not improve the House may receive annually in Money his proportion 
of the rent." 

Commonwealth of Mass. A.I>. 1802. 

An An to Establish A School in the 8. Parish in the town of Attleboro': by the Name of 
Franklin School and for Incorporating the Trustees of said .school into a l>ody politic. 

Whereas the Education of Youth has ever been considered by the wise and good as an object 
of the highest cousequence to the Safety and happiness of a free people, And Whereas Abijah 
Everett of Attleboro': in the County of Bristol physician and Abigail his wife by their' Deed 
made and executed on the tenth Day of April A. I>. 1S00 gave granted and conveyed unto 
Peter Thacher and those herein Named and to their heirs forever a certain piece of land situ- 
ate in the 2d Precinct or Parish in said Attlelioro' : to lie holden in Fifty four rights or shares to 
the use and upon the trust that the rents and protits thereof be forever appropriated to the 
Support of a School in the said 2d precinct forever for the Instruction of Youth in Such 
languages and in Such branches of Science us are usually taught in Schools. And Whereas 
the Execution of the Generous intentions of the Donors towards the said institution may be 
attended with imbarrissments unless by an Act of Incorporation the Trustees and their Succes- 
sors shall be Authorized to Commence and prosecute actions at law and to transact such other 
matters in their Corporate capacity as the interest of the said school may require. 

It was further enacted that the school should be established " for the pro- 
motion of virtue and the instruction of Youth of Each sex in such languages 
and such Branches of the Arts and Sciences as the said Trustees may from 
time to time think Expidient and within the Income and funds of said School 
to support." These trustees could " sue and be sued," and they and their 
successors became perpetual supervisors and "true and Sole Visitors, Trus- 
tees, and Governors." They were to appoint a president, secretary, treasurer, 
preceptor, and such other officers as they deemed necessary ; were to make 
rules with adequate penalties for the breakage thereof, provided the rules, 
etc., " be in nowise repugnant to the laws of the Commonwealth." They 
were empowered to hold real estate. — land, tenements, etc., — provided that 
the annual income did not exceed the sum of $500, and personal property to 
the same amount. They were not to receive anything which should compel 
them to act in any way contrary to the designs of the donors of the land. 
This act was approved by the governor June 23, 1*0:2. 

The first meeting in the new schoolhouse was held October 4, 1802, when 
Peter Thacher was elected president, Joshua Bassett secretary, and Noah 
Blandin treasurer. Elijah Ingraham, Ebeuezer Tyler, 2d, Peter Thacher, 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. ool 

Caleb Richardson, Jr., and Henry Sweet were the committee chosen to draft 
by-laws, and these were accepted at an adjourned meeting held the u 8 th of 
November at five o'clock in the afternoon." At this same time it was - voted 
that the rent of the School House be at the rate of 24 Dollars per year." 
The officers were to rent under direction of the trustees, were to have the 
management of the house, keep the keys, but use their own discretion as 
to the length of rental; and the secretary was directed to tb make a fair and 
impartial T-ecord of all the several meetings," etc. December 13, 1802, the 
first preceptor, Mr. Israel Day, Jr., was chosen, and it was voted to let the 
house for the purpose of singing. Mr. Day appears to be the only preceptor 
chosen by the trustees, but it is known that Rev. Nathan Holman had a 
school in this building, and Moses Thacher and Preston Cummings also 
taught here. They probably rented the house and obtained scholars by 
their own efforts. In the summer of 1803 there seems to have been a 
" Woman's School," and among the records for that year was a vote to pay 
the secretary twelve and a half cents a page for recording transfers of 
shares and certifying the same. 

February 10, 1804, by act of Legislature the word v South " in the act 
of incorporation was changed to "East," because that part of the town was 
universally known as the -'East Precinct." No other record has been 
noticed where the word south is used. October 14, 180."), -Voted that a 
singing school may be kept in said house provided that it does not Interfere 
with the school usually kept." The following year it was mentioned that 
the rent was relinquished to whoever had had the building, the "Arts and 
Sciences" apparently not flourishing at that time. In 1815 it was voted to 
use the schoolhouse for conferences, if it was wanted, at one shilling a 
meeting, and the rent in summer seems to have been then one dollar a 
month. Peter Thacher was president of the organization from the com- 
mencement until LSI."), when Jonathan Peek was chosen to the office, and 
he retained it as long as the organization had an active existence. 

May 20, 1824, it was -voted that the President Secretary and Treasurer 
of Franklin School be impowered to leace their School house lot to the 
Incorporated Congregational Society in the Second Precinct in Attleboro 
for the term of Nine hundred and ninety nine Years for a meeting house lot 
the rent to be paid annually. Voted that if the aforesaid Officers do leace 
their lot as aforesaid they are then impowered and requested to sell then- 
school house at Publick auction. Voted to adjourn to June 13 th ." The last 
record in the trustees' book reads as follows: -June 13 th Know meeting." 

This auction no doubt took place, for the building became the property of 
District No. 18. It was removed to South Main Street, to a spot on the 
west side of the road just below where the railroad now crosses it, and 
stood about where the small house north of the residence of Mrs. L. B. 
Sweet now stands. It is spoken of as a -'little building, painted yellow." 



332 A SKETCH OF THE 

It was a square hip-roofed structure, primitive in style and finish, and several 
people can recall its appearance after it became a district schoolhouse. The 
teacher's desk was opposite the entrance door and was raised two or three 
feel above the floor, while the scholars' seats were " in four tiers, each one 
higher than the other; the boys' on one side, and the girls' on the other." 
These seats were no doubt long wooden benches like those of other school- 
houses in early days, and the room was heated by " the oldfashioned box 
stove." There was great excitement, it is said, among the children gathered 
here when they saw the first railroad train pass through the town, and the 
teacher warned them to keep their heads inside the building lest otherwise 
they might be " taken off by the cars." 

Among the district teachers here were the Misses Susan and Polly Mes- 
senger, Miss Harrington, Miss Lydia Mann (sister of Horace Mann), Miss 
Caroline Porter (now Mrs. Harlow and living in Brooklyn. L. I.), and Mr. 
Lyman W. Dean. Strict attention was paid to the manners of the scholars 
in those early days, no girl being allowed to leave the room without making 
a courtesy and no boy without making a bow. Strict attention seems also 
to have been paid to discipline, especially to punishments, and our present 
deputy sheriff will perhaps recall an agonizing day there when one of the 
above-mentioned teachers sat by his side during the longest, soberest hour 
of his then short life, holding up before him her sharp-looking penknife, 
which he momently expected to lie put to its threatened use of cutting off 
his ear. It meant something to be caught in mischief when our elders were 
boys; perhaps that is the reason why there was so much " fun " in it. 

About 18^)8, when the Sweet house was built, this schoolhouse was 
removed to a site farther down the street, on the same side. It was pur- 
chased by a Mi'. Holman Fuller and converted into a dwelling-house, and it 
still remains on that site. The body of the present house is the original 
structure, but its roof is no longer hipped ; it has a wing, long, low windows, 
piazzas, and ornamentation enough to shock the plain, homely taste of the 
fathers who built it. In 1842 the house was bought by Mr. Nathau C. 
Luther, who occupied it for some time. Later it was owned and occupied 
by Mr. .Joel Moore, and later still by Mr. William Thompson, who made 
extensive alterations and improvements. It is now owned and occupied by 
Captain William H. Groff. Built for the purpose of training youths iu the 
" arts and sciences" of intellectual knowledge, it does not lose its ancient 
prestige by becoming the home of an excellent trainer of men in those " arts 
and sciences" which pertain to good soldiership. 

Early in this century there seems to have been a private school in South 
Attlehorough, called a l ' Classical School," kept at one time by a Mr. 
Wheaton, a graduate of Brown University, the only fact found regarding 
him. The only fact known of the school is of its existence previous to 
1820, as the author mentions his personal attendance at such a school and 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 333 

one of his mates in it. It probably opened later than 1805, because pre- 
vious to that time Rev. Jacob Ide came to the east village to Mr. Holman 
for instruction in the classics, a journey he would naturally have avoided had 
the necessary facilities offered themselves nearer his home. This " Classical 
School " probably had only a short existence. 

Between 1832 and 1836 a private school was kept in North Attleborough 
by Miss Lurinda Forbush, daughter of the then pastor of the Baptist church. 
She was for some time previous to her death, which occurred a few years 
since, well known both throughout this State and the country as Mrs. 
Barrett, the faithful, devoted laborer in the temperance cause. 

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH ACADEMY. 

In 1833 an association was formed for the purpose of founding an academy 
in the north part of the town. In that year Josiah Draper, Ira Richards, 
B. I. and II. N. Draper, Richard Robinson, and their associates purchased 
a tract of land of Samuel Guild on what is now the corner of Washington 
and Orne Streets, and here a building was soon erected. The contractor 
for the mason work was John Hamilton, and for the carpenter work Samuel 
Guild. The building was two stories high. The entire first floor and one 
half of the second were used for school purposes, and the remaining part of 
the upper story was occupied by Bristol Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons. 
The lodge, as may be seen from its early records, purchased some shares in 
this academy association and were therefore to have the use of a certain 
portion of its building. 

The first principal of the school was Isaac Perkins, who had previously 
held the same position over the once famous "Day's Academy" in Wren- 
tham. His house stood on the site now occupied by Codding's Block. 
While he taught here he took pupils to board, and the house was known as 
the " school boarding house." He remained from the time the school opened 
until 1844. when he removed to Easton to take charge of a high school there. 
Under his administration the school here must have been in a very flourishing 
condition, as he sometimes had more than one assistant. 

The next principal was John C. Boram. who came to the school from the 
East Attleborough Academy in February, 1845. His assistant was Henry F. 
Lane, who became the third principal in 184G and remained some two or 
three years. In 1848 or 184'J Rev. J. D. Pierce succeeded him. In 1850 
Mr. Pierce resigned the position and left town, having decided to resume 
his pastoral work, which had been laid aside for a time. He was succeeded 
by Henry Rice, who taught two years, and this ended the existence of the 
academy as an educational institution. The building remained unoccupied 
for several years, but not far from 1855 it was purchased by H. M. Richards, 
and he moved it to its present site, which is south of the former one and 
adjoining the Masonic Building. Mr. Henry L. Leach and others have 



334 A SKETCH OF THE 

since occupied it as a hardware store and Holmes & Cbeever as a grocery 
store, and it has also been occupied by other parties. Though it was used 
for its original purpose only a few years, numbers doubtless of the elders of 
the present generation in its vicinity can look back to pleasant schooldays 
passed within its walls, and among the recollections will come some perhaps 
not wholly confined to the cultivation of the mental and moral faculties. 
There was a good deal of a certain kind of physical education in the schools 
of the olden time, though its pursuit was not mentioned in the catalogues of 
studies; it, however, inured boys to some degree of a Spartan-like firmness 
in bearing pain and was not perhaps altogether useless in its results ; and 
around every institution of learning there cluster memories of "•fun and 
frolic" and of boy and girl good times the like of which never come to any 
one again, memories often cherished as the dearest which can lie recalled in 
after life. 

EAST ATTLEBOROUOII ACADEMY. 

More than fifty years ago Mr. Nathaniel W. Sanford, of New York State, 
bought a large amount of land on the north side of North Main Street, from 
near where Dean Street is to the centre of the village, or about to the site of 
the Opera House. Not far from 1840 it would seem he must have made an 
offer of a gift or transfer of land under conditions to be used as the site of a 
building for higher educational purposes than the town schools then afforded. 
This was the land still known as the academy lot. In consequence of this 
offer an association was formed for the purpose of erecting a suitable build- 
ing. The question of building in connection with the district arose, and 
among those chiefly interested in this matter Mr. John C. Dodge and Mr. 
Jonathan Bliss were resolutely opposed to such a course, while on the other 
band Dr. Seba Carpenter and Mr. Amos Starkey were as decidedly in favor 
of joining with the district. It was finally decided, however, not to make 
the proposed union, but to erect a building by private subscription, the sub- 
scribers of course to become stockholders in the association. Mr. .Joseph W. 
Capron was considerably interested in obtaining the necessary subscriptions, 
and .Mi'. John ('. Dodge was among the largest contributors to this laudable 
enterprise. The original number of stockholders is not known, but there 
were 108 or 110 shares. These were sold for $12.50 each, and the money 
thus obtained built the academy. At a meeting held in January, l.S-li*. the 
trustees reported that $1,455.55 had been expended and 81.41 7.0."> sub- 
scribed, leaving a deficit of $38.50. They stated that a further subscription 
of $250 was necessary for the proper completion of the building, and this 
appears to have been granted to them by the association. 

The building was completed and a school opened in L842. It was an 
oblong square structure, two stories high, with a piazza in front supporting 
Grecian columns, like so many academies and dwelling-houses of its day, 
and contained two large halls with an entry to each. In its palmy days it 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 335 

presented quite an imposing appearance, standing as it did in a conspicuous 
position in the centre of ample grassy grounds elevated considerably above 
and some distance back from the street since named for the then owner of 
the land. The academy had been finished and used for its legitimate pur- 
pose nearly a year before a deed of the land was given to the association. 
The following extracts are from a copy of the original deed : " Know all 
Men by these Presents, That I Nathaniel W. Sanford, City of Brooklyn, 
State of New York, Merchant, in consideration of three hundred dollars to 
me paid by Jonathan Crane, John C. Dodge, Jonathan Bliss, Samuel Car- 
penter, W. Blackinton, P. Savery, O. S. Balcom, John Daggett, and J. W. 
Capron, Trustees of Attleborough High School, the receipt whereof I do 
hereby acknowledge, do hereby give, grant, sell and convey unto the said 
Trustees of the Attleborough High School, or their successors in said Office, 
to hold in trust for the Proprietors of said High School while they maintain 
a building thereon for the purposes of education,'' a certain lot of land con- 
taining 2.30 rods, more or less, the bounds, etc., being given, and the owner 
repeats that the lot was given to these trustees and their successors " to hold 
in trust for the benefit of the Proprietors of said High School, while they 
occupy the same for the purposes of education, and no longer." The deed 
also provided that the proprietors should build and maintain all the fence 
adjoining Mr. Sanford's land so long as they should occupy the same under 
the deed, etc. This document was dated May 27, 1843, and was not 
recorded until December 23, 1850, subsequent to which time other deeds 
relating to the lot were passed. The reason for this manner and date of 
transfer cannot now be given nor would it be necessary to go into such 
details here ; suffice it to say that the history of this piece of land has in 
nowise differed from that of other lands like it devoted for any time or in 
any way to public or semi-public purposes, its "metes and bounds" and 
rights of proprietorship having given rise to no end of discussion and con- 
troversy. Such lands everywhere, it would seem, yield abundant crops of 
nothing but unanswered if not unanswerable questions and fat lawyers' fees. 
Something near a score of years ago the Academy Association voted to 
lease this property to District No. 18 for a term of ninety-nine years, thus 
giving authority to remove the old building from its position to make room 
for a new and large public schoolhouse on that site. In 1883, when districts 
were abolished, the town bought the new building with other district proper- 
ties and also the rights of the association lease. [The academy's first move 
was to the west side of the lot, and in 188!) a second move was made to the 
east side, where it now stands (1891).] For a number of years two of the 
public schools have held their sessions in it. A straggling sort of existence 
is about all that is now claimed by the association, which results in the calling 
of meetings at rare intervals for the choice of officers, but little else remains 
to be done. The treasurer, John Thacher, has in his hands* a fund of eight 



386 A SKETCH OF THE 

or nine hundred dollars, the proceeds of the transfer of the property to the 
town, and the continuance of an organization will be necessary until some 
disposition is finally made of this stun. 

The first teacher in the academy was Zwinglins G-rover, and following him 
within the space of two and a half years were Rev. William M. Thayer, 
Philip C. Knapp, and John C. Boram, the latter going to North Attle- 
borough. Leonard Walker, of Seekonk, had a select school here much later. 
He came here from Wreutham, having taught in the academy there. The 
teacher who remained the longest time, and who was probably the most suc- 
cessful, was James M. Bailey. Under him there was a very flourishing 
school, which continued for a number of years. He was a severe taskmaster, 
but he seemed to incite in his pupils a desire for knowledge and to imbue 
them with enthusiasm in the pursuit of it ; and many no doubt in looking 
back will acknowledge that some at least of the success of their after years 
has been the result of the hard mental work he exacted of them. The 
school never attained the same prestige under any other instructor, and at 
times no school whatever was maintained in the building. At one time two 
of the districts maintained what was called the Union High School here, 
their pupils being admitted free of charge, but those who attended from 
other portions of the town were charged for tuition. Under this arrangement 
George Allen and a Mr. Thompson taught, and later J. 0. Tiffany and Elliot 
Sanford. At another time George M. Read had a select school, and a Mr. 
Rice, assisted by one or two sons, also ; and there were perhaps others before 
the building passed wholly into the hands of its district and finally the town. 

There have been other small private schools at various times in town, but 
these have not lived long or had marked success, the excellent condition of 
the public schools having in recent years done away with the necessity for 
private schools of an intermediate or even higher grade. The only school of 
this kind in town at the present time is the one on South Main Street, 
Attleborough, which has been kept there for a number of years by Miss 
Lizzie Blauding. It is chiefly for quite small children. 

Compared with the schools of a century ago, those of our day are models, it 
might almost be said, of perfection. It would seem that the highest limit of 
excellence in many respects had been nearly reached. Certainly the superi- 
ority of the present systems of instruction, as a whole, over previous ones 
has heeu thoroughly demonstrated. Scarcely too much can be said that is 
favorable to our methods, and comparatively little that is censurable. One 
question has, however, recently arisen, which is being more or less discussed, 
relating to the amount and variety of work attempted in the public schools. 
There is an opinion that our system as at pi esent developed has in it a too 
decided forcing element, that the variety and extent of the work required in 
a given time maintain a constant pressure which, if not carefully regulated, 
will prove to be injurious to growing minds and bodies. This question is 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 337 

applicable in some degree to teachers as well as pupils, because the acquire- 
ments demanded of them are becoming more and more extensive and com- 
prehensive. If this opinion proves to be well founded and our common 
school system has any such defect iu its construction, the bad results will of 
course manifest themselves unmistakably, and the appearance of real disease 
will be followed by the application of such measures as may be necessary to 
eradicate it ; those in charge of the education of the masses will set them- 
selves to search out the cause, and effect the cure, and our town will not be 
the last to take such remedies as may be prescribed. With all the ambitious 
strides forward in the cause of free and general education iu our common- 
wealth Attleborough has kept pace, and she may look back over the work 
accomplished with much satisfaction ; and justly she may to-day feel proud 
of her public schools, their buildings, their pupils, their teachers. 1 



1 Some interesting facts relating to one of the old church buildings and a district schoolhouse have 
recently come to the writer's knowledge. They are given here because they could not be placed 
where they rightfully belong, in the account of the South Baptist Church in the preceding chapter. 
When that building was taken down the great solid oak timbers and beams were purchased by the 
town and reincorporated into another building which stood very nearly on the site now occupied by 
Saint Stephen's Church, which was known as "the yellow schoolhouse." Subsequently this building 
was either torn down or removed bodily to a site near where the church formerly stood, and then it 
became " the red schoolhouse." When the districts were abolished and their property sold this little 
schoolhouse was purchased, moved across the road, and converted into a dwelling-house, which it 
still continues to be. It is the third house on the right side going from the Dodgeville and Hebron- 
ville Road to County Street, and passing by the " old Tiffany place." 



338 .1 SKETCH OF THE 



CHAPTER XII. 

MANUFACTURES. — THE BLOOMERY. COTTON MANUFACTORIES, ETC. 

VN intei'esting manufacture was established in this town previous to the 
Revolution. It was called in those days Bloomery, and consisted 
of furnaces for the manufacture of iron. Similar manufactories had been 
erected under the care of the Leonards, of Taunton, soon after the settlement 
of the country. Iron ore was found in the Old Colony in abundance, and 
the primeval forests of the country supplied cheap and abundant fuel for the 
use of such manufactories. Furnaces were founded in Taunton, Dighton, 
and Raynham, and the earliest in Braintree. The Leonards were iron- 
mongers in Pontypool. Wales, before their emigration to New England, and 
were familiar with all the processes of the manufacture. In 1695 two of the 
name, Thomas and James, Jr., sons of the emigrant James, established the 
manufacture in Taunton North Purchase, in that part which is now Norton, 
on a stream called by them Chartley, and the furnaces were known as the 
Chartley Iron Works. These furnaces were run for over a hundred years, 
and by father and son through four generations. This establishment, which 
was near our territory, may have turned attention to this town as a suitable 
place for a similar establishment. 

Be that as it may, a manufactory of this kind was established here, and 
located in thatpart of the village of East Attleborough called Mechanicsville, 
now Mechanics. Its history seems to have passed almost from the memory 
of the neighborhood. One building, however, remained for a long time after 
the discontinuance of the works, and is within the remembrance of a number 
of persons now living. 

The first person who owned a forge on this spot, as far as known, was 
Robert Saunderson, a merchant of Boston. Previous to the existence of the 
iron works, a saw and grist mill had been standing on the premises. These 
works were occupied and carried on at one time by Thomas Baylies, probably 
as overseer or superintendent, as there is no evidence of ownership on his 
part. In a deed from John Sweet to Robert Saunderson of a small tract of 
one and one-half acres of land adjoining these premises and bearing date 
February 22, 1712, " in the sixteenth year of the king's reign," Saunderson 
is called •• Forge Master," but there is no trace of the date of his original 
purchase of these premises and the establishment of the iron works. 

Saunderson was said to be an English emigrant ; possibly he had been con- 
nected with iron business in his native country and naturally turned his 



HIS TO BY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 339 

attention to it in this. He built a dwelling-house, it is said after the English 
model of that day, where he lived in fashionable style. How successful 
the forge proved in his hands, or what was the cause of his selling it, does 
not transpire, but on June 26, 1742, 1 it passed from his hands into those of 
Robert Lightfoot, also a merchant of Boston, " for the sum of £2000 current 
money of the province." The property sold to him consisted of " about fifteen 
acres of land, including the Forge Pond, together with a forge containing three 
fires, and a cole house, Pigg house, two dwellings and granary, a stable on said 
premises standing, and all the utensils belonging to and proper for such a 
forge in good going order, the whole being under ye occupation of Thomas 
Baylies." 

This seems to have been only a part of Sauuderson's property m this 
place, for on July 1, 1750, he made a further purchase of John Sweet, a 
small tract of land containing about one fourth of an acre, for five shillings, 
and subsequent sales are also recorded. 

•• Robert Saunderson of Attleboro, to John Merrit of Providence, merchant, 
a certain tract of land in Attleborough, one half of a certain tract of land 
twenty acres, on Ten Mile River, together with one half of a forge, coal 
house, dwelling house, barn and sundry other buildings. April 25, 1752. 
Witness 

Henry Sweet. Before Dan'l Carpenter, 

Jon. Capron. Justice of the Peace." 

'• Robert Saunderson, Iron Master of Attleboro' £300, to John Merrit, a 
certain tract adjoining my house lot, twenty five acres, another containing 
twenty four acres." This is dated April 25, 1752. Also a tract was 
sold containiug sixty-five acres, and another containing thirteen acres, five 
tracts in the whole. Saunderson seems therefore to have retained a part 
interest in the works for about ten years after the sale to Lightfoot. but 
how r long he continued his residence is not known. There is no further 
mention of him, but the facts above given are sufficient to show that he was 
a man of substance, and that the iron manufactory must probably have 
been a considerable one. 

Lightfoot retained his ownership here about seventeen years, until 1759. 
Previous to that time, however, he had left town, and removed to Newport, 
R. I. He seems not to have attended personally to his business here, for it 
is supposed that Mr. Thomas Cobb was conducting the works, either by lease 
or as superintendent, as early as 174S, and the previous overseer, Thomas 
Baylies, may have continued until that time. It was probably through the 



1 The date of this transfer is also given as January 5, 1743. The Editor is unable to say which is the 
correct one. 



340 A SKETCH OF THE 

influence of his father-in-law, .lames Leonard, Jr., of Norton, that Mr. Cobb 
turned his attention to this occupation, and later became the purchaser of 
these works. 

.May 22, 17">D, Robert Lightfoot, of Newport, R. I., "Iron Master," con- 
veyed to Thomas Cobb, of Taunton, these premises, or his share of them, 
which then included "fifteen acres of land, together with a forge, consisting 
of three fires, a coal house, three dwelling-houses, a stable, and all the other 
buildings standing on the said land ; and all the utensils belonging to said 
forge and premises; all which premises aforesaid, with the appurtenances 
are to be taken and received by the said Thomas Cobb, in the perfect state, 
quality, and condition, they are now in." In addition to these properties, 
which are nearly identical with those sold by Saunderson to Lightfoot, there 
were added the " remains of an Air Furnace, and Boring Mill, with scales for 
weighing, and weights thereto belonging." This deed was dated May 22, 
" in the 32nd year of the reign of his most sacred majesty George the Second, 
by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, and soforth, and in the year 
of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty nine." At the same time 
John Merrit, of Providence, and Margaret Merrit, his wife, convey their 
portion of this property to Mr. Cobb. 

For six or seven years after these purchases Mr. Cobb evidently continued 
to conduct the works, but on January 22, 1765, it is recorded that he con- 
veyed his entire property in this town to his son Jonathan Cobb. It is also 
evident that notwithstanding this transfer he continued to reside here and 
occupy the " mansion house " included in the conveyance, as it is known he 
was here in 1770. What this arrangement was can only be conjectured. 
Perhaps it was like some firms to-day, where one member supplies the capital 
and becomes a " silent partner," and the business is conducted in the other's 
name. 

No record appears of the date of the sale of the property by Jonathan 
Cobb, but it was probably not far from 1800. The purchaser was Nathaniel 
Robinson, who worked the forge for a time, but finally converted the estab- 
lishment into a blacksmith's shop, gristmill, etc. He sold either on July 26 
or August4, l'SO'J, to Elijah Ingraham, of Pawtucket, Ezra and Jabel [ngra- 
ham, and Henry Sweet, of this town — it is said for the sum of $.~>,000. His 
property was described as wt land, containing a dwelling-house, barn, corn- 
crib, grist and saw-mill, trip hammer shop, and all buildings thereon," and 
there was a reservation of a watering place " one rod wide," in favor of one 
Richardson. 

The first cotton mill here was elected in 1811, and the first firm was 
Ixokaham, Richardson & Co. This firm also put up the first tenement 
house on the place. The members were Elijah and Ezra Ingraham, Abiathar 
Richardson, Jr., Henry Sweet, Moses Richardson, Daniel Cobb, and Josiah 
Whitaker. Daniel Cobb owned a one-sixteenth share, which he sold to 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 341 

Whitaker September 3, 1821, and on June 18, 1821, Whitaker also purchased 
.label Ingraham's share of the property. Whitaker was from Providence. 

The second firm was Whitaker, Richardson & Co. The next took the 
name of The Mechanics Manufacturing Co., the firm being .Samuel and 
Jesse Carpenter. Some two years subsequent to the erection of this mill 
the factory just above on the river was built, and from the fact that the 
neighboring farmers had supplied a large proportion of the money for its 
construction it was called "The Farmers' Factory,'' though at the same time 
it was also known as " The Bliss Factory." The one of which we are writing 
had been called " The Ingraham and Richardson," and later " The Carpenter 
Factory," but mistakes occurred, names and factories frequently got "mixed," 
and therefore the name of " Mechanics" was given to this factory in order 
to clearly distinguish it from the other. The mistakes are easily accounted 
for by the fact that Samuel and Jesse Carpenter, Jonathan, C4eorge, and Zeba 
Bliss bought the two mills conjointly, and if they were called by the names 
of the owners, either might be meant and confusion ensue. A division was 
finally effected, and the Bliss brothers took the " Farmers'." This was not 
far from 1830, it is said, and then probably the name was chosen. 

While owned and conducted by the last-named firm, the Mechanics estab- 
lishment had about forty looms, ten hundred and thirty-six spindles, Patterson 
machinery, and manufactured annually of calico prints, No. 27, about 291,000 
yards. The number of hands employed was thirty-eight, twenty-seven of 
them females. The building was eighty-four feet long by thirty-two wide, 
and three stories high. Connected with it were the old trip hammer shop 
and gristmill. 

The village formerly constituted the school district No. 22, and in 1834 
there were thirty-five scholars in families belonging to the establishment, and 
a school was kept from six to eight months during the year, with an average 
of twenty-four in attendance. Twenty-three years previous to that time the 
village numbered one child. 

There were formerly many joint owners of this property, and for several 
years changes were frequent. Dates of some of these have been ascertained. 
April 1, 1825, Moses Richardson and Josiah Whitaker sold their shares to 
Jesse Carpenter, Samuel Carpenter, Jonathan, Zeba, and Martin Bliss, of 
this town, and Pretate Ingraham, of Pawtucket, and on July 16, of the same 
year, they bought Henry Sweet's share. August 12, 1829, Martin Bliss sold 
to Samuel Carpenter; June 30, 1831, Jesse Carpenter sold to him; and 
October 31, 1831, Jonathan and George Bliss also. February 17, 1834, 
Samuel Carpenter sold a portion of the property to Albert Carpenter, and on 
November 26, 1838, he bought A. A. Richardson's ' share. Some time during 
these years an addition was built to the mill, and eight looms added. At 



1 Son of Abiathar Richardson, a previous owner. 



342 A SKETCH OF THE 

leno"th the company came to consist of Samuel and Albert Carpenter, and in 
1851 they were obliged t<> suspend operations. Their affairs were placed in 
the hands of Robert Sherman, Esq., of Pawtucket, and the author of this 
work, the late John Daggett. They sold the property at auction, and S. and 
W. Foster, of Providence, became the purchasers. 

They ran the mill until 1871, when a stock company was formed, which 
enlarged the mill to carry one hundred and fifty looms. The officers of this 
company were Samuel Foster, president, Chester A. Dresser, treasurer, and 
N. Hicks, agent; the latter assuming his position in December of that year. 
This corporation sold out in October. 1878, to the present owners, Foster & 
Nightingale. Since 1*71 there have been several additions made to the mill, 
which is now three hundred and eighty feet long, forty-eight feet wide, and 
three stories high with an attic. It has three Ls, one eighty feet by forty- 
live, another sixty by thirty, and the third sixty-five by forty, each two stories 
hio'h. There are now one hundred and seventy looms, and eight thousand 
and eight spindles, and about one hundred and forty hands are employed. 
There are 400,000 pounds of cotton consumed annually, and about 2,<s00,000 
yards of cloth woven. Print cloths, shirting, twills, and crinkle, or seer- 
sucker, are made here. Connected with the mill are thirty-three tenements, a 
superintendent's house, two storehouses, a barn, office, etc. During Mr. 
Hicks' superintendence, which embraced the period of strikes, it is a remark- 
able fact that one never occurred here — a fact that speaks well for his 
management. He continued in charge for nearly sixteen years, and resigned 
in the early spring of 1887. He left town in April of that year, and at the 
same time his successor, Mr. Edward Chandler, took charge. He still retains 
the position. 1 

Statistics show that at the close of the year 1801) there were eighty-seven 
cottou mills in the United States. The prospects of prosperity were such 
that many more were being erected, and one result of the war of is \2 was 
to increase and extend this branch of manufactures. Our town had its share 
in this increase of the cotton industry. The Beaver Dam Factory " which 
stood on the race-way of Whiting's pond," became a cotton mill in L809. 
This mill was erected before 1800. It was at first in Wreutham, but the 
change in the town lines brought it within the limits of Attleborough. It was 
used as a nail factory for several years by George Blackinton and John Rich- 
ardson, with probably John Fuller and William Blackinton — John Richard- 
son being agent. The building was forty feet long, twenty feet wide, and 
one story high, and built of wood. All kinds of cut nails were made, and 
three or four heading tools and two cutting machines were run. The original 
owners sold to Captain Chester Bugbee and Mr. Haven. 



1 December 12, 1891, this mill was partially destroyed by lire, caused in the usual way — some accident 
to a kerosene lantern or lamp. It was soon rebuilt, but the owners have ceased operations, and it has 
been unoccupied for some time. The building is now partly brick. Rumors of its purchase and 
occupancy by jewelry firms have been heard, but no definite facts. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 343 

Captain Bugbee formed a company with John Richardson, George Black- 
inton, David Shephard, Ebenezer Draper, Lemuel May, and Samuel Tifft. 
They added a story to the mill and thirty feet in length at one end. Their 
manufactory had about twenty looms and five hundred spindles, and about 
a thousand yards of cloth were made per week. Captain Bugbee sold his 
interest to William Blackinton in 1812. The others continued some five 
vears longer. The business was a prosperous one until the occurrence of a 
panic in 1817. After that the factory was purchased by Lemuel May and 
Daniel Cobb, who carried on the same business for about ten years, or until 
1828. Early in that year Captain Bugbee and William Haven ' owned and 
occupied it. Finally, in the summer of 1832, it was burned. 

The Falls Factory, so called, was built by The Falls Manufacturing 
Company, which was incorporated February 13, 1813. There has been a 
mill on this spot almost since the time the history of the town, as a town, 
began. Joseph Daggett put up a "corn mill" here, at what exact date is 
not known, but it must have been previous to 170o. How long he held pos- 
session or to whom he sold the premises is not known. There was also a 
sawmill here very early. In the time of the Revolution the property was 
owned by Lieutenant Jonathan Stanley, an officer in the Continental Army. 
It descended to his son, Artemas Stanley, who, in 1809 or 1810, sold the 
privilege to the "Stock Company" in which Artemas, Stephen, and Jacob 
Stanley, Edward Richards, Otis Blackinton, and "-Squire" Cheever were 
the largest stockholders. This company, as above stated, was incorporated 
in 1813. About that time, or a little later, Artemas Stanley withdrew from 
the company, and still later there were other changes ; but beyond the fact 
itself little is known. Hon. Ebenezer Daggett was at one time a one-fourth 
owner in the company, but at what date cannot now be ascertained. The 
privilege here has about thirty feet fall and, as has been seen, was the first 
mill seat occupied in town. 

The first factory was commenced in the fall of 1809. In February, 1811, 
after having been in operation only about a year, it was burned down but 
was immediately rebuilt. In this factory at first cotton yarn was spun and 
'•the weaving was done on hand looms in neighboring families." 1 ' One of 
these old looms has been kept till the present time in the Stanley family — 
descendants of those of the name who were owners in the first cotton mill. 
A part of the original building still remains and is now in use as a jewelry 
shop. At one time there was a gristmill in the basement of this building, 



1 It would seem that Bugbee and Haven purchased tor the second time, or that they had owned the 
property from 1809, aud the purchase by May and Cobb included only the business, or still again that 
the original owners sold to Bugbee alone, and Haven became part owner only in 1828. The various 
accounts, which are probably taken from memory partly, seem to differ. 

2 This was the case with all the New England cotton mills up to 1814, their work being conflned to 
the spinning of yarn, and all the weaving beiugdone " in the homes of the people," on the ponderous 
hand looms of the day. 



344 A SKETCH OF THE 

and it is said thai the grinder took his toll in a rather dark comer of the 
apartment* 

The business prospered and increased and about 1830 the establishment 
was employing forty hands, twenty-five of them females. It consumed about 
a hundred and fifty bales of New Orleans cotton per year, and manufactured 
250,000 yards of cloth, light calico printing, No. 20. The building was 
of wood, seventy feet by thirty-four, and three stories high. A new reservoir 
was raised here in L831, which covered an area of one hundred and twenty- 
five acres. Connected with this establishment were a machine shop, a saw- 
mill, a blacksmith's shop, and a gristmill. In addition to this factory, a 
new, handsome, and durable building made of stone procured in the neighbor- 
hood was erected in 1831. This was sixty-eight feet by thirty-eight, four 
stories high, with a projection of fifteen feet, and was filled with new and 
improved machinery. It was run by Jonathan ami George Bliss, who. some 
two or three years later, employed about forty hands. 

The Bliss brothers continued here a number of years. In 1849 H. N. and 
H. M. Daggett formed a partnership to enter the cotton manufacturing busi- 
ness. They first " bought out the Browns," * who were then operating a part 
of this mill, and subsequently they purchased both the mill and the village. 
They continued here until 1855 or 1856, when H. M. Richards purchased the 
property by exchange. In 1857 he built the large stone mill standing on the 
site of the cotton mill, intending to use it as a jewelry manufactory, but 
owing to the depression in business at that time he was obliged to relinquish 
the idea. Not long after this time H. N. Daggett repurchased the property, 
and a few years later it was converted to its present use, that of a braid 
manufactory. 

The Farmers' Factory was established in 1813. The water privilege 
belonged to what is now known as the Babcock farm, which was then owned 
by William Richardson, and of him the Farmers' association made the pur- 
chase. Previous to this time it is said a nail factory and a gristmill stood 
on the borders of the pond, which was then only about half its present size. 
The association which built the mill was known as the "Farmers' Manu- 



1 These Browns were John anil Henry, brothers. They were, it is said, masons by trade, and them- 
selves built the first stone factory on tins site, which they operated for a time. Of John an amusing 
story is told which is authentic, and maybe found in Benedict's History of the Baptists. The inci- 
dent occurred while the town constituted the two earliest parishes, the " First" and " Second," and the 
churches were supported by public taxes levied on all voters. Mr. Brown being a Baptist preferred 
to assist the church of his own faith and not the two Congregational churches for which the citizens 
or freemen were taxed. Upon one occasion, when asked by the proper authorities for the amount of 
his tax, he declined to pay it. He was told if he continued of that mind his property would be 
attached, but that did not move him. Not long after he started to drive to Providence on business. 
On reaching Oldtown he was told if he did not pay his dues his horse and wagon would be taken. 
" Very well," he replied, " you can take the horse and wagon ; I sha'n't pay; " anil he left them there 
and walked home. In due time they were sold at auction, ami being of a mind to regain his property 
Mr. Crown sent a man to the sale to bid them in for him. We may hope his conscience was eased by 
this mode of procedure. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 345 

factoring Company." Not far from 1830 it came into the possession of the 
Bliss Brothers, — its purchase of the Farmers' Company has been previously 
referred to in the account of the Mechanics' mill, —and in 1834 it was owned 
bv Jonathan and George Bliss, who carried on cotton manufacturing there. 
The number of hands employed at that time was twenty-three, of whom 
seventeen were females. The number of bales of New Orleans cotton con- 
sumed per year was about seventy-five, and the number of yards of cloth — 
calico printing No. 30 — manufactured 135,000. The privilege there has 
about thirteen feet fall. 

The business after a time proved to be unremunerative and was abandoned, 
and in 1854 the property was sold at auction and struck off to H. M. Rich- 
ards. About a year later it was purchased by II. N. and H. M. Daggett, by 
exchange of the Falls mill property. They made shoestrings at one time. 
Mr. H. N. Daggett occupied the mill for the making of certain kinds of 
braid, chiefly those for hoopskirts : and subsequently Mr. H. M. Daggett 
used it for the making of thread and knitting cotton. 

For some years after the various forms of cotton manufacturing were 
given up the mill was used as an iron foundry. Bishop & Gavitt first 
occupied it for this purpose. They made Attleborough, Queen, Victory, and 
Eclectic ranges, New Golden Eagle furnaces, many kinds of hollow ware, 
and a new kind of hot-air furnace, invented by Mr. Gavitt. This firm re- 
mained several years, and were followed by Spicers, who carried on the same 
business. The building is at present unoccupied, and has been so for several 
years. It is owned by Mr. H. N. Daggett. 1 

The City Factory, situated on the Seven Mile River, the only cotton 
factory on the river, was built in 1813. It was incorporated by Act of 
Legislature, February 7, 1818, under the name of " The Attleborough City 
Manufacturing Company." The members at first were Joel Read, Lemuel 
May, Carlos Barrows, Squire French, Ebeuezer and Nathaniel Allen. It was 
burned in 1826 and rebuilt immediately. The second building was forty feet 
by thirty-four and three stories high. The number of hands employed seven 
or eight years later was seventeen, of whom twelve were females. It ran 
seven hundred spindles and twenty looms, consumed fifty bales of New 
Orleans cotton, and produced about 1,800 yards of cloth per week, or at the 
rate of 93,600 yards annually. In connection with it was a machine shop 
which employed twelve workmen, and a grocery store. The firm owning and 
running the mill at this time was called Daniel Read & Co. Of the sub- 
sequent history of this mill property but little has been ascertained. It has 



■Mr. Daggett purchased the property of his brother, H. M. Daggett, and sold it to the North Attle- 
borough Steam and Electric Company, which used it as a power-house. January 2, 1894, the power- 
house was destroyed by fire. This was an addition to the old factory building proper, which latter 
escaped even serious damage from the lire, the greatest damage being sustained by the costly 
electric machinery. The mill has been destroyed, and a new power-house built. 



346 .1 SKETCH OF THE 

passed through various hands and been used for various purposes. It is 
now occupied by the Nottingham Knitting Co., and owned by Mr. James 
Orr. Mr. Orr purchased the property about twenty years ago of Barton 
Cushman. During his ownership the mill was for a time run by his son-in- 
law. Mr. Henry May, and at one time Read & Griffin rented it and manu- 
factured cotton yarns. 

The knitting company have seven hand-machines, and their manufactures 
have consisted of ladies' jackets, leggings, and mittens. At present they are 
making only the latter, and about forty dozen per day. With one of these 
machines a man can turn out from ten to twelve dozen a day. Mr. Orr does 
also a dyeing and bleaching business, and about three thousand pound- of 
yarn pass through his hands each day. Orders for this work from all over 
the country are filled. 

Lanesville Factory, situated on Abbott's Run, was built in 1826. It 
was seventy feet long, thirty-six wide, and sixty feet high, including four 
stories and the garret, and generally employed about 70 hands, of whom 30 
were females. It consumed four bales of New Orleans cotton per week, and 
manufactured 400,000 yards of calico printing cloth, No. 2."). per year. 
The mill ran two thousand spindles and fifty looms. The privilege had then 
about twelve feet fall. Connected with the mill were a gristmill, sawmill, 
machine-shop for repairs, and a variety store. In 1834 it was owned by 
Milton Barrows and others, and it is supposed that he built it. The estab- 
lishment created around it a neat and handsome little village, like many of 
the New England factory villages. 1 

The first mill erected here was burned. The second one on the site was 
built about 1847, by John Kennedy, and in 1852 or 1853 it was purchased 
by Gideon L. Spencer, of Pawtucket, and was leased by him to various 
parties, as follows : from 1853 till 1856. to Jonathan Chace ; from 1856 till 
1862, to Timothy Earle and James H. Chace; from 1862 till 1864 to 
Timothy Earle and Rufus J. Stafford; from 1864 till 1867, to John F. 
Adams. On July 22. 1867, Mr. Adams purchased the estate. The mill and 
village are now called Adamsdale. In 1872 the owner enlarged the mill. 
about doubling its former capacity. On October 26. 1881, it was destroyed 
by lire. In 1882 the present mill was erected. Mr. Adams had previously 
manufactured print cloths and some yarn, but since the opening of the new 
building has confined himself entirely to the making of fine numbers of 
cotton yarns. The mill contains five thousand and forty spindles of ring 



1 This little stream, Abbott's Run, which rises and terminates in Cumberland, its whole course nol 
being more than eight or nine miles, is able to furnish water-power for several factories and other 
mills. At the period when this work was first published there were four of the former. The lirst was 
Wa Icon's, in Cumberland; the next Lanesville, in Attleborough ; the third, French's factory in Robin 
Hollow, so called ; and the fourth Abbott's Run mills, which included two factories. Ou this stream 
above Lanesville were then also several gristmills, sawmills, machine shops, etc. On a branch of 
this stream near its junction with the Blackstone was Carpenter's factory. 




5 M 
A = 



- £ 









-f M 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 347 

frames and preparations, besides twisters, reels, chain and beam warpers, 
etc. About fifty hands are employed, and all but seven are of foreign 
birth or extraction. The consumption of cotton is about five hundred bales 
annually, and about one hundred and eighty thousand pounds of yarn are 
produced. These yarns are made in chain warps, skeins, or on beams, 
and are sold largely in the New York and Philadelphia markets. 

Says a writer : "The embargo of 1807-8 benefited manufacturers at the 
expense of commerce, and much of the capital and effort engaged in 
the latter were directed to industrial channels." Its effect is proved by 
the statement made that previous to the embargo there were only fifteen 
cotton mills in the United States, and furthermore that, according to statis- 
tics, at the end of less than a year and a half that number had swelled to 
nearly a hundred. Of that number of establishments in operation our town 
had two, the Beaver Dam factory, before mentioned, and the one at Dodge- 
ville. 

Dodge's Factory was established in 1809, by Ebenezer Tyler, Esq., of 
Pawtucket, Nehemiah Dodge, Peter Grinnell & Son, and Abner Daggett, 
of Providence, Elias Ingraham, Edward Richardson, and Daniel Babcock, 
of Attleborough, under the firm name of The Attleborough Manufacturing 
Company, Ebenezer Tyler, Agent. The building at first was 88 feet by 31, 
and three stories .high, including the basement story. During the war of 1812 
and until the early part of the year 1815, it is said that "manufactures 
throughout the country continued to progress with unprecedented activity," 
and this mill was greatly benefited by this increase of business. In 1820 it 
contained thirteen hundred and twenty spindles, when Josiah Whitaker and 
John C. Dodge, of Providence, purchased one half of it. In the spring of 
1812 the name was changed to that of the Tyler Manufacturing Company 
under the agency of J. C. Dodge. In 1822 Nehemiah Dodge and John C. 
Dodge, his son, purchased the remainder of the factory, and continued the 
business under the style of N. & J. C. Dodge. In 1829 they built an addi- 
tion to the factory of ninety-six feet, making it 184 feet by 31. It then 
contained four thousand spindles and ninety-two power looms, and gave 
employment to one hundred and thirty hands. 

The author's words as written about 1834 are : " It is the largest establish- 
ment of the kind in town. The village, which is known by the name of 
Dodgeville, has been recently very much improved under the superintendence 
of the present agent. It contains a population of two hundred and sixty 
persons (all connected with the manufacturing establishment) , one machine 
shop, one picker house, one store, one blacksmith's shop, four barns, and 
fifteen dwelling-houses, many of them new. It forms district No. 23, and 
has a new, commodious, and uncommonly well-finished school house, where a 
school is kept the greater part of the year." Some at least of all this is 
true at the present time. There is no larger establishment of the kind in 



348 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

town, — the Hebron mill being only its equal, — the village is certainly pretty 
and well cared for under the present superintendence, and it has the new 
schoolhouse, of which may be said quite all that was said of its predecessor 
of fifty years ago ; but most of the figures must be enlarged. The last-named 
partnership continued until about 1*40, when the son purchased the father's 
interest and continued the business alone. He made further additions to the 
factory and increased the number of looms to oue bundled and thirty-six. 
Subsequently reverses came, and in dune, 1854, the property was sold at 
auction. 

Messrs. B. B. and R. Knight became the purchasers and subsequently 
Stephen A. Knight, another brother, was admitted to the business. In 1*70 
these owners were incorporated, with a nominal capital of $100,000, under 
the name of Hebron Manufacturing Company, to which the mill here and 
at Hebronville belong. The mill building here, which is of wood, is three 
hundred and eighty feet loug, sixty feet wide, and four stories high with two 
wings. It contains twenty-two thousand spindles, five hundred looms, and is 
run by both water and steam power. About two hundred and thirty hands 
are employed, sixty per cent, of whom are males. There are used here 
yearly 1,250,000 pounds of cotton and 2,500,000 yards of cloth are made. 
This is the well-known and favorite '• Fruit of the Loom." There are a 
hundred tenements connected with the mill besides other buildings, including 
offices, etc. The number of spindles and looms has increased over fivefold 
since the date of the figures given above, and doubtless the consumption and 
production in a similar ratio, hut the number of hands employed has not 
quite doubled, which shows the wonderful improvement in machinery during 
the past fifty years. 

A short time since a lire broke out here which for a time threatened entire 
destruction to the mill and its contents. Owing to the vigorous efforts of 
Mr. Charles O. Merrill, the superintendent, which were ably seconded by the 
hands, who refrained from causing a panic and fought the fire, the danger was 
happily averted, and the damage done to the property was comparatively 
small. [Present superintendent (1893), Mr. W. II. Garner.] 

The Atherton Factory was established about 1*12 at what is now Hebron- 
ville, and was incorporated June 14. 1816, "'for the purpose of manufactur- 
ing cotton and woolen goods," by the name of The Atherton Manufactit;ix<, 
COMPANY. The spot was anciently known as " Chaffee's Mills." where a saw- 
mill and gristmill were early built. This establishment was owned and im- 
proved by several different companies. An addition was made to the factory 
in 1*2*, making the building ninety-eight by thirty-two feet. It had then 
sixteen hundred spindles and forty-two looms and employed sixty hands, 
forty of whom were females, due cloth manufactured was Nos. 2ti and 28; 
about two hundred and fifty bales of New Orleans cotton were cousumed pel' 
year, and about four hundred thousand yards of the print cloth made. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 349 

Thomas Harkness and Thomas J. Stead were the owners of this property at 
this time — successors to the Athertons. They were Quaker merchants of 
Providence. They were probably the ones who made the above-mentioned 
additions. They continued here until 1848, at which time the Knights pur- 
chased the property. 

The present mill, built by the Knights, is of brick, and has been much 
enlarged since it was first erected. The main buildings, No. 1 and No. 2, 
are respectively one hundred and six and one hundred and twelve by fifty- 
four feet, with a wing one hundred and two by forty-six feet, and they are 
run by both steam and water power. There are connected with the establish- 
ment a boiler house, waste house, blacksmith's shop, picker, lapping and 
cloth rooms, oflices, and seventy-six tenements. The figures given here are 
almost identical with those of Dodge ville : twenty-two thousand spindles, 
four hundred and ninety-eight looms, two hundred and thirty-seven employees, 
with about the same amount of cotton consumed annually — 1,250,000 pounds 
and 2,250,000 yards of cloth manufactured. Unlike the sister mill, however, 
in this one several kinds of cloth are made — chiefly live. four, and three leaf 
twills and plain sheetings. The superintendent here is Joseph H. Anil. 

A large amount of business is done in these establishments, as may be seen. 
No approximation of the payrolls could be given, however, or of the value 
of the cloth made yearly, as both are lixed and changed by the fluctuations of 
the market, the employees being paid less or more according to the prices the 
cloths fetch in the market (1887). [Present superintendent (1803), Mr. 
Adam McWhinnie.] 

BUTTON MANUFACTORIES. 

The first actual manufacture of metal buttons in town was begun on a small 
scale by Edward Price, an emigrant from Birmingham, England, who came 
here and settled in 17113. He had been engaged in this business previous to 
his emigration, and brought machinery with him to this country. He carried 
on the work alone for a number of years, making principally the large out- 
side buttons in fashion at that time. He occupied a small shop near the 
present residence of John T. Bates, and continued in the east part of the 
town until 1800, when he removed to North Attleborough. He continued the 
business there for a number of years with some success. 

The second manufacture of metal buttons was commenced in 1812 by 
Colonel Obed and Otis Robinson. In the establishment of their business 
they were aided by the skill and experience of Mr. Price. This was the first 
company formed for this manufacture in the United States. 

The manufacture of glass buttons was commenced in 1*23 by Richard 
Robinson & Co., the firm consisting of Richard Robinson, Virgil Blackintou, 
and Willard Robinson, the ingenious machinery they used being chiefly of 
their own invention. The original company began the business on a small 
scale and met with many embarrassments and discouragements in its early 



I'll I A SKETCH OF THE 

stages, but after becoming thoroughly established it began to increase, grad- 
ually at iirst, and finally became very extensive. Richard Robinson appears 
for a time to have had sole charge of the business, but whether the other 

partners had retired or what was the cause is not known. In 182(1 a uew 
company was formed under the same style of Richard Robinson & Co. 
for the term of five years, which expired in May, 1831. 

At that time the firm of Robinson, Jones & Co. was formed, consisting of 
Richard and Willard Robinson, William H. .Tones, and H. M. Draper. They 
commenced business in a small shop about 35 by 22 feet in size. An addi- 
tion to this building had been made in the summer of 1826, and its machinery 
was carried by horse-power. 

It was in the latter part of the year 1826 that the firm then conducting the 
business began to work on the gilt button, theirs being the first manufactory 
of that button in the country. In 1*27 the company erected a brick factory 
two stories high, 60 feet long by 2.") wide, and in l*2.s the business required 
an addition of twenty-live feet in length. The machinery was carried by 
water power from the Ten Mile River, and the improvements in it were largely 
the result of Willard Robinson's inventive skill. The rolling mill connected 
with the establishment and built in 1822 was 60 feet by 25. In 1*32 the new 
company built another shop of wood, one story high, and 60 feet by 25. 
The number of hands employed about that time was seventy-live, of whom 
thirty were females, and the number of buttons manufactured was about one 
hundred gross a day. At different times various kinds of buttons were pro- 
duced. From 182<! to 1832 the common gilt button had been manufactured, 
which competed in a good degree with the English. Subsequent to 1832 the 
company made all the varieties which the market demanded — the common 
button, the navy, the military, the fancy, and sporting buttons, which were 
acknowledged superior to any others in the market in the beauty, finish, and 
durability of the work. 

The following paragraphs are transcribed from the first edition of this book, 
printed in 1834 : — 

,k This company has brought the manufacture of this article to such perfec- 
tion, by various improvements and the skill of the workmen, as to compete 
fully with all others in the market whether domestic or foreign, — indeed if 
proper encouragement should be given by adequate protection to this branch 
of industry, it would soon be sufficient to supply all our home demands, and 
exclud< the foreign entirely from our markets. This company have received 
all the contested premiums which have been offered by the Institutes of New 
York, Philadelphia, and Boston, — sometimes jointly with others. They have 
in their possession three medals (silver) and two diplomas. 

" Several important improvements in the mode of manufacture have been 
made by one of the linn. .Mr. Willard Robinson, for some of which patents 
have been secured. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 351 

"A common gilt button which appears when finished so simple, undergoes 
in the course of being manufactured over thirty different processes, some of 
which require great skill and experience. Each button is separately handled 
twenty-one times. 

" Some of the females mentioned as connected with this establishment are 
employed principally in drying, sorting, papering and packing, and others in 
edging, cramping, placing the eye and preparing it for soldering. It fur- 
nishes for females a neat, agreeable and profitable occupation. 

" The capital employed by this establishment is about $50,000. They use 
in gilding about $15,000 worth of pure gold generally obtained in its natural 
state ; and consume forty tons of Lehigh coal annually. 

"The number of tenements occupied by those employed in the factory is 
thirteen. Several new dwelling houses have been lately erected for their use. 

''Agencies for the sale of this article have been established in all the prin- 
cipal cities of the Union. Some of the articles have been exported to foreign 
countries, — to South America, Hayti, and several of the West India islands. 
The button now manufactured is equal in every respect to the English, and 
perhaps superior in durability." 

In 1835 the firm was employing about one hundred hands, and a pretty 
village of comfortable houses, named from the owners, Robinsonville, sur- 
rounded the factories. In 1843 the fashion in buttons changed, and the 
unrivaled success of this firm was brought to an end, and Mr. Willard 
Robinson, who was at that time conducting the business, was obliged to 
suspend operations, though that branch of the business consisting of army, 
navy, and police buttons was taken up not long after this time and is still 
continued near the original place of manufacture. 

Mr. John Hatch, a mechanic employed by the Robinsons, had thought out 
a curious invention, a machine to make suspender buttons, and by the com- 
bined efforts of Mr. Willard Robinson and himself this machine was per- 
fected. It was patented February 20, 1845, in Mr. Robinson's name. This 
was the justly famous "Button Machine." Six machines were made, and 
subsequently one of them was sent to Germany. No others have been made, 
and the five in town are the only ones of their special kind in existence in the 
country. They are automatic, cut and completely make the buttons from 
tin plates, each machine making about twenty-three buttons a minute, or 
13,800 in a day of ten hours' length. These buttons came rapidly into use, 
the great advantage they possess in not cutting" the thread used in fastening 
them being speedily recognized. They were made by millions, and used for 
various purposes. Large contracts were filled for the government during the 
Civil War. 

Messrs. Robinson and Hatch became partners for the manufacture of these 
buttons. The patent and its extensions covered a period of twenty-one years, 
and for that length of time this special manufacture almost controlled the 



352 A SKETCH OF THE 

market. Mr. Hatch died in 1849, only four years after the partnership was 
formed; but Mr. Robinson continued the business until his death, which 
occurred in 1879. It is now conducted by Arthur B. Robinson, who on 
March 1. 1880, bought the business of his father's estate, and carries it on 
under his own name, as the only manufacturer of "Hatch's Patent Metal- 
lic Pantaloon Buttons." [Mr. Robinson has since died.] 

These button machines are very curious and intricate in their construction 
and require the nicest and most careful adjustment to ensure perfect work. 
The adjustment being right, the work is excellent, and the result a button 
uneqnaled of its kind. The first machine made has been running over forty- 
five years, is running to-day, one of the best, if not the best, of the five. It 
is evidently a favorite with the long-time foreman of the shop, for he speaks 
of its capabilities with assurance and admiration. Various other browsers 
buttons are made at the present time, and as they can be put into the market 
at a cheaper rate they have somewhat superseded these, but they do not com- 
pare with them in appearance or durability. 

I). Evans & Co. succeeded the Robinsons in the making of metal buttons, 
about 1848. This firm manufactures both plain and fancy army and navy 
buttons, all kinds of military and livery gilt and silver-plated buttons. 
During the war this was a very extensive and profitable business, as many 
huge contracts were filled directly for the government, or for those supplying 
uniforms for our soldiers in both the army and navy. The business has 
always been conducted at Robinson ville, now a part of Attleborough Fulls. 
So much competition has arisen in this as in other branches of manufacturing 
that the business here has been much reduced, and at present very little is 
being done. 

Another manufactory of buttons was established in October, l<s:i2. by a 
different firm, under the name of Robinson, Hall & Co. The shop was 
situated on the Seven Mile River, near Newell's Tavern in West Attleborough, 
and quite near the residence of Elisha (J. May. The first shop was :!0 feet 
by 20; another, built in 1833 or 1834, was .'If) feet by 25, and three stories 
high. This establishment employed nineteen hands, of whom ten were 
females, and when the new one was completed some twenty-five to thirty 
were probably employed. This company made plain metal buttons, for both 
coats and vests, and of three different prices. They at one time produced 
about seventy-five gross per day, and subsequently probably this amount was 
increased. 

This old shop and its predecessor had a varied experience. There was 
firsl of all a blacksmith's shop; this was converted into a cotton mill run 
by a Mr. Sibley, and then into a button factory. In one of these buildings 
Mr. Elisha G. May learned the button trade. That business here came to 
a close about fifty years ago, for it is said W . II. Robinson commenced 
manufacturing jewelry about 1 <s;>7 in the shop the button-makers had built. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUQH. 353 

He was followed by others in the same business. J. H. Hodges and J. T. 
Bacon started in company here in 1843, and while here — among the first to 
do it — they " introduced power" into their works. Mr. Hodges, it is said, 
was the first in town to make brass jewelry and have it electro-plated. This 
firm was here until 1847. After this it was for a time a pattern-making 
establishment. At length it became a dyehouse and bleachery with quite 
a large business, and finally in 1881 or 1*82 it was burned down. What- 
ever remnants of its ruins may have been visible were all washed away by 
the flood of 1886, which acted its wild will on this spot, changing its appear- 
ance so completely that not a trace of the old shop remains to mark its 
former site. 

LEATHER MANUFACTORY. 

In the centre of the village of South Attleborough, on the site now occu- 
pied by the leather works of William Coupe & Co., the same kind of 
business, though of various branches, has been carried on for over a hun- 
dred years, a fact which can be stated of no other spot in town. No far as 
known, Isaac Draper was the first to have a tannery here ; but the precise 
date of his starting it is not known. His son Ebenezer continued the busi- 
ness, then George and Halsey, grandsons, and finally Isaac Draper, a great- 
grandson and still living (in 1887), owned and conducted the concern. It 
began in a small and now considered a very old-fashioned way, but it was 
conducted with profit, a by no means exclusively old-fashioned consideration. 
" Many who pass the spot now, can remember the small building standing 
back from the road, and remember, too, the old horse that slowly moved the 
mill that ground and softened the hides." The tannery continued moderately 
prosperous for many years ; but finally larger firms monopolized the business, 
and the Drapers were obliged to discontinue. 

When they suspended business could not be positively ascertained or to 
whom they first transferred the property ; but in 1865, which we think could 
not be very long subsequent to their giving up the business, the building was 
owned by Henry Knowles, who was doing a small business by himself. In 
September of that year William Coupe came from Pawtucket to do what is 
called '•'green shaving" for Mr. Knowles. He was a thorough and expe- 
rienced workman, " had learned the tanning trade in all its branches," and 
from varied experience was ready to enter business and make it a success. 
About three weeks after coming to town he saw his opportunity, as he 
judged, made a proposition to take a share of the business here, which was 
accepted, and the firm of Coupe & Knowles was formed. This partner- 
ship continued only about three months, for Mr. Coupe was not satisfied 
with the then state of affairs. He made an offer to his partner to either 
buy or sell, which resulted in his becoming the buyer. His property was 
valued at $700, his capital was $1,500, and at the end of six months he had 
cleared $1,000. 



354 .1 SKETCH OF THE 

Page's patent process for tanning leather appeared about this time, and 
Mr. Coupe bought a right to manufacture by it ; but more capital was neces- 
sary, and in June, L866, Edwin Evans, of Central Falls, became associated 
with him under the name of William Coupe ^ Co. The needed assistance 
was thus obtained, and the business increased prosperously. An improve- 
ment on the Page patent was discovered and made by Mr. Coupe, which 
gave decided advantage to this firm ; but competition was increasing as well 
as business, and further additions in the way of capital, enlarged and 
increased facilities, etc., became urgently necessary. Up to this time, about 
1867 or L868, the linn's goods had been sold "upon their merits"; that is, 
no efforts had been made to enlarge and extend its trade. Mr. Coupe deter- 
mined to experiment in this direction, and he was so successful that the 
alterations which had been made in the works were at once proved to have 
been essential. 

In the spring of 1869 Mr. Coupe again proposed to buy out his partner, 
and Mr. Evans concluded to sell ; but this time Mr. Coupe was not the 
purchaser. Edwin Burgess, of Providence, bought Mr. Evans' share of 
the business for $14,000, and the new firm was organized, the same name 
being retained. Both these present partners are men of enterprise, and 
despite the opposition of competition the firm has been continually prosper- 
ous. In July, 1*72, the entire works were destroyed by fire, with a loss 
to the company of $6,000. The fire was hardly out when the process of 
rebuilding was begun. The new shop was one hundred and five by forty- 
five feet, and three stories high, and was very quickly ready with necessary 
machinery for business. In the autumn of 1878 an addition was made, and 
the building is now two hundred and ten feet by forty-five, three stories 
high, and has a wing forty feet square. There is an engine and boiler-house 
forty-four by thirty feet, separate from the main building. There is a fifty- 
horse-power Harris Corliss engine, which supplies the necessary power, and 
the boiler is large enough to furnish all the heat required for the entire build- 
ing, including the dry room. This manufactory is furnished with a full set 
of belt-manufacturing machinery, several of the machines and their improve- 
ments being the result of Mr. Coupe's ingenuity and skill. 

These w T orks employ from fifty to sixty hands, and they prepare and make 
ready for the market in one form or another about 25,'000 hides yearly. The 
greater proportion of these hides are made into lace leather, and this is one 
of the largest, if not the largest lace leather manufactory in America. It 
has been constantly growing and adding new departments of work for a 
number of years. Coupe's leather is known everywhere and is considered 
in the markets "equal to any and superior to most makes." The hides 
used here are of domestic and East India slaughter chiefly and must be put 
through several processes before they are ready for use, though these are 
fewer and simpler than by the old methods of preparation, owing to the 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 355 

introduction of mechanical improvements. They are first thoroughly washed 
and cleaned, then put into a preparation of lime, which expands the skin 
and loosens the roots of the hairs so they con be easily removed ; then the 
hides are bone dried, then " one tenth" moistened, and finally they arc 
subjected to the rawhide machines to be softened, which operation makes 
them like buckskin. This process makes them altogether more flexible and 
durable than by the old "tanning" process. Machinery plays a far more 
important part now than it did by the old methods, and besides producing 
better results is a great economizer of time and labor, many less hands 
being required to accomplish the same amount of work than was formerly 
tlu 1 case. 

A list of the goods manufactured by this company is subjoined : Coupe's 
Patent Excelsior Raw Hide Belting of all widths from one to forty-eight 
inches, made under the " Schultz Patent"; Coupe's Patent Excelsior Raw 
Hide Lace Leather, prepared by a " mechanical process invented and 
patented by Mr. Coupe " ; Coupe's Patent Excelsior Raw Hide Picker 
Leather, of four or five different weights ; Excelsior Green Hide Picker 
Leather, also made by a process of Mr. Coupe's invention ; Excelsior 
Tanned Lace Leather ; Excelsior Tanned Picker Leather, with all lengths 
and kinds of straps ; Coupe's Patent Excelsior Raw Hide Cut Lace, of six 
widths, from one fourth to three fourths of an inch ; Excelsior Tanned 
Cut Lace in the same variety; and "Dry Flint Raw Hide" is furnished 
if desired. This firm are in receipt of testimonials from many customers 
in various parts of the country, which show the superiority of the goods 
they manufacture and the satisfaction these give to purchasers. This is not 
the only business done in the village of South Attleborough, but it is the 
largest and most extensive. 

SHUTTLE MANUFACTORY. 

Among the earlier manufactures was that of pow r er-loom shuttles. This was 
commenced in the fall of 1827 by Colonel Willard Blackinton at the little vil- 
lage since often familiarly called Blackintonville and now forming a part of 
East Attleborough. A few years later Mr. Blackinton was employing twelve 
journeymen. About twenty-five dozen shuttles were produced per week in 
the establishment at the rate of $6 per dozen. He also supplied a large 
amount of shuttle mountings for the use of other shuttle makers. The whole 
amount of the manufactures of this establishment was then about $10,000 
per annum. The work had an extensive sale throughout the United States — 
in Maryland, Georgia, Virginia, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, 
and in all the New England States. Agents for the sale of this article were 
established: at Pawtucket (then in Massachusetts), George Mumford ; at 
North Adams, S. Burlingame ; at Providence, R. I., Peter Grinnell & Son : 
at Norwich, Conn., Smith, Goddard & Coats; at New York Citv, C. N. 



."J")!', 1 SKETCH OF THE 

Mills; at Troy, N. Y.. J. Merritt <Nc Co.; at Philadelphia, Penn., W*. 
Almond ; at Baltimore, Md., Wells & Clmce, etc. 

Subsequently the business largely increased, and in 1842 a firm was organ- 
ized under the name of W. Blackinton & Sons. It is said that when Mr. 
Blackinton first began this manufacture he employed but one man and the 
shuttles sold for a dollar apiece. Before the late war they were reduced as 
low as twenty-five cents apiece, but during that time the price advanced to 
$4.50 per dozen. At first the greater part of the work was done by hand 
and prices were therefore high; later, when machinery was introduced, work 
could be much more cheaply done. Most of the wood for the making of 
shuttles is persimmon or boxwood and comes from Georgia or North Caro- 
lina. They have also been made of apple-tree wood, but the quality of such 
is inferior. While in the beginning it required twelve men to make twenty- 
five dozen shuttles in a week, after machinery came into use fifteen men 
could turn out two hundred a day, or a hundred dozen in a week. The pro- 
cesses for making this article are varied and numerous. 

Four of Mr. Blackiuton's five sons were at one time together engaged in 
this business with their father. William was the first to retire from the firm 
to take up another occupation, and the death of Willard, Jr., in 1871 made 
a second change. John sold out his share of the business at the time of his 
father's death in 1877, and since that time Charles, the remaining brother, 
has carried on the business alone. There are constant orders, but they are 
much smaller than in former years. 

THE WHITING MANUFACTURING COMPANY. 

We must go back nearly a half century to find the embryo which has 
developed into this large interest. In 1840 Albert C. Tifft and William D. 
Whiting organized the firm of Tifft & Whiting which was for many years 
well known and among the most prominent in town in the jewelry business. 
They began in a very small way in a room in a blacksmith's shop on the 
turnpike in North Attleborough. In eighteen months' time they needed more 
space, and therefore they erected a building which was 40 feet by 25, two 
stories high, and cost $800. They were by this time employing thirty or 
forty men. In 1847 still larger quarters were demanded by their business 
and they purchased the site and privilege of the old Beaver Dam factory for 
$2,000, and erected there a stone factory 90 feet by 40 and three stories high, 
which comprises a portion of the present company's building on the same 
spot. When work was commenced in this new factory seventy-five hands 
were employed and soon that number was doubled. Subsequently an addi- 
tion of forty feet was made to the length of the factory and in one corner 
a strong stone safe was built, 8 feet by 12 and the entire height of the build- 
ing, with doors in each story, and this was used as a place of secure deposit 
for o;oods. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 557 

This firm's manufacture was of gold goods — at first hearts and crosses 
and finger rings for both ladies and gentlemen. At the end of thirteen years, 
on January 1, 1853, Mr. Tifft sold out his interest to Mr. Whiting for nearly 
$100,000, so lucrative had the business become. Tifft & Whiting were the 
first among the jewelers in town to open an office in New York, and they 
and Sackett, Davis & Potter, of Providence, took offices there side by side. 
Mr. Whiting continued for some years under his own name, and later the 
firm was W. D. Whiting & Co. The business became a very large one 
and offices were opened in Boston and Philadelphia in addition to the one in 
New York. 

Not long after the stone building was completed and occupied, the manu- 
facture of ladies' silver combs was commenced and to these were added other 
articles in silver, until finally this branch of the business became a large 
industry in itself and the result was the formation of The Whiting Manu- 
facturing Company. This was accomplished by Mr. Whiting in 18(30 and 
incorporated under the laws of the State of New York " for the manufacture 
of standard silver-ware." The capital at the organization was $100,000, 
and it was afterwards increased to $175,000. This company continued its 
manufacturing in the stone building erected by Tifft & Whiting, and for ten 
years they employed as many as one hundred and fifty hands. They pro- 
duced the finest quality of solid silverware, and the amount made during 
some years is said to have been $1,000,000 in value. 

The company was burned out in 1875 but they immediately rebuilt their 
factory and one of larger size. This building is the present one, and is 
215 feet in length. January 1, 1876, the company opened a large manufac- 
tory in New York City, and its establishment is located at Broadway and 
Fourth streets there. It has also a large retail store in that city. 

THE GOLD MEDAL BRAID COMPANY. 

The manufacturing interest which this company represents is one of the 
largest in town outside that of jewelry, and its founder is one of the pioneers, 
if not the real founder, of this special branch of industry in the couutry — 
the production of "first class domestic braids." In 1815 hand-looms, up 
to that time universally used in the manufacture of cotton fabrics, began to 
be abandoned and replaced by power looms, and a few years later the 
braider was invented and introduced. The latter is said to be a " creation of 
the brain " of a native of this town whose name was Thorpe. 1 

After Mr. Daggett gave up the manufacture of cotton cloth he engaged 
in that of shoelacings, stearine candle-wickings, and later of covering hoop- 



1 He appears to have been quite an inventive genius. A valuable machine for making loom har- 
nesses was also the product of his skill. This machine was in use for many years and probably may 
be so still. 



358 A SKETCH OF THE 

skirt wires. He took up this business about 1855, making use of the Amer- 
ican braiders invented by Thorpe, and kept on until about the time the war 
broke out, when he turned his attention temporarily to another occupation, 
though the idea of making braid was already beginning to work itself out 
in his mind. Up to this time — the commencement of the Civil War — no 
braids of good quality had been produced in the country. Those used were 
imported from England and Germany, and to the amount of over $3,000,000 
worth yearly. The manufacturers who had attempted to make them in this 
country had found it almost impossible to place their goods on the market. 
Jobbers were very unwilling to purchase them, and in order to effect an}' sales 
the manufacturers were compelled to practise a deception, in making use of 
foreign tickets and labels. The war, however, cut off importations and then 
the demand came for domestic wares. Seeing that a great opportunity was 
offering itself, Mr. Daggett began to experiment and soon found himself 
able to produce a good braid. Some years previous to this time he had 
repurchased the Falls property, and during the first year of the war, or a 
little later, he formed a copartnership with Johu C. Morse, of Boston, 
placed his braiders in the stone- mill, and commenced operations. Mr. Morse 
supplied material and attended to the sales, while Mr. Daggett supplied 
machinery and attended to the manufacture of the braids. The business 
soon became very successful and profitable, and at the close of the war this 
firm was largely supplying the consumers of the country. For eight years 
the profits were equally divided between the two partners. In 1869 Mr. 
Morse failed in his private business, which was that of a dry-goods jobber. 
Mr. Daggett found himself involved in this catastrophe and for a time, he 
feared, rather seriously ; but he soon extricated himself from these difficulties 
and commenced business again. 

During the same year he associated with himself Austin Dunham, of Hart- 
ford, Conn., and George S. Moulton, of New York. These two gentlemen 
furnished capital to the amount of $50,000, and at the end of four years, 
when the firm was dissolved, they received over $100,000, with seven per 
cent, interest on the capital besides — a fact which tells concisely yet com- 
pletely what the success of this business had again been. At that time (1^7-">) 
Mr. Daggett bought the entire interest, and remained sole owner and man- 
ager of the entire concern for seven years. In 1880 a stock company was 
formed, with the title of The Gold Medal Braid Co. It has a capital of 
$65,000 which is divided among seven stockholders. Mr. Daggett has the 
largest interest, and is treasurer and manager. Mr. Harvey Clap is the onlv 
other person in town holding stock ; the remaining five stockholders being 
residents of Boston and New York. 

The mill is 160 feet long, 45 feet wide, and five stories high. It is run by 
both water and steam power. It is furnished with a turbine horizontal wheel 
eighteen inches in diameter, and of one hundred horse-power, and is lighted 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 359 

bv electricity made in the building. The office is a separate building. The 
employees number a hundred and twenty-five, and a large percentage are 
women. At one time, and for quite an extended period, Mr. Daggett was 
obliged to keep the mill running night and day, with two full sets of work- 
men, to enable him to fill his large orders. The company manufactures 
worsted dress braids, alpaca braids, mohair coat bindings, and silk, linen, 
and cotton braided fishlines. These are all of the best quality and have an 
extensive sale in all parts of the country. They give entire satisfaction to 
all consumers, the fishlines especially being pronounced of the very best in 
the market. This is a thoroughly well-established manufacture, and while it 
has had periods of remarkable prosperity, it has had no long periods of 
depression or dullness, but has at all times been steadily successful. The 
company has at present an annual business of about $250,000. 

BOX MANUFACTOTUI.s. 

The manufacture of paper boxes was begun in town about thirty-six years 
ago, by Hartford Babcock. He commenced in Mansfield about 1851, and in 
the following year he came to this town. He had his place of business for a 
time in the Steam Power factory, but subsequently removed to the little shop 
which his father, Daniel Babcock, had used as a carpenter shop. It stood 
opposite his house, where it now stands, forming a portion of the present 
establishment, near the Farmers, on the road to the " city." In 1<S73 the busi- 
ness required more room than the small building afforded, and Mr. Babcock 
put up an addition to it. At first all the work was done by hand, even the 
cutting, the only machines used being bookbinders' shears. Now the entire 
process is performed by machinery, with the exception of the finishing, which 
here is still done by hand. The machines run by Mr. Babcock put the paper 
on to the outside of the boxes, and there are machines capable of doing the 
entire finishing, but they are very expensive, and the requirements of the 
business in this factory are not sufficient to warrant their purchase. Jewelers 
boxes in all sizes and styles have been and are still the specialty. Th 
business is carried on under the name of H. 8. Babcock, though one of his 
sons, Abbott Babcock, is connected with it. It amounts to "about $2,000 
worth per year." [Abbott Babcock has since purchased the business. The 
shop has recently been moved nearer the railroad, and stands nearly opposite 
the place where the " old company house " stood. Its former site and a con- 
siderable portion of the adjacent land has been purchased by Mr. William R. 
Cobb, and probably for residence purposes.] 

0. W. Babcock, another son of H. S. Babcock, also took up this same 
business. He began February 1, 1879, on East Street, North Attleborough. 
He has since moved to No. 25 Elm Street, in the same village, and is now 
employing six hands. He makes all kinds and styles of paper boxes, and 
has a specialty for those used by jewelers. 



360 1 SKETCH OF THE 

CARRIAGE MANUFACTORIES. 

September 22, 1858, John Stanley commenced the business of a carriage 
manufacturer. There was little to encourage him at first, but he finally suc- 
ceeded in building up quite a large business. He built business and express 
wagons mainly, but gave attention also to the repairing and remodeling of 
other vehicles. He employed at times fourteen men, and used steam-power 
in his shop. This same line of business is carried on still at North Attlebor- 
ough by W. H. Stanley, who makes a specialty also of jewelers' forging, and 
there are several shops of a similar nature in various parts of the town. 

A number of years previous to the war Enoch Bailey established a 
carriage manufactory in East Attleborough, which came to be quite extensive, 
and handsome vehicles, chiefly light double carriages and buggies, were made 
there. Mr. Bailey continued for quite a period in the business, and several 
members of his family were during the time associated with him in one 
capacity or another. He built the large brick factory which E. A. Robinson 
now owns. This was, we think, the first large brick structure in the East 
village. The final result in this establishment was disaster financially, and 
the business was entirely closed up. 

COFFIN TRIMMING MANUFACTORIES. 

John R. Bronson and William D. Wilmarth formed a partnership October 
L5, 1864, as Bronson & Wilmarth, to manufacture coffin trimmings. They 
commenced operations at North Attleborough. but shortly removed to the 
East village to a shop on County Street, by the bridge, where the business 
has continued ever since. On April 4, 1868, Dr. Bronson withdrew from the 
firm, and Mr. Wilmarth conducted the business in his own name until his 
death. March 6, 1882, the firm name of W. D. Wilmarth & Co. was 
assumed, the members being the heirs of William D. Wilmarth and Louis J. 
Lamb. The business grew to be quite large and continues to be so still. 
The firm employs twenty-five hands, and its payroll amounts to $1,250 a 
month. The manufacture consists of sheet-metal and gold and silver plated 
collin trimmings. 1 

Smith, Carpenter & Co. established a similar business in 1*70. They 
are at present in one of the Bates factories. They make sheet-metal coffin 
trimmings finished in gold, silver, or black enamel. The present members of 
this firm are Granville B. and Earl B. Smith. '- 



1 After the death of Mrs. Wilmarth, which occurred in October, 1893, Mr. Lamb sold his share In 
this business to the heirs of the estate, and it continues under the same firm name and under the 
management of two of the sons, Messrs. William II. and Henry D. Wilmarth. 

2 This business has recently been purchased by Mr. Louis .T. Lamb. Mr. Earl Smith established a 
business of manufacturing electrical apparatus under the name of Smith Electuic Company, 
building a shop on Sixth street, but continued his interest in the above Company until its business 
was sold. In the autumn of 1S93 lie accepted a position in Lexington, this State. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOEOUGH. 361 

THE ATTLEBOROUGH DYE WORKS. 

The founder of these works was Robert Wolfe mien, who was born in Hud- 
dersfield, Yorkshire, England, December 12, 1824. Huddersfleld is one of 
the chief seats of the woolen manufactures of England, and has also cotton 
factories, breweries, chemical works, and dye-houses. In one of the latter, 
and one of the largest dyeing and bleaching establishments in the country, 
he served an apprenticeship with one .Samuel Routledge, at its expiration 
becoming the head dyer in the woolen and worsted department of the house, 
a position he retained until he came to this country. 

He held several positions at first after his arrival, but finally settled with 
Hayden & Saunders, of Haydenville, this State, in a position which he held 
for five years. He then went to the Valley Worsted Mills, of Providence, 
R. I., where he remained about the same length of time, and when he left 
his position there was assumed by his oldest son, John W. Wolfenden. 

At that time he came to this town, and on February 22, 1868, he started 
'• The Attleborough Dye Works, Robert Wolfenden, Proprietor." He had 
doubtless at first the usual experience of persons starting a business, dis- 
couragements as well as encouragements meeting his efforts ; but he was a 
persevering man, and his close and steady application to business and rule of 
sending out nothing but good work reaped their due reward, so that in a com- 
paratively short time he had established an assured and profitable trade in 
his line. He increased his works from time to time as the exigencies of 
his business demanded, and at the end of ten years, on January 1, 187<S, lie 
associated with himself his two sons, John W. and Oscar, as equal partners. 
The firm name became R. Wolfenden & Sons, but no change in the works 
occurred at that time. The business of the new firm iiad soon increased so 
largely as to require the building of additions to the works, and in a short 
time they had become a thoroughly well-established house. 

Mr. Robert Wolfenden, the senior partner, died on May 29, 1883. This 
caused no change in the firm name, the brothers continuing the business 
under the same title. During the autumn of that year a considerable portion 
of the old building was torn down, and a larger and more convenient one 
erected in the same place. A new eighty horse-power boiler was added to 
the works, which at that time had a capacity of about four thousand pounds 
a day. The work done includes the dyeing and bleaching of tk woolen and 
worsted yarns, also braids, tapes, hosiery, plush, webbing, etc., for all pur- 
poses," the dyeing embracing all the new and fashionable colors which a con- 
stantly changing market demands. 

In 1887 the capacity of the works amounted to some five thousand pounds 
per day. These include the main building, 150 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 
two stories high, of which the lower fioor is used for preparing, dyeing, and 
bleaching, and the upper floor for stock, drying and packing. An addition 
to this main building contains boiler and pump room, and there are other 



362 A SKETCH OF THE 

buildings, such as store and bleach houses, etc.. with also upon the place a 
" well-supplied spring of the best water thai can be produced for this special 
business." The establishment is situated just east of County Street, on the 
low lands near the Ten Mile River, about half a mile from the centre of the 
village of Attleborough. The business continues to be prosperous without 
abatement, and has at times required the employment of as many as twenty- 
one hands. 

There is but one other similar establishment in town, that of James Orr, 
whose location is the old " City Factory." 

si SPENDER MANUFACTORY. 

A few years ago, two enterprising young men in East Attleborough con- 
ceived the idea of starting an entirely new undertaking in town, and after 
several months of experimenting R. P. Marble and C. A. Smith decided to 
commence the manufacture of a new kind of suspender. They formed a 
copartnership under the name of The Durap.le Suspender Company, and 
on March 1, L886, began this business in their present location on the upper 
Moor of " Bates' new shop." Some months previous, these gentlemen had 
taken out a patent on their contemplated article, " The Adjustable Durable 
Suspender," of which they are l 'the inventors, patentees, manufacturers and 
sole owners." 

A description of this suspender, written by some one who had tried it 
and not found it ' l wanting," is quoted : — 

The Durable consists of two ordinary web bands which are attached to nickel-plated trim- 
mings, which consist of buckles in front and a buckle behind with strong, tasty chains of 
adjusted lengths and peculiar pattern, and a patented device in the form of a spring button 
loop. One of the main features wherein the Durables differ from all others is in the method 
of fastening in the back, without sewing or riveting, in such a way that the webs are adjustable 
and interchangeable. This can be said of no other suspender in the world, and these points 
alone make it worth the cost, 'the webs are connected at the back by a specially designed 
buckle, and cannot possiblj pull apart, and the angle at which they are adjusted can be changed 
to lit any width of shoulders. There are other advantages over suspenders of familiar pattern 
;hm1 we think they will be readily seen and admitted by all who will carefully examine the 
Durable. They are easily buttoned and unbuttoned: they will not soil the clothing, the tem- 
pered loops have a peculiar elasticity which takes the strain from the buttons in cases ol 
sudden stooping or any unusual movement. The webs can be reversed or changed if desired. 
The trimmings can quickly and easily be adjusted to the webs of old suspenders. They feel 
more comfortable than the old styles. For laboring men who have to buy suspenders fre- 
quently, it will be a real economy to purchase the Durable, while those who are looking only to 
style or comfort, will find their wants fully met by its use. The chains are of a style that 
fa'irlv entitles them to the name Durable. The buttoning loops are mad.' of tempered wire 
Which is cut the desired lengths by a machine, and then bent just the required shape by 
another ingenious machine constructed particularly for the purpose. At each end of the 
loops which extend upwards is a small ball, which prevents the points, which would other- 
wise be exposed, from wearing the clothing. They also serve as convenient helpers in button- 
in- and unbuttoning. The webs are made especially for the company, which at present is 
manufacturing only the trimmings. 1 



1 From an article in The Attleboro' Advocati . 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 363 

These suspenders are more expensive to make than any others, because 
unlike others the trimmings and not the webs are the most costly portion. No 
iron or steel is used in their composition, and in their manufacture skilled 
labor is absolutely necessary and to live times the amount required in the 
making of ordinary trimmings; but as they are adjustable to any web "in 
one moment's time and with no appliances except the fingers," they would be 
from this fact alone, if from no other, a superior article. They are made in 
three grades ; namely, No. 1 at $4.50 a dozen, which is a corded web of 
twenty-three strands of rubber, in white modes and fancy stripes, also in 
"Jacquard" loom web; No. 2 at $6 a dozen, also a fine corded web of 
twenty-eight strands of rubber of different patterns; and No. 3, a finer web 
of imported stock, with thirty-six strands of rubber and six different patterns, 
sold for $7 a dozen. These latter retail for a dollar a pair, and this enables 
the dealer to make an excellent profit. For a still higher price — $8 a dozen 
— the company will furnish this article with " a hand made, curb link chain, 
with every link hard soldered." In this the chain is made "exactly like the 
best watch chains, and is very finely finished." 

Like most inventions u of merit," this at first met with great opposition, 
but the members of the firm had enough of the necessary perseverance, and 
what is now termed " push," to overcome the obstacles in their way. and they 
have already reached a position which assures them an established reputation 
and success. They have twice been obliged to increase their facilities for 
production, and orders are increasing in a highly satisfactory manner. A 
patent has been taken out in England, as well as in this country, and orders 
from there have been received. These have also come from France, South 
America, Mexico, West Indies, and Canada. As yet the manufacture has 
not become very generally known in the Western and Southern States, but it 
doubtless soon will be, for under date of December, 1887, one of the partners 
writes: "We have to-day received orders from dealers in Alabama, North 
Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Illinois, Minnesota, Texas, Maine, New York, 
and last but not least our own Old Bay State." At the time of the above 
writing the compauy were engaged in putting new machinery into their shop, 
and they expected after January 1, 1888, to be able to turn out 2,000 dozen 
pairs of suspenders per month. 

It is needless to enlarge upon so patent a fact as the great importance of 
introducing, to at least some extent, new interests requiring skilled artisans 
into the now two towns of Attleborough. The success which has so speedily 
followed the commendable efforts of this firm may and should stimulate and 
encourage other young men to make similar efforts, though in varied direc- 
tions, for in that way only does it seem possible that the future prosperity of 
the two towns, in so many ways still one, can be assured to a degree in any 
way commensurate with the remarkable prosperity of the past. 

There has alvfays been a variety of manufacturing carried on in town on a 



364 A SKETCH OF THE 

larger or smaller scale, but many of the establishments have had only a brief 
existence, and have then disappeared entirely — in the ease of the older ones 
leaving little more than a memory behind. About 1800 there was a small 
shop on the site later occupied by the Union House and here twelve Scotch- 
men conducted a cotton -weaving business. They made apron checks and 
bedticking on hand-looms. This must have been the earliest manufactory of 
cotton goods in town. These men were all from Scotland or the north of 
Ireland ; one of them, William Riley, father of James Riley, of North Attle- 
borough, and another, Hugh MacPherson, father of Daniel MacPhersou 
and grandfather of the late Daniel Pherson, as the name has latterly been 
called. 

There have been at least four nail factories, and all on the Ten Mile River, 
and it would seem all in operation at the beginning of this century. There 
was one in Plainville, — then a part of Attleborough, — the Beaver Dam 
factory already mentioned: one at the Falls, and the other the Deantown 
factory where Ephraim and Asa Dean made all kinds of nails. From, per- 
haps, 1*03 or 1804 until about seven or eight years later, these appear to 
have been the industries of the town, and the manufacture of nails became a 
considerable one. Ephraim and Asa Dean built the factory at Deantown, 
and after it passed out of their possession it was converted into a cotton mill 
by the late Dr. Alfred Martiu. Still later H. M. Daggett rented it for the 
purpose of making yarn and knitting cotton, and after that it remained 
unoccupied as a manufactory for some years. Recently it has been occupied 
by 0. P. Richardson & Co., manufacturers of shuttle iron. Mr. Richardson 
and his son, O. P. Richardson, Jr., composed this firm, which was engaged 
in the business up to the time of the former's death. The business was never 
a large one. [Its latest use has been that of a public laundry. The once 
attractive little village surrounding it has almost passed out of existence. 
The old mill tenement house, the old Barney house, and recently the Dorrance 
Dean house have been destroyed by fire. The picturesque prettiness of the 
place is now gone, and of its former oldtime peaceful beauty little but 
unsightly ruins remain.] 

It is said the nail factory at the Falls stood near the upper end of the 
pond. At the same place gunbarrels used to be polished, and among those 
said to be interested in that work were Sylvester Everett, Jonas and James 
Richardson, and Dr. Thomas Stanley. There was formerly a tannery on the 
north side of Elm Street in North Attleborough, and the vats occupied the 
low grounds near, by the river. The exact date of its existence is not known, 
or anything of the amount of business it had. Near this tannery was " the 
first shop built on the company's privileges," and it was used by David 
Whiting for turning hubs and wheels. 

Some distance farther down Elm Street iron ore was found and quarried 
very early in this century. It was carried to some adjoining town to be 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 365 

smelted, but to which one is not told. This industry did not continue long, 
and nothing seems to be known regarding its size. Combs have been made 
at times, the largest manufacturers having been Tifft & Whiting. In 
addition to their jewelry business E. I. Richards & Co. made hooks and 
eyes for a number of years. This became an occupation of considerable 
amount and gave employment to many girls and women in fastening the 
hooks and eyes upon the cards. These were carried out from the shop and 
distributed in the houses about the town, and the work was done there. For 
a long time many ladies and some children were very industrious braiders of 
straw, and some of them sewers also. This work was in some instances a 
means of livelihood and in many others as an adjunct to the daily household 
labor (for it was done in the homes) it proved a convenient and agreeable 
method of earning "pin money." Straw manufacturing was also carried 
on in East Attleborough in what used to be called the " Straw-shop," now 
Briggs' Hotel, on South Main Street, and in another shop across the rail- 
road. It continued for some years and for a time was quite nourishing, but 
ended in failure. 

Bricks have been made in several places, it is said. From I860 to 1870 
Joseph Eldredge carried on that business, making some two hundred thou- 
sand annually. They could scarcely have found a very ready sale in town, 
as at that time there were very few buildings constructed of brick, and the 
number is very limited even now. The manufacture of glass buttons and 
steps was commenced about 1828 by Richard Everett, and a few years later 
he was employing four hands. Virgil Blackinton was also manufacturing- 
glass steps at the same time and employed two hands. Jesse F. Richards 
and Edwin Ellis about the same time began the business of making brass 
butts and castings and other kinds of brass works. How long any of these 
establishments continued is not known. For some years hoopskirts were 
made in East Attleborough by Ira M. Conant in a wooden building on 
Railroad Avenue, near where the old depot stood. This was at a compara- 
tively recent time, probably " about war times" or later. 

There are other industries represented in town, but those mentioned com- 
prise the largest. There are fifteen or sixteen blacksmiths, a brush and a 
bracket manufactory, one confectioner, and one cigar-maker. There are 
two gristmills and a grain elevator, four harness and saddle makers, two 
makers of knit goods, three machinery manufacturers, — all makers of 
jewelers' tools, — two picture-frame makers, three printing and publishing 
houses, two wood-turners, one washing-machine maker, three cider and 
vinegar makers, two of which make native wines from the grapes of their 
own vineyards, and two establishments where monumental and cemetery 
work is done. The largest of these wine and cider makers are H. K. W. 
Allen and G. W. and A. L. Allen, of the western part of the town. The 
former has been engaged in this business for manv vears, and his is one of 



366 A SKETCH OF THE 

considerable extent. He 1ms also paid special attention to the making of 
communion wine. This is sent to mission stations in Egypt, British India, 
China, etc. There is an agency at the Board of Foreign Missions in Tre- 
mont Temple, Boston, and another in Providence. This is called an unfer- 
mentecl wine, and Mr. Allen makes also a fermented wine. This is much 
used iu sickness. A silver medal and diploma were awarded him at the 
Farmers and [Mechanics Association fair in October, 1883. Mr. Allen had 
at one time quite an extensive vineyard ; but a few years since he lost some 
thousands of his vines, and these have not been replaced. He has never 
made over seventy whiskey barrels full of wine in one year, and recently 
he has been making about half as much and about one half as much (or a 
little more) of the unfermented wine as of the other. This business has 
long been locally very well known. 

The mere mention of the smaller enterprises serves to show that some of 
our citizens are kept occupied in making other things besides jewelry, and 
recent efforts to introduce still further varieties of occupation on a larger 
scale than for some time previous give fair promise for the future should the 
chief business begin to show signs of failure. Although jewelry is beyond 
all comparison the industry of our town, the scanty record here given is 
sufficient to show r that other and large industries have had and still have 
a firm foothold here, and without that immense business by which we are 
chiefly distinguished the manufactures of the town could not be called wholly 
unimportant . 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGII. 367 



CHAPTER XIII. 

MANUFACTURES, CONTINUED. JEWELRY MANUFACTORIES, ETC. 

THIS great enterprise, which has assumed enormous proportions and given 
Attleborough a world-wide reputation, had its commencement with the 
very earliest manufactures in town. It was in the year 1 780 that a Frenchman 
began to make jewelry in North Attleborough, but of what kind tradition 
appears to say nothing. His factory was the brick forge which stood on the 
site of the old shop on the premises of the late Jesse F. Richards. This 
little factory, where, in connection with jewelry, it is said he made brass 
butts, was taken clown in 1810. Very little is known of this Frenchman, 
not even his name. He was called tl the foreigner," but for what reason no 
one seems to know. It must have been his universal title, since his name 
has been entirely forgotten, and very probably was bestowed upon him 
because that name was difficult of pronunciation. The existence at that time 
of a strong sympathy between America and France, which nation was deeply 
interested in the birth of our new republic, would naturally prevent any tinge 
of opprobrium from being attached to the epithet, as has been the case in 
many instauces. This man was perhaps with one exception the only li alien " 
in town at that period, the other being the Frenchman Richaud. living in 
South Attleborough. 

To this no doubt deft and clever stranger we must look as the founder of 
our greatest industry. His hand planted the tiny seed which grew and multi- 
plied until it has become a grove of giant trees, with wide extending branches 
whose blossoms adorn not only unnumbered thousands in our own land, but 
in many other lauds as well. This business is the bone and sinew of <>ur 
town's growth, the backbone of her prosperity, and in the century of its 
existence the one small manufactory has increased more than a hundredfold. 
As some one suggests, Lafayette's espousal of the cause of the colonies may 
have turned the attention of his fellow-countrymen to America, for it was 
during the days of the Revolution that the Frenchman came here and began 
to work. For the first fifty years the progress of the industry thus begun 
. was very slow. Its marvelously rapid growth has been in the second fifty 
years, and notably during the latter half of the second half-century. 

To show what advancement had been made at the end of fifty years, the 
account prepared for the author's previous work on the town is transcribed 
verbatim : — 

"Manufactory of Jewelry — Draper, Tifft & Co. — commenced in 1821. 
They now manufacture, annually, to the amount of $15-20,000 worth. 



368 A SKETCH OF THE 

They employ from 12 to 15 bands — part of them females. The building 
occupied for this business is two stories high, 40 feet by 22. Sales of the 
manufacture are made principally at New York and Philadelphia. They 
formerly carried on to a large amount the manufacture of Patent Brass Door 
Ketches or Fasteners. The establishment is located on the Turnpike near 
Hatch's Hotel. 

" Hervey M. Richards has established a Jewelry Shop near the Union 
House on the Turnpike, — manufactures a variety of articles, watch keys. 
finger rings, guard chains, breast pins. &c. — commenced in 1831 — employs 
12 hands — 3 females. — Amount of manufacture about $8,000 per year. 
The building is 2 stories, 32 feet by 16. He rents another shop on the same 
road, which employs 5 workmen. 

" Samuel Phillips' Jewelry Shop, near the city, — employs about 6 hands — 
manufactures the usual variety. Alfred Barrows has also established a work- 
shop of the same kind. 

" Richards & Price have a Jewelry Shop — commenced in 1830 — employs 
6 hands —situated between the Turnpike and the Falls Factory. 

" Dennis Everett's Jewelry Shop — commenced business in 1831 — employs 
now 4 hands." 

After the Frenchman the fii'st firm was formed — that of Colonel Obed 
Robinson, at Robinsonville. His shop was the first one ever erected ex- 
pressly for this manufacture in town. It was " the little yellow house," still 
remembered by many, which stood opposite the present residence of Mr. 
R. F. Simmons, and is now remodeled into a French-roofed cottage. There 
seem to have been several members in this firm, but whether all at the same 
time is not knowu. Besides Obed Robinson there were Otis Robinson, his 
brother, Milton Barrows, grandfather of Mr. II. F. Barrows, and Mark 
Baldwin, — prominent in the famous rifle corps, — who were connected with 
it. This firm commenced operations about 1807, and made chiefly carbon 
jewelry. In its employ was one David Brown, who was called " a skilled 
workman in that art." Perhaps he had been taught the trade by ' k the 
foreigner." 

The next establishment was that of Manning Richards, who, about 1810, 
built a little shop on his farm ki at the head of the Cumberland Road." He 
conducted business alone, and was successful for a number of years. 

Next comes the firm of Draper, Tifft & Co. The original members 
were Josiah Draper, John Tifft, and Ira Richards, and as has been stated 
the firm was formed in 1821. The account above given shows that in a few 
years quite a degree of success had been attained. During the year 1834 
Ira Richards withdrew from this firm to form another with his sou and nephew, 
and he w r as succeeded by George Horr. The same name continued until 
1850. In that year Mr. Horr withdrew, and Joseph T. Bacon took his place. 
The name was then changed to Draper, Tifft & Bacon. In 1851 John 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 369 

Tifft died, and soon after a new firm was formed with Frank S. Draper, 
Frank L. Tifft, and James D. Lincoln as partners, under the original name 
of Draper, Tifft & Co. The next change was in 1859, when F. S. Draper 
went out of the firm and the name became Lincoln, Tifft & Bacon. 
Previous to this time the business had been moved to Plainville. In 1862 in 
order the better to comply with the internal revenue laws, the Plainville name 
was changed to J. F. Bacon & Co., and the New York name became Lin- 
coln, Tifft & Co. This arrangement continued until 1877, when Frank L. 
Tifft died. No change of names was effected, however, until three years 
later, in 1880, when Harland G. Bacon, the son of J. T. Bacon, and Dan. 
Schofield, formerly salesman in the New York office, were admitted to the 
firm, which then assumed the name of Lincoln, Bacon & Co. This name 
it still retains, and continues to conduct its business in Plainville. 

The original firm was the first notable one in town, and it became one of 
the largest, if not the very largest of its day, in the country. It may be 
said to have had an existence of fifty-six years, from 1821 till 1877, when, 
by the death of Mr. Frank Tifft, the last representative of the original 
founders was removed, though, as has been seen, his name, one of the old 
familiar ones, was retained until some years later. 

Richards & Price, already mentioned, was the next firm to organize. 
The members were Calvin Richards and George Price. They continued but 
a few years. The shop they built in 1830, opposite the residence of Mr. 
Price, was a very large one for that date, and was the third one erected in 
town. S. S. Daggett was a later partner, but the old firm entirely ceased to 
exist with the retirement of Mr. Price in 1856. Mr. Richards after his 
retirement built a shop where Mr. Abiel Codding now lives, and continued 
there in the same business. 

Next iu date was Dennis Everett, who began in 1831 at South Attlebor- 
ous;h, with Otis Stanley for a partner. They made watchchains and keys. 
After a short time this firm removed to North Attleborough, and took a room 
in Calvin Richards' shop. When Mr. Stanley retired is not known, but about 
1836 Mr. Everett built a shop for himself, had Isaac Bailey for a partner 
for a time, and finally changed his business to the making of eye-protectors, 
and glass steps for cotton frames. This business has no representative in 
existence. 

F. Ira Richards & Co. is the oldest firm in town, though it exists at 
present under a name of comparatively recent date. It began in 1833, when 
Hervey M. and Edmund Ira Richards formed a partnership under the name 
of H. M. & E. I. Richards. In 1834 the name was changed to Ira Rich- 
ards & Co. by the entrance of Ira Richards. In 1836 H. M. Richards 
retired, and George Morse and Virgil Draper became members, the name 
remaining unchanged. In 1841 the two last-named gentlemen withdrew, and 
Abiel Codding- entered the firm. The original building erected by this firm 



370 A SKETCH OF THE 

not long after its establishment stood about where the present one stands. 
The second one was built on to the first about forty years ago, and the present 
one. probably not far from twenty years old, is as large as any, if not the 
largest, in town. 

In 1845, on the death of Mr. Ira Richards, J. 1). Richards became partner 
in his father's place. This firm, consisting of the Richards brothers and 
Mr. Codding, continued unchanged for thirty years, and it was during their 
copartnership that the great business of the concern was built up. In 1875 
this firm was dissolved, but a new one was at once organized, consisting of 
E. I. Richards. F. R. and Charles I. Richards, and E. I. Richards, Jr., 
under the name of E. Ira Richards & Co. Since the death of Ira 
Richards the familiar name has always been, and often is still, E. I. 
Richards & Co., though the present title gives the second name of the 
former chief partner in full. 

In 1882 C. I. Richards retired and the death of Mr. E. Ira Richards 
occurred. In 1883 Lucy M. Richards became a member of the firm. In 
L887 F. B. Richards retired, and the firm now comprises E. Ira and Lucy 
M. Richards. Five of the gentlemen formerly connected with this firm are 
dead ; namely, Messrs. Ira, H. M., and E. I. Richards, and Messrs. Morse 
and Draper. [Mrs. Richards has since died.] 

This company lias always conducted its manufacturing upon the same 
spot in North Attleborough. It has otlices in New York, Philadelphia, and 
San Francisco. It has had no specialties, but since becoming thoroughly 
established has manufactured a complete line of rolled plated jewelry. For 
many years the firm was the largest in town and for a long period far 
outranked all others, as it employed an average of from two hundred to two 
hundred and twenty-five hands. These figures refer to a period when linns 
were much fewer in number than they are now ; and they are, therefore, 
comparatively much larger, though even at the present time there are but 
one or two establishments that give employment to so large a number of 
workmen. The superiority of its goods is unquestionable, and combining 
variety and good quality these have never been excelled in any of our 
manufactories. From the very first it has been prosperous, its first suc- 
cesses almost unprecedented, and its prosperity has continued through fifty 
years without serious interruptions. Its widespread and high reputation lias 
been well earned ; it holds a most important place in the business history of 
this town, and so long as jewelry is connected with the name of Attleborough, 
so long will the fame of " E. I. Richards & Co. " be remembered. 

Stephen Richardson & Co. In 1836 or 1837 this firm was organized, 
Stephen Richardson and Abiel Codding being its members. Their first shop 
was a little building on the south side of Elm Street, near the Ten Mile 
River, put up by Mr. Richardson at a cost of $400, and they employed 
ten hands. Mr. Codding left the firm in 1839. In 1840 Mr. Richardson 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 371 

moved to Calvin Richards' shop, on the site where Mr. Codding's house 
now stands, and the working force was doubled. Three years later he 
made another move : to Draper, Tifft & Co.'s shop near Hatch's tavern. 
Previous to this removal David Capron had become his partner under the 
style of Stephen Richardson & Co. ; but at this time he retired and 
Samuel R. Miller took his place, and the name was changed to Richari»<>n 
& Miller. 

At that period it was the custom for someone to take the goods 
manufactured and travel about the country to sell them and this firm was 
verv successful in that way. Their quarters soon became too limited and 
in 1848 Mr. Richardson built a new shop 40 feet by 30, and two stories 
hich. Here forty hands were employed and the business done became so 
large as to soon demand a doubling of facilities. Many of the firms used 
to exhibit their goods in the rooms of the old Western Hotel in New York, 
but in 1854 Mr. Miller opened an office for this one at No. 21 Maiden 
Lane. He withdrew in 1856 and Mr. Richardson was alone for two years 
or more. In 1851) his son Clarence H. Richardson became his partner, and 
the name became Stephen Richardson & Son. The New York office was 
changed to No. 177 Broadway and one opened in Philadelphia. 

In 1870 the factory was burned and another built immediately and much 
larger, where a hundred and thirty-five hands were employed. A large trade 
with Cuban and European ports was established. Mr. Richardson's death 
occurred in 1877 and since that time the son has continued the business 
under the same name. In 1882 the firm was again burned out and room 
for the manufacturing was found in Whiting's building. For about twenty- 
five years this company has made a great variety of articles — chains and 
novelties in gold, silver, copper, or brass — anything the market called 
for. This was the first of our firms to ship goods to Europe and a few 
years ago it began to ship to Japan, the first and only one in town to send to 
that country. This has been a very large and exceptionally successful 
establishment. [Has passed out of existence.] 

About 1837 W. H. Robinson began his career in this vocation in the old 
button shop at West Attleborough. During the same year he built a brick 
shop upon his own farm in that vicinity. S. L. Daggett had become 
a partner at that time, and the firm name was Daggett & Robinson. 
When Mr. Daggett retired is not kuown, but William Guild became a 
member in 1840 and in 1850 the name became Robinson & Co. This firm 
at one time had quite a large business and employed as many as forty hands. 
Mr. Robinson remained a partner until about the time of his death. In 
1868 the firm consisted of his three sons, D. H., E. A., and W. H. 
Robinson, Jr. 

Edwin A. Robinson retired in 1870 and went to Providence. He came 
from there to East Attleborough in 1875, bought " the Bailey property," 



372 A SKETCH OF THE 

and built a large brick factory five stories high, including the basement. 
He occupies one fioor himself and makes a variety of specialties, such as 
plated lings, chains, collar buttons, scarfpins, studs, lacepins, etc. He 
has within a few years built another large factory. 

Daniel H. Robinson still continues the manufactory under the old name 
of Robinson & Co., and in the same brick shop built by his father, one 
of the oldest in town. His specialty is fine " foil stone " scarfpins, studs, 
and drops. 

Hayward & Briggs, now Hayward & Sweet. This is one of the 
oldest companies extant. The senior member of the former firm, the late 
Charles E. Hayward, was among the pioneers in jewelry manufacturing 
in East Attleborough. In 1851 he came from North Attleborough to the 
Mechanics, where with Archibald Thompson, S. M. Lewis, and S. N. 
Carpenter he started a company under the name of Thompson, Hayward 
ct Co. This was after the Carpenters had suspended operations in the 
cotton mill and while their affairs were iu process of settlement. The two 
last-named gentlemen retired in about four years and Mr. Thompson at the 
same time or soon after, for in 1855 Mr. Hayward associated with himself 
Mr. Jonathan Briggs, they together forming the well-known firm of Hayward 
& Bkiggs, the name and partnership continuing for thirty years. 

In 1859 the firm was burued out in the Steam Power building fire. This 
fire, which burned four shops, occurred in the night, and before morning 
Mr. Hayward had hired a place to which he removed the busiuess tempo- 
rarily, until the new Steam Power Company's building, immediately erected, 
was iu readiness. In 1873 the firm erected the large shop known as 
Hayward's building, a part of which they occupied, and where their suc- 
cessors still remain. No firm in town ever gained a better reputation than 
this one, and that good reputation has been steadily maintained. Fine 
plated goods in great variety have been made by them and their quality 
can be best described by the statement that only 18 k. gold was used 
in their production, the goods proving always and strictly what they 
purported to be. Theirs was for many years the largest and most important 
business in the East village. It gave employment to oue hundred and 
twenty workmen and supplied an extensive market with both handsome and 
substantial goods. These were sold in New York under charge of Mr. 
Briggs, who resided there, while Mr. Hayward had entire supervision of 
the manufactory here. 

In July. 1885, the old firm was dissolved and Walter E. Hayward became 
associated with his father, under the name of C. E. Hayward & Co. 
In May, 1886, Mr. Hayward died and the son continued alone, until in 1887 
George E. Sweet became his partner and the present name of Hayward 
& Sweet was assumed. 

Hayward & Briggs trained a generation in the art of jewelry making, 



HI ST OB Y OF ATTREBOBOUGH. 373 

and the name will be remembered as a synonym of justice, honesty, and 
probity in mercantile transactions in the annals of our great industry through 
many a coming generation. 

B. S. Freeman & Co. The first name of this firm was Freeman & 
Bro., its members Benjamin S. and Joseph J. Freeman, and their busi- 
ness was established in 1S47 in a portion of their father's house at the 
Falls. They began with twenty-five hands, or thereabouts, and continued 
for several years in that place and then moved into the shop next the Falls 
mill, which had been built for them. About 18f>5 Virgil Richards became 
a member of the firm and Co. was added to the name. In 1858 property 
was purchased at Robinsonville and at once occupied, aud at the same time 
the brothers bought out Mr. Richards and resumed the former name. They 
began soon, and among the earliest in town, to make rolled plated goods, 
vest chains being one of their specialties. After moving to Robinsonville 
they commenced the manufacture of curb-chains. 

J. J. Freeman bought an imported curb-chain and after making many 
experiments he reached the desired result in constructing machinery to 
make rolled plated curb-chains successfully. These were the first made in 
Attleborough and were known as '•'Freeman's curb-chains"; they were 
made in large quantities and sold extensively. In 1860 the firm became 
Freeman & Co., and soon after a temporary change was effected in the 
kind of goods manufactured, a change which was demanded by the war. 
Articles were made which were needed for soldiers' use, such as war badges, 
brass chains, and even military buttons. 

In 1879 Joseph J. Freeman died, and the name was changed to the present 
one of B. 8. Freeman & Co. Mr. Freeman was an ingenious man, pos- 
sessing many ideas of his own and naturally an inventor. He was clever 
in making designs and had the mechanical skill necessary to execute them. 
Much of the credit for the large measure of success attained by this com- 
pany is due to him. B. S. Freeman, Jr., was admitted to the firm in 1882, 
and no further changes have occurred. Solid rolled plate goods is the make 
of this firm, chiefly chains and bracelets, and prosperity has attended it 
from the beginning. When business is brisk from fifty to sixty hands are 
employed, and sometimes a larger number. Its New York office is at 194 
Broadway. 

J. F. Sturdy & Co. started soon after Freeman & Bro. Mr. Sturdy 
had previously been in business in Provideuce, first as a maker of dies and 
later of jewelry, with his brother, James H. Sturdy, and while they were 
together there they discovered the process of making what is uow called 
rolled or stock plate. They came to Robinsonville, and on September 7, 
1849, the company was organized as Draper, Sturdy & Co. and consisted 
of J. F. and J. H. Sturdy and Herbert M. Draper. They introduced the 
manufacture of rolled gold plated, stock and jeivelri/ into the town of Attle- 



374 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

borough. They also generously imparted to certain other jewelers a knowl- 
edge of their process of making this rolled plate, which was speedily acted 
upon, and the result has been a very general adoption of their method. 

September »'>, 1850, J. H. Sturdy retired, and September 16, 1851, James 
A. Mason entered the firm. Some further changes took place, and finally 
.1. A. Perry and F. Doll became associated with Mr. Sturdy under the 
present style of J. F. Sturdy & Co. They in 1861 began manufacturing 
curb-chains of rolled plate. This partnership ended in about a year, and 
Mr. Sturdy remained in the business alone for thirteen years. In 1875 his 
son Frederick E. became associated with him, and in 1879 his two other 
sous, Herbert K. and Frank M. Sturdy, continuing the name assumed in 
1861. These four gentlemen are still the members of this firm, which, 
through its continuance of almost forty years at what is now the Falls, has 
done a fair business and been steadily successful. 

F. G. Whitney & Co. F. G. Whitney and F. W. Davenport formed 
this firm in 1849 and began operations in a building now standing on East 
Street, North Attleborough. In 1852 they built and occupied the shop 
which later became the carriage-shop of John Stanley & Son. Henry 
Duuster subsequently entered the firm, and in 1853 Mr. Davenport with- 
drew. In 1859 new quarters were taken in E. I. Richards' factory, and 
Eliakim Rice was admitted to partnership, remaining till 1871, when he 
retired. About that time the present firm name was adopted ; but what 
its previous titles were the writer does not know. In 1873 the business 
was moved to the Company's factory, and it became very flourishing, the 
employees numbering all the way from one to two hundred. 

In 1876 Mr. Whitney built a large factory for himself at Davis' bridge. 
Chestnut Street, one hundred and fifty feet by thirty-five, and three stories 
in height. This was subsequently burned and immediately rebuilt. The 
business is at present conducted by George B. and Edwin F. Whitney, sons 
of the founder of the firm. The goods of the old firm were of brasswork, 
every kind of fancy goods and novelties called for by the caprices of the 
market. The manufacture at present is oxidized and silver-plated articles 
— lacepins, cuff-buttons, clasps, buckles, bracelets, hairpins, and collarettes, 
and also a great variety of articles in fire-gilt and electro-plate. This was 
among the earliest establishments where inexpensive jewelry was manu- 
factured, and it supplies both a foreign and domestic market. It has an 
office on Broadway, New York. [This firm has ceased to exist.] 

White & Shaw. This is the oldest representative of the jewelry trade 
in South Attleborough. The firm was organized in 1852 and is the oldest 
in town bearing a never-changed name. At first the manufacture was of 
brass jewelry, but for some time has been that of jewelers' findings. The 
shop is a little out of the centre of the village. In the ordinary good con- 
ditions of business the employees here number ten to twelve. 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGB. 375 

H. F. Barrows & Co. This firm bears the name it bore originally, the 
addition of " Co." excepted, and during the thirty-five years of its existence 
has had but one other change. It is one of the oldest and largest in the 
town. The senior member, Henry F. Barrows, began for himself in 1853 
in the old shop near the Braid mill, or Falls factory. The following year 
James H. Sturdy entered into partnership with him under the style of 
Barrows & Sturdy, and in 1856 they removed to the Richards factory in 
North Attleborough. In 1857 Mr. Sturdy withdrew, and Louis A. Barrows 
and E. S. Richards entered the firm, which took the name of H. F. Barrows 
& Co. Louis A. Barrows died in I860. In 1862 or 1863 Mr. Richards 
retired and for more than twenty years thereafter H. F. Barrows. Si\, con- 
stituted the firm, though his two sons as they became old enough became 
connected with the business. On January 1, 1887, they were both admitted 
to the firm, whose members now are H. F., Ira. and H. F. Barrows, Jr. 

About 1862 the firm removed to their own manufactory on Broad Street, 
where they still remain. Mr. Barrows commenced with from six to ten 
workmen, and now the average number in his firm's employ is one hundred 
and twenty-five, with sometimes an increase. With the association of the 
last-named partners the old custom of monthly payment of wages was 
changed to semi-monthly, a custom adopted frequently at the present time. 
Mr. Barrows began among the earliest to make rolled plate, — doubtless 
from his association with Mr. Sturdy, — and no change has since been made 
in the character of the manufacture, which is the best of its kind. Great 
varieties and many patterns of goods have been made to respond to the call 
of the market from time to time, and at present the specialty is chains. 
The New York office of this firm is at 177 Broadway. It is in the charge 
especially of Ira Barrows, who has a residence in that city. 

H. D. Merritt & Co. In 1855 H. D. Merritt and J. B. Draper started 
in business together in the Richards factory as Merritt & Draper. In 
1870 they removed to Mansfield, and while the business was being con- 
ducted there Mr. Draper retired from it. John Shepardson took his place 
and the firm its present name. In 1872 the business was brought back to 
its former place, where it increased and prospered. Mr. Merritt died in 
1878, and Mr. Shepardson took as a partner C. H. Miller. The firm con- 
tinues under the same name, making rolled plate and silver goods. [Mrs. 
H. D. Merritt and W. W. Sherman are present partners.] 

C. E. AY. Sherman & Son. As we have seen, a Frenchman established 
the manufacturing of jewelry in town, and it was by means of a Frenchman 
also that jewelers here were first enabled to get their clippings and sweep- 
ings refined. One used to "stop over" in North Attleborough on his way 
to Bostou, and going from shop to shop make collections of these infinitesi- 
mal fragments in a handkerchief and take them to that city for the necessary 
process. Later, these materials were sent to New York, and this continued 



376 A SKETCH OF THE 

to be the custom until July, 1854, at which time Mr. Sherman and George 
K. Davis, as George K. Davis & Co., began operations in this branch 
of the jewelry business. Their shop was near the Davis bridge on the Ten 
Mile River. This copartnership was dissolved in two or three years. Mr. 
Sherman then built himself a shop on Elm Street, where the firm now is, 
and transacted business for himself till the autumn of 1875, when his son, 
William W. Sherman, became associated with him under the present name. 
The lad that ten years ago from $50,000 to $60,000 worth of gold was 
annually obtained by this firm from clippings, etc., shows the size and 
importance of its special work, and within a few years this amount has 
probably about doubled. 

To the work of gold and silver refiners the firm add that of assayers and 
smelters and manufacturers of blue vitriol. Mr. Sherman's was the first firm 
of its kind in town, and for a long period it continued to be the only one. 

Within a few years an establishment of a similar kind has been started 
in East Attleborough, that of Barber & Burlinghame, who also deal in 
various supplies for the trade. [Not in existence.] 

Bates & Bacon. The origin of this firm dates back to the well-remem- 
bered year of 1857, the time of a general depression and prostration of 
business and of widespread financial difficulties. On September 10 of that 
year the firm of Skinner, Viall & Co., of which J. M. Bates was a mem- 
ber, started in a room over Blackinton's shuttle-shop. At the end of a year, 
in which the business had not been large even for those times, Mr. Bates had 
come to the conclusion that more '' push " was required to satisfy his ambi. 
tion. He therefore sold out his interest in the above-mentioned firm and 
formed a new one, that of Bates, Capron & Williams, and located in the 
Falls factory, now that of the Gold Medal Braid Co. Two years of 
prosperity followed this new organization and then, Mr. Bates' partners 
desiring a change of location, he sold out to William Sherman. This com- 
pany removed to Mansfield but was unfortunate, and after a few years relin- 
quished business. Such also was the experience of Mr. Bates' original 
partners; they were not successful and therefore retired from the jewelry 
business altogether. 

On leaving the Falls Mr. Bates returned to his old place in the shuttle- 
shop and did a moderately good business there for three years. Then he 
removed to the East village and occupied the lower story of the Steam Power 
Company's building. The effect of the war was favorable to Mr. Bates, for 
not long after it commenced his business began to increase, for 1863 was 
a year of marked prosperity, and this continued until 1867. At that time a 
very large trade had been built up and Mr. Bates deemed it " wise to take a 
partner." George M. Bacon entered into partnership with him, and together 
they still form the firm of Bates & Bacon. Mr. Bacon at once proved a 
••valuable assistant." He has been the salesman of the concern and has 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 377 

always filled that difficult position with remarkable success. He greatly 
enlarged and extended the sales of the firm's goods, and during the twenty 
years of this partnership so far an increase has been continually maintained. 

In these days of almost unlimited competition, not only in this but in 
almost every branch of trade, the office of salesman is no sinecure but 
one of varied and difficult requirements. Nerve, activity, determination, a 
pleasing address, agreeable manners, the power of adaptation to all places, 
circumstances, and people, a thorough knowledge of his own line of traffic, 
and about as much of his neighbors', are some of the characteristics needed. 
The complete salesman must be ever alert, quick to see ami seize chances, 
and conversant with every phase of the entire market; he must be endowed 
with a great amount of diplomacy — indeed be able to turn refusal into 
acceptance, either by his own "power of persuasion" or by the medium of 
an open purse and a generous hand. In a word, his state must always he 
that of " up and doing,'' lest another step in before him and win the prize. 
What he has accomplished for his firm proves Mr. Bacon to be the happy 
possessor of at least a goodly share of these requisites. 

The specialty of this firm has always been rolled-gold plated bracelets, 
although it has made jewelry of almost every description. It employs a 
large number of hands — in the busiest seasons as many as two hundred. In 
1882 Messrs. Bates and Bacon made an innovation by introducing into Attle- 
borough the manufacture of watchcases. They make these both filled and 
of 14k. gold. The venture proved a good one, for the growth of the busi- 
ness has been constant and they now turn out one hundred and fifty cases a 
day. A few years ago additional space was required, and in 1884 Mr. Bales 
built a shop 200 feet long, 35 feet wide, and four stories high, which the firm 
now occupies. The paydays here are monthly — on the fifteenth instant. 
This is the largest firm in East Attleborough. 1 

G. A. Dean & Co. In January, 1857, A. M. Everett, G. A. Dean, 
S. L. Morse, E. 8. Capron, and R. Bliss organized as Everett, Dean & Co, 
8. L. Morse left the firm in November, 1858, and E. S. Capron in May, 1859. 
In January, 1860, B. B. Day became a partner and the name was changed to 
Everett, Day & Co. A. M. Everett's withdrawal in July, 1867, necessi- 
tated another change in name and that of Day, Bliss & Dean was taken. 
Mr. Day died in January, 1871, and the business was then continued in the 
name of Bliss & Dean, Rodolphus Bliss and George A. Dean being the 
partners. Mr. Bliss died in August, 1888, and in the following January the 
present name was adopted. Mr. Dean, its present representative, is the only 
one of the five original members left in the business. Of the six gentlemen 
associated in it during its existence three are dead and the other two, Mr. 



'Messrs. Bates and Bacon have dissolved partnership by the withdrawal of Mr. Bacon from the 
firm. Mr. Bates continues the business and retains the old firm name. 



378 A SKETCH OF THE 

Everett and Mr. ('apron, have for many years been engaged in different 
vocations. 

At the organization nine hands were employed. As with other firms, the 
number of hands lias had a varying increase, but during the past fifteen 
years the average has been about seventy-five. Though several changes of 
name have occurred, none have taken place in the nature of the goods 
manufactured. These have been always of rolled plate, and for many years 
chains, charms, and bracelets, though formerly lockets were also made. 
This firm has made an excellent class of goods and met with an abundant 
measure of success. It has long been one of the most solid and substantial 
firms in its part of the town. Its New York office is at 194 Broadway. 

Blake & Clailin. successors to Sturdy Bros. & Co. July 1, 1859, 
Charles II. and Albert W. Sturdy formed a partnership under the name of 
Sturdy Brothers, both having previously had practical experience in jewelry 
manufacturing. They located in one of the Steam Power Company's build- 
ings and were burned out within three months in the great fire which 
destroyed all that Company's shops. They saved some tools and moved tem- 
porarily to Mansfield. The Steam Power Company immediately rebuilt — if 
we remember rightly, a large new shop was completed in sixty days after the 
foundations were laid, under the efficient management of the late Jesse R. 
Carpenter, and in the autumn of 1861 Sturdy Brothers returned to town 
and located in this new building. 

Meanwhile during the summer of that year A. W. Sturdy had enlisted and 
through the two years of his service C. H. Sturdy carried on the business 
alone. The early days of the war were '-dull times," but in 1863 "business 
throughout the country revived under the impetus of the paper money issued 
by the government," and about that time Mr. Albert Sturdy received his dis- 
charge on account of a severe wound which unfitted him for further service, 
and returned home. Like many others at that period this firm took a " new 
lease of life.' Between 1863 and the close of the war they made gold, 
silver, and rolled plate army badges in very large quantities, and also vari- 
ous emblems for the use of soldiers, such as regimental badges for their 
identification, etc. 

When the demand for these articles ceased. Sturdy Brothers turned their 
attention to the making of ladies" jewelry in rolled plate. These goods were 
of the best quality, and the firm soon acquired an enviable reputation for 
producing first-class work and for many years carried on an extensive busi- 
ness in this line. C. II. Sturdy retired in duly. 1871, and E. G. Webster, of 
Brooklyn, L. I., took a place in the firm and Co. was added to the old name. 
For fifteen or twenty years the number of employees varied from forty to 
eighty as the demands of the market warranted. The payroll averaged 
nearly $4,000 per month, and the sales during many years reached 6100,000. 
For twentv years all the goods manufactured were sent to the Company's 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 379 

office at No. 14 Maiden Lane, New York, but since 1882 they have been 
shipped from the factory here to their various destinations direct. 

January 1, 1885, both partners sold out, and after a prosperous career of 
fully a quarter of a century the old name of Sturdy Brothers ceased to exist. 
The new firm consists of James E. Blake, who was for a long period a sales- 
man for the preceding firm, and Edward P. Claflin, for many years in their 
employ as foreman. Though he has relinquished all active participation, 
Mr, Albert Sturdy still retains a financial interest in the concern as a special 
partner. The prosperity which followed the course of the old firm still 
attends the new. The youthful element introduced has given new impetus to 
the former activity, and the future has a promising outlook. Some additions 
have been made to the previous line of goods, and certain lines of solid gold 
jewelry are now being manufactured. None of the members of this firm 
have died. One of those who retired is engaged in an entirely different 
occupation and the others are ''enjoying the fruits of their labors" 

Two years prior to the formation of the above-mentioned firm — in 1857 

V. H. Blackinton purchased the old schoolhouse at Robinsonville and 

made it over into a manufactory. His first essay was in jet goods, in a line 
for ladies' use. This proved successful, the business increased, and additions 
were made to his shop. On February 15, 1869, it was burned, but rebuilt at 
once, and the same line of goods manufactured — jet, witli the addition of 
novelties, military goods, society emblems, etc. Mr. Blackinton still con- 
tinues in the same place, but his shop, instead of being as formerly in Robin- 
sonville, on the " road to North Attleborough," is on Commonwealth Avenue, 
Attleborough Falls. 

Short, Nerney & Co. This firm has an existence of a quarter of a 
century. In 1862 Mace B. Short, Peter Nerney, and Kphraim Adams 
associated together as Nerney & Co. The last-named partner remained only 
about nine months and Messrs. Nerney and Short continued until 1876. 
They began with the production of horn goods, then took up electro-plating, 
and, by general license, of all sorts and kinds of jewelry. In the autumn of 
1876 James J. Horton entered the firm, which took its present title. At that 
time the electro-plating business was sold to Nerney & Lincoln, and the 
company took up the manufacture of all kinds of stock plated chains. For 
several years the " Nerney Patent Swivel" has also been made. This is an 
invention of Mr. Nerney, and he took out a patent on it in 1884. 

The average number of workmen employed in this establishment in ordinary 
times is fifty, but this number is frequently increased to seventy-five and 
sometimes more. For 18.S6, which was a light year, the payroll amounted 
to over $20,000. This firm has had a steady success for a number of years, 
and none has a better reputation. It has changed its location — is at present 
in No. 18 Mill Street, East Attleborough. It has no out-of-town office. 
[Changes have been made by the admission of some young men to the firm, 
but the name remains the same.] 



380 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

T. I. Smith & Co. Antedating the lust-mentioned firm by a few years, 
another large firm bad its beginning: Theron I. Smith and David D. Cod- 
ding were the partners and the name Codding & Smith. Like the majority 
these gentlemen began in a small room and in a small way. At the end of a 
year they removed to Mansfield Centre. The war entirely broke up their 
business ami they were obliged to discontinue it, and added to this misfortune 
the building where their tools were stored was totally destroyed by fire in 
May, 1861, and they "lost everything." They were not, however, perma- 
nently disheartened, and with the close of the war determined to try again. 
In duly, 1865, they, together with C. H. Ames, commenced the business for 
the second time in North Attleborough, under the style of Codding, Smith 
<& Co., locating in Stephen Richardson's building. At the end of two years 
of moderate prosperity Mr. Ames left the firm and A. E. Codding entered, 
no change occurring in the name. At this time a complement of fifty hands 
was employed. 

In January, 1867, the business was removed to the Dennis Everett factor} 7 , 
and in 1871 another move was made to the new factory erected by Mr. Rich- 
ardson, where it remained about three years. While located there Mr. 
Smith bought out his two partners and carried on the business alone for a 
year. At the end of that time D. I). Codding purchased a one-half interest, 
and the present firm name was taken. The business was transferred to the 
E. I. Richards building in 1880, and in January, 1881, Henry H. Curtis, a 
former salesman, was admitted as a partner in the firm. He subsequently 
withdrew, and E. A. Crawford has been admitted, and the present members 
are Messrs. Smith, Codding and Crawford. Though its earlier days were full 
of difficulties and discouragements, sufficient even to annihilate it for a time, 
it has overcome them all and its later days have been filled with a highly 
satisfactory degree of prosperity. This firm ranks among the largest in 
town, as it has employed generally from ninety to a hundred and ten hands. 
Its specialties have been bracelets, pins, charms, etc. At present these are 
cuff-buttons and bracelets. 

J. J. & J. M. Richards. In April, 1864, the firm of E. S. Richards 
& Co. started in the Company's building at North Attleborough. Its mem- 
bers were E. S. and .! . M. Richards. E. S. Richards died in October, 1865. 
and his two brothers, J. J. and J. M. Richards, bought his interest. In 
January, L866, they assumed the present firm name. In February, 1871^ 
they moved their manufactory to Stephen Richardson's building, and five 
years later, in 1876,.!. J. Richards, Jr., succeeded to his father's share in the 
business. The Richardson building was burned in April, 1882, and in the 
following July a location was found in Totten's building, and this is still 
retained. Of the three brothers formerly in this firm but one remains, for 
J. .1. Richards died in August, 1882. In the beginning twenty hands 
were employed — now double that number, with an average weekly payroll 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOEOUGH. 381 

of $700. The specialty here is gold front goods, and the firm has always 
been distinguished for the superior quality of its productions. There is a 
New York office connected with it. 

J. W. Luther & Co. James W. and John W. Luther, brothers, started 
in January, 1865, in the Steam Power building. They remained there 
for ten years, and then took their present situation in the basemeut of 

E. A. Robinson's shop. They are lapidaries, and besides cutting and 
preparing real stones they also manufacture imitation stones for jewelers' 
use. They have at times done quite a large business in their line, employ- 
ing fifteen to twenty workmen, and having a payroll of some $500 per 
month. In this as in all other lines there are frequently temporary dull 
times, and this special branch of the trade is more affected by the changes in 
style than some others. Patterns in gold and silver goods may be readily 
changed, and profitably ; but if the caprices of fashion demand neither real 
nor imitation gems, the worker in these must be comparatively idle — though 
there is always something to be done. This firm is one of excellent repute, 
and the Messrs. Luther are considered skilled workmen in their art. 

F. S. Draper & Co. This firm was formed in 1865 by F. S. Draper, 

F. S. Bailey, and F. G. Pate, as Draper, Pate & Bailey. The business was 
at first established in the Richards factory, and subsequently removed to the 
stone factory of the Whiting Manufacturing Company. Mr. Pate left the 
firm in 187"), when the present name was adopted. About this time the Com- 
pany were burned out, and Mr. Draper soon purchased a shop on Broad 
Street, to which he made additions, and where the business was carried on up 
to the time of his death. In 1877 he bought the interest of Mr. Bailey, his 
remaining associate, and continued alone but under the same name as before. 
Draper, Pate & Bailey had a remarkably successful career. In two years 
their business grew so rapidly that the number of workmen increased from 
twenty-live to a hundred and twenty-five. After assuming its conduct alone, 
Mr. Draper employed sixty-five hands in the making of plated charms and 
fire-gilt chains, and his annual payroll amounted to $55,000. 

Mr. Draper's death occurred in August, 1886, and on September 1 follow- 
ing the business was purchased by Miss Annie Meader, who had for a long 
period been the bookkeeper of the concern, and for several years had had 
charge of the buying and selling and the general oversight of its affairs. 
Miss Meader has recently removed the business to East Attleborough, but 
conducts it under the old name of F. S. Draper & Co. She has no partner, 
and is the only woman in town who attends personally to manufacturing. 
Another, Mrs. E. I. Richards, is represented in a firm, as has been stated, 
but in that case the affairs are conducted by the other partner, her son, Mr. 
E. Ira Richards. 

The New York office of F. S. Draper & Co. is at 194 Broadway, and the 
specialty is German silver, fire-gilt, and nickel-plated chains, rolled plate 



382 .1 SKETCH OF THE 

charms, etc. The present management proves to be successful, a fact of 
interesl to ladies who may be inclined toward a mercantile life. [Firm has 
ceased to exist.] 

A. Bushee & Co. Albert A. Bushee and Ebeuezer Bacon were the origi- 
nal members of ihis linn, and they commenced operations January 18, 1868, 
in an old two-story house then standing in the rear of the Steam Power Com- 
pany's shop, occupying only the first floor. For a few years they made cheap 
goods, with finger-rings as a specialty, and their workmen averaged from 
fifteen t<> twenty-five. In the early part of 1870 the firm was enlarged by the 
entrance of Charles H. Bushee. Two years later — in the spring of 1872 — 
they erected their large shop on County Street. This is a wooden structure, 
100 feet by 35, and three stories high, with a wing in the rear. Of this 
building the firm themselves occupy the first Moor. They have taken up 
another specialty called k 'The Original Separable Cuff and Collar Buttons," 
which are made in the best quality of fire gilt. In this they have been very 
successful for a number of years. At present their employees number 
about seventy-five, and their payroll some $:50,000 a year. Mr. Bacon 
withdrew from the linn on December 12, 1886, and no subsequent additions 
have been made. The Bushee brothers carry on the business, and the name 
has been unchanged from the beginning. 

This firm has been especially enterprising and its trade a lucrative one. 
Mr. Albert Bushee has always attended to the entire portion of its out-of- 
town affairs, and has traveled extensively in its interests. Being a man of 
energy and the necessary " push," he at once established it upon a firm 
basis, and possessing as he does many of the characteristics and accomplish- 
ments essential in a perfect salesman, his efforts have been attended by most 
gratifying results, so that the name of A. Bushek & Co. has become very 
well known. The New York office is at 2:57 Broadway, Room No. 21. 

W. & S. Blackinton. This firm was formed in 1869, with YV. S. and 
William Sumner Blackinton, father and son, as partners. During the twelve 
previous years the father had been doing something in the jewelry line, but 
it was not until the formation of this firm that he met with anything more 
than very ordinary success. After the organization they commenced making 
plated chains, and Mr. Blackinton introduced new lines of these goods, of 
his own origination. They attracted attention, became popular, and the 
ultimate success of the firm was assured. The rather small beginning was 
made at the shuttle-shop, with fifteen hands. For a time subsequently a 
portion of Bushee's shop was occupied, when about eighty-five hands were 
employed, and then the present quarters in one of the Bates buildings were 
taken, and the usual complement of hands increased to a hundred and thirty. 
This complement has sometimes readied a hundred and sixty-five, Avheu the 
business would represent an annual sum of several hundred thousand dollars. 
The payroll here is monthly, and reaches at present 87,")0Q. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 3 S3 

In 1880 Louis A. Blackinton, another son, was admitted to partnership ; 
hut the name remained as before. This firm uses only solid rolled gold plate, 
and confines itself exclusively to chains. These are made after an almost 
innumerable number of patterns, and of every style, from the heaviest 
kt cable chain," usable as a gentleman's watchguard, to the most delicate 
infants' neck chain, of a texture almost as fine as hair, are all well finished, 
and present a handsome appearance. Indeed an adept would be required to 
detect the difference between many of these and solid chains of the same 
patterns. Mr. Blackinton has insisted upon good workmanship, taking pride 
in the quality and durability of his manufactures, and their popularity has 
been well earned and well sustained. The firm is one of the largest in the 
east part of the town. The office in New York has always been at No. 11 
Maiden Lane. 1 

Sadler Bros. George W. Sadler first started in business at South Attle- 
borough in 1863, in partnership with Daniel O. Stanley, as Sadler & Stan- 
ley. Subsequently Mr. Stanley left the firm, and in 1860 the business, now 
that of Sadler Bros., began. The name was assumed when in 1870 
Albert D. Sadler joined his brother. He died in 1875, and from that time 
until 18.S4 the founder of the business conducted it alone. His death 
occurred during that year, and the business was then taken up by Charles E. 
and Herbert A. Sadler, who constitute the present firm. It has always been 
located in kt the city," and since the commencement has manufactured all 
grades of brass and plated jewelry. 

Horton, Angell & Co. This widely known firm was organized in 1870, 
by Edwin J. Horton, Benjamin J. Angell, and Gideon M. Horton, who at 
once styled themselves by this name. They began in a small room in 
Bailey's shop, now Robinson's — hiring only a few hands. By 1873 their 
trade had so much increased that they were able to hire half a floor in their 
present shop, that of A. Bushee & Co. The increase continued, and about 
1876 an entire floor became necessary, and in January, 1881, another, so that 
now the firm occupies the whole of the second and third Moors. Their aver- 
age number of operatives ranges from one hundred to one hundred and fifty, 
quite a percentage of these being women, as is also the case with A. Bushee 
& Co. Among their employees are many who have never worked in any 
other shop, and many who have continued with them for years. Their pay- 
roll is about $1,000 per week, and they still maintain their old office in Room 
24, No. 237 Broadway, New York. 

Edwin J. Horton was lost in the collision between the Sound steamers Nar- 
ragansett and Stoningtou, which occurred June 12, 1880. Though compara- 
tively young both in years and in commercial affairs, he had lived long 



1 Mr. Blackinton, Sr., has die 1. The two brothers, W. S. and L. A. Blackinton, continue the busi- 
ness under the same name, and it may be said with the same reputation and success. 



384 A SKETCH OF THE 

enough to make " ninny friends in the trade." He was the traveling member 
of the firm, and he began at the very first with an inflexible determination to 
make his business a success, and this was accomplished during his lifetime. 
Everett S. Horton, an older brother, took the place in the firm thus made 
vacant. On October 14, 1886, B. J. Angell was thrown from his carriage 
near the Agricultural Hall, and died in a few hours from the effects of the 
injuries sustained. Gideon M. Horton, the third and last of the founders of 
the firm, died December 1G. 1886, in San Antonio, Texas. The experience 
through which this firm has passed is most singular and unprecedented. Tu 
less than twenty years from its formation the three original members had 
died, all of them suddenly, two of them violent deaths — but its copartner- 
ship affairs were so well arranged that no interruptions followed these acci- 
dents. The business went on smoothly, without a jar, though the vacant 
places were such both in the firm and in the community as cannot easily 
be filled. 

The unusual and sudden calling away of his partners, added to his own 
failing health, had doubtless turned Mr. G-ideon Horton's attention to the 
future career of his firm to a far greater degree than ordinary circumstances 
would warrant in a man of his years. There were three young men in whom 
he felt peculiarly interested ; two of them had been in the employ of the 
firm from ten to fourteen years, and the other for a somewhat shorter 
period, but all had proved themselves to possess worth and ability. A full 
understanding was had between Mr. Horton and his brother, the then only 
other partner previous to his leaving home shortly before his death, with 
regard to the probable future admittance of these young men to the firm. 
Partial arrangements having thus been made, it was comparatively easy to 
mature such others as were necessary, when the anticipated time arrived. 
Early in 18*7 the present partnership was entered into, under the first and 
only name the firm has ever held. These partners are E. S. Horton, T. 8. 
Carpenter, M. E. Rowe, and H. A. Clark. 

The chief article of this firm's manufacture — known everywhere as its 
specialty — has been the "Original .Separable Sleeve Button. Collar Button, 
and Stud." This is the best and most convenient button, it is said, that is 
made at the present time. It is easily adjusted, and from its real merits 
claims to be the best. These merits have been thoroughly tested, and though 
there have been many attempts to infringe upon and " improve" upon them, 
they still, it is stated, " bear the palm." Meanwhile every improvement that 
could be devised has been adopted to facilitate this manufacture, and many 
important articles of machinery have been made, and large sums of money 
expended for that purpose. These sleeve-buttons, etc., are made of rolled 
gold plate, stamped H. A. & Co., and are warranted by the firm to lie 
•• exactly as stated in each and every particular." Their durability may be 
shown by the statement that the office possesses some, which may be seen 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 385 

there, which have been in constant use for eight years, and are still in good 
condition. Unlike many enterprises, the high standard set in the beginning 
has in this instance been strictly maintained during all the ensuing years. 
These goods are sent all over the world, and " the best," we are told, is the 
universal verdict pronounced. Besides this specialty a large line of initial 
sleeve and collar buttons, a new line of initial scarfpins, and in great quan- 
tities other patent buttons, besides ladies' sleeve-buttons and cuff-fasteners 
combined, are made by this firm. Its make includes probably over two 
thousand styles of collar-buttons, sleeve-buttons, studs, etc. These facts 
will give some idea of what is done in one of Attleborough*s large jewelry 
establishments. 

This firm was the first to adopt the custom of weekly payments to 
employees, a custom its members consider advantageous to both employers 
and employed, in an establishment where work is paid by "the hour" as 
well as by "the job." Here every Monday each employee is paid in full to 
the Saturday night previous, and from the first payday to the present time 
"the firm have never missed one." Horton, Angell & Co. began with 
the motto of an " honest and straightforward manner of dealing." and 
though the founders have all passed away, the new members in retaining the 
old name propose to maintain the old principles and the same old good 
reputation. 

Young & Bennett. The organization of the Company bearing this name 
took place in 1870, its members being Charles P. Young, Alonzo F. Bennett, 
and Edgar Sargar. In 1873 the latter retired. They located first on Wash- 
ington Street, North Attleborough, and are now in Whiting's building. 
They make solid rolled gold plated chains and trimmings. They have 
adopted the weekly payday system. Their out-of-town office is in Chicago. 
[Now Young & Stern.] 

E. Whitney & Co. Edwin Whitney and William A. Read were the 
originators of this firm, and they commenced manufacturing in the old shop 
at the Falls with ten hands. At the present time, when business is good, 
they employ about forty. The}^ occupy a fioor in Daggett's building to which 
they removed in 1882. They began at first to make album and Bible clasps, 
later made a line of chains and novelties, and now make bar pins, brooches, 
earhoops and drops, bracelets, scarfpins, cuff-buttons, etc., in rolled plate. 
There have been no changes in the name or membership since the formation, 
and there is no office except the one at the factory. [No firm of this name 
in existence.] 

Stanley Bros. Stephen and Benjamin Stanley and E. C. Knapp asso- 
ciated themselves together May 1, 1871, under the above name. At the end 
of four years, in 1875, Mr. Knapp withdrew from the partnership, and since 
then the two brothers Stanley have conducted the business with no further 
change in the firm. Thev are in the same location they have always occupied 



3S6 A SKETCH OF THE 

in the old shop at the Falls, but they have made several additions in the way 
of space, and their business has greatly enlarged. They use rolled gold 
plate, nothing else, and manufacture chains of many kinds, for men, women, 
and children's wear. The average number of hands employed is about thirty- 
live, sometimes increased to fifty, and monthly payments are made. This is 
a steadily prosperous firm, and it has an office at 20 Maiden Lane, New 
York. 

Cummings & Wexel. The original firm name was E. N. Cummings & Co., 
E. N. and J. C. Cummings and Nelson Carpenter constituting the same, 
and it was formed in 1871. Mr. Carpenter retired in 187o, and Mr. E. N. 
Cummings in 1876, at which time Henry Wexel became a partner with John 
Cummings, and the firm took its present name. At first its manufacture was 
fine sets and buttons ; at present its specialty consists of separable and non- 
separable sleeve and collar buttons, in both rolled plate and fire gilt. Mr. 
Wexel possesses ureal ingenuity and mechanical skill, and is constantly at 
work inventing new designs, making all those used in the works of this con- 
cern. This firm has been a fortunate one, and for a number of years has 
employed quite a large force of workmen. Its office in New York is at 176 
Broadway. 1 

P. E. Witherell, successor to Hatward & Witherell. On January 1, 
1ST:!, Henry L. Hay ward and Nelson Carpenter formed a copartnership 
under the style of Hayward & Carpenter, and commenced operations in 
the Hayward factory. Proctor E. Witherell purchased Mr. Carpenter's 
interest, and on October 21, 1879, the firm name was changed to Hatward 
& Witherell. Mr Hayward retired December 19, 1885, and since then Mr. 
Witherell has had entire charge of the business. On February 9, 1887, he 
bought the interest of the Charles E. Hayward estate, and thus became sole 
partner and proprietor under the above name. There has always been a 
variety in the goods produced by this firm, and Mr. Witherell continues the 
several lines; namely, cuff and collar buttons, liar, lace, bib, and scarf pins, 
sets, drops, etc.. in rolled plate. The employees range in number from 
twelve to forty, according to the dictation of the market in the direction of 
his manufacture. Mr. Witherell maintains no office in New York but has 
a salesman at lb") Worth Street there, a traveling agent, and the expectation 
of opening an office in Chicago 

R. F. Simmons & Co. About 1873 Mr. Simmons began as a manufactur- 
ing jeweler, and remained alone something over a year, making rolled plate 
chains. In January, 1871, he took E. L. Hixon, of North Attleborough, as 



1 This partnership has been dissolved by the withdrawal of Mr. Cummings from the firm. Mr. 
Wexri has associated some young men with himself, and continues the business under the name of 
H. Wexel ,t Co. Mr. Cummings purchased the business known as the Bates Buxton C<> , an 
enterprise started by Mr. .1. M. Bates, in 188 '•. His partner is Mr. Joseph G. Hutchinson, previously 
connected with the Button Co., and the firm name is J. C CUMMINGS & Co. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 387 

a partner, thus creating the present firm name. They took the second floor 
of the old Daggett jewelry shop, just south of the stone mill at the Falls. 
In March, 1875, J. L. Sweet, then of East Attleborough, entered the firm as 
an equal partner, hut the name underwent no change, and in the following 
June the firm moved to Robinsville and established their manufactory on the 
first floor of the Freeman building. Since then several additions have been 
made to this building in order to keep pace with the rapid growth of the 
firm's business, and it now occupies " something over 10,000 square feet of 
floor." 

The growth of this enterprise has beeu remarkable. Twelve years ago it 
was by comparison insignificant, requiring but eight or ten hands to produce 
the goods made ; to-day it is a large industry in itself, furnishing employment 
to over two hundred people, and distributing among them for a month's 
wages from $8,000 to $9,000. This firm confines itself entirely to the manu- 
facture of rolled gold plated chains in great variety, and only of the very 
best quality. The figures given show something of the proportions the pro- 
duction has assumed. The New York office is in the new Knapp Building, 
41 and 43 Maiden Lane, and the firm is " represented " in a number of foreign 
cities; namely, Rio Janeiro, Buenos Ayres, Montevideo, Berlin, Barcelona, 
and Sydney, New South Wales. There have been no changes since the 
organization, either by death or withdrawal. 

The course of this firm has been a brilliant one, and its sudden though 
permanent success almost unprecedented. This good fortune has been 
largely due to the fact that it at once established a reliable character for 
itself as a manufacturing house that invariably produced goods which prove 
what they purport to be, and that its members were possessed of the needed 
sagacity, foresight, and energy. R- F. Simmons & Co. probably have in 
their employ more people than any other firm in town. 1 

Bliss Brothers & Everett. This partnership continued for about four- 
teen years. In 1873 Charles E. and Everett B. Bliss and R. L. F. Everett 
organized a firm under this name. They first located in the Steam Power 
Company's building, but moved from there February 1, 1876, to their pres- 
ent location in the Robinson Building No. 2. They have an office in Room 
18, No. 176 Broadway, New York, and Mr. Everett has attended to the 
interests of the business there. They commenced with the manufacture of 
ladies' sets, but as fashions have changed they have gradually changed their 
style of work, and at present are making gentlemen's and ladies' charms, 
bar and cuff pins, collar-buttons, and a variety of other articles of orna- 
mented jewelry. From the commencement they have used a good quality of 



1 During 1892-93 they erected a large factory at Blaekintonville, between the Bungay River and the 
Attleborough Branch Railroad, east of the crossing. The building, including the offices, is 255 feel 
long, about 36 feet wide, and three stories high. The owners occupy the second floor, and Bliss 
Brothers and C. A. Wetherell & Co. the third floor. 



388 A SKETCH OF THE 

rolled plate and have always maintained the good reputation their goods 
gained for them. They employ from thirty to fifty hands, which proves 
them to have been successful. The original firm has recently been dissolved 
by the withdrawal of Mr. Everett, but the business will be continued by the 
other two members under the name of Bliss Brothers. 

Watson, Newell & Co. November 1, 1874, Charles J. Cobb, Samuel 
Gould. Clarence L. Watson, and Fred. A. Newell formed a partnership under 
the style of Cobb, Gould & Co. 1 Mr. Cobb left the firm February 29, 1879, 
and Mr. Gould on January 10, 1880, when the name became, after the two 
remaining partners, Watson & Newell. January 1, 1887, Joseph F. Ripley 
entered the firm, which then affixed Co. to its name. The number of hands 
at the beginning was twelve, and there are now a hundred, the average num- 
ber for some years. The weekly payroll is $1,000. Solid, rolled plate jew- 
elry is the manufacture of this firm, and at present a specialty is made of 
sleeve and collar buttons. This has in former years been varied by the 
making of several styles of pins, such as lace, cuff, and shawl pins. The 
location has always been on Union Street and there is no out-of-town office. 
This is a substantial as well as enterprising linn, as its well-sustained position, 
after an existence of less than fifteen years among the largest and most 
prominent of the East Attleborough companies, amply testifies. 

R. B. Macdonalo commenced business for himself January 1, 1874, in 
the Steam Power Company's building. He began to manufacture chain 
swivels, and soon built up quite a large and lucrative business. Mr. Mac- 
donald moved in January, 1881, to his present location, the ground floor of 
Bates' new building on Union Street. At that time he made a change in his 
style of manufacture, and took up the making of fine plated chains, subse- 
quently adding specialties in charms, brooches, pins, etc. He generally 
employs from fifteen to twenty workmen, and his monthly payroll ranges 
from SC>00 to $1,000. He has never had a partner, and his success is due to 
his own efforts. I. W. Lucas has charge of the sales for this manufactory. 

Joseph J. Doyle took his present location ou the "Taunton road," 
Hebronville, in 1875. He manufactures enameled wood goods, and is also 
a japan enameler, etc. His present working force is about ten hands, with 
a payroll of $250 per month. [Mr. Doyle has left town, and his business has 
passed into other hands.] 

John Etzensperoer began business in July, 1876, alone. In 1880 \V. A. 
and O. C. Miller became associated with him, but they remained his partners 
for only three years, as in February, 1883, he bought them out, and since that 
time has been again alone. He carries on his business in the E. I. Richards 



1 For some time during the earliest days of this linn's existence Mr. W. A. Battey was connected 
with the business, though not as an active partner in the concern. Since the above notice was written 
some changes in partnership, by admission, have occurred, but the well-known name remains 
unchanged. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 389 

factory, and employs from twenty to forty bands in the making of rolled 
gold plated chains and chain bracelets. 

Nerney & Lincoln. In 1876 William Nerney and Fred. W. Lincoln pur- 
chased the electro-plating business which had for some years previous been 
carried on by Short & Nerney, and established this firm. To the business 
of electro-plating they add that of coloring jewelry, but are not manufac- 
turers. They are located in Bates' Building No. 1. Their employees are 
boys, and at present the number is not large. 1 

W. T. Chafee, formerly of the firm of Chafee & Ballou, General 
Engravers, continues that occupation at Anawan Block, North Attleborough, 
in connection with a repairing business. He employs two or three hands. 

S. E. Fisher & Co., with S. E. and W. W. Fisher and E. D. Sturtevant 
as partners, succeeded to the firm of Demarest, Fisher & Co. on July 1, 
1887, and this partnership has continued till now unchanged. The basement 
of Stephen Richardson's factory was their first place of business, and on 
January 1, 1881, they moved to the place they now occupy in the new 
Union Power Company's building. They started with twenty-five hands, 
have sometimes employed a hundred, and now have about sixty. Their 
monthly payments for labor have been as much as $6,000, and now average 
about S3, OOO. These figures place them among the large firms of then- 
vicinity. They make rolled plated goods of the finest grades, and specialties 
of ladies' lace pins, drops, sets, bangles, bracelets, lockets, etc. They have 
an office at 41 Maiden Lane, New York. 

G. K. Webster is located in Whiting's shop. The first firm name was 
G. K. Webster & Co.; but in 1883 the "Co." was dropped. The first 
location was in the Company's shop, where from ten to fifteen hands were 
employed ; at the present time from forty to fifty are employed, a satisfac- 
tory increase for four or five years. This is a manufactory of solid rolled 
plate goods, — collar and sleeve buttons, — and they are sold through the 
New York office at 176 Broadway. 

Coddino Brothers. January J, 1878, the three brothers — Arthur E., 
James A., and Edwin A. Codding — formed a partnership under the above 
name. Their business is conducted at North Attleborough, and their New 
York office is at 194 Broadway. They employ about twenty hands in the 
manufacture of rolled plate bracelets. There have been no changes in this 
firm since its organization. - 

Marsh & Bigney. This firm started under its present name and with its 
present members, Charles A. Marsh and Sidney O. Bigney, at North Attle- 



1 Messrs. Nerney and Lincoln dissolved partnership November 1, 1888, and on the same tlay entered 
the firm of C. A. Wethekell & Co. which had been formed previously. The specialty is novelties 
in silver. 

2 The present name of thi9 firm is Codding Brothers & Heilborn and their location in Codding 
Brothers' building on Jay Street near Elm Street, North Attleborough. 



390 A SKETCH OF THE 

borough on December 15, 1879. They began operations in the Richardson 
factory with about ten workmen. In April, 1882, they were completely 
burned out, and they then removed to East Attleborough and located in 
one of E. A. Robinson's buildings there, where they still remain. Their 
workmen now number thirty, and their payroll amounts to about $1,500 a 
mouth. They are manufacturers of rolled plate goods, and their specialties 
are the " M. & B. Patent Neck Chain," vest chains for gentlemen, and 
ladies' chains. They have no out-of-town office, hut Mr. Marsh attends to 
the sales which are consummated largely in New York and Chicago. This 
firm has had a very satisfactory career, and with the exception of its mis- 
fortune from fire has been steadily prosperous. [Dissolved partnership in 
July, 1894.] 

S. W. Gould & Co. This firm has been in existence since January, 
1880, when Messrs. Samuel W. and William H. Gould, brothers, associated 
themselves together as a manufacturing firm under this style, beginning in 
one of Robinson's buildings. They subsequently moved to Bates' building 
on Union Street, where they now are. Their specialties are ladies' bar pins, 
buttons, brooches, etc., of rolled plate and what is called gold front manu- 
facture. Since the first the firm has averaged a working force of fifty hands, 
which shows that the business is a steady and successful one. There is an 
office at 10 Maiden Lane, New York. Mr. George L. Sweet, of the firm of 
Havwakd & Sweet, formerly acted as salesman for this firm. The present 
salesman is William W. Middlebrook, formerly employed in that capacity for 
C. E. Hayward & Co. 1 

J. M. Fisher & Co. The original firm, formed January 1, 1880, was 
Harris & Fisher, J. M. Fisher and C. R. Harris being its members. 
They occupied quarters in Robinson's small brick building and now occupy 
the upper floor of his new building. In February. 1885, Mr. Harris left 
the firm and S. A. Briggs entered it, and the present name was adopted. It 
had a very small beginning, with only five hands ; now it employs from forty 
to fifty. It has adopted the system of weekly payments. The manufacture 
is chiefly charms and lockets in solid rolled plate. The only office is at the 
factory in town. 

John P. Bonnett started in business with George W. Cheever, as Cheeveb 
& Bonnett, in the rear factory of the Company's buildings in North Attle- 
borough. In December, 1880, this firm dissolved partnership, and Mr. 
Bonnett then commenced on his own account in a very small shop on Elm 
Street, near " Foster's bridge." In 1885 he moved into his present quarters, 
a shop seventy feet long by twenty-live wide, just beside the old one. His 
business is that of electro-plating, electrotyping, and coloring of jewelry, 



> The original Arm was dissolved; but another under the same name lias been formed, the members 
of which are Messrs. S. W. Gould and Frank W. and Oliver P. Bliss. [This linn lias dissolved.] 



BIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOEOUGH. 391 

and he also works on silverware. He employs from ten to twelve hands, 
and his monthly payments to the same range from 8600 to $700. Mr. 
Bonnett does quite a large business and, considering the amount of capital 
invested, a very profitable one. [Now in Richards building.] 

L. E. Sadler began in 1680 in Robinson's building to manufacture a 
"specialty" in rolled plate goods. This embraces lace and scarf pins, 
brooches, bracelets, studs, and collar-buttons. He keeps from ten to 
twenty-five hands employed, according to the conditions of business. [Now 
foreman for F. H. Sadler & Co.] 

W. G. Clark & Co. March 1, 1881, Walter G. Clark and John F. 
Mackinson started this firm, locating in F. S. Draper's building at North 
Attleborough. There has been no change excepting that of removing the 
business to B. S. Freeman's building at the Falls. The specialty of this 
firm is sleeve-buttons for both ladies and gentlemen, of rolled gold plate. 
It has an office at 106 Broadway, New York. 

D. F. Briggs began on July 23, 1882, at the Falls, where he still con- 
tinues to manufacture solid gold, silver, and rolled plate swivels ; also, spring 
rings, bars, and chain trimmings, and vest and eyeglass chains, with findings 
and watch materials. His specialty is gold, silver, plate, and jet eyeglass 
chains. Mr. Briggs commenced with one employee and has now twenty- 
eight, his monthly payroll averaging about $700. an encouraging increase 
for five years. He has no out-of-town office. [Later Mr. Briggs associ- 
ated with himself two partners, as the D. F. Briggs Company ; still later 
he sold out and is now connected with \V. F. Briggs & Co., Attleborough 
Falls.] 

Dag<;ett & Clap. In August, 1882, Harvey Clap and H. M. Daggett, 
Jr., commenced manufacturing at Mansfield in the Kingman & Hodges 
shop. At the end of three days a failure of water-power occurred there. 
They immediately hired shop room of H. N. Daggett in the original old 
cotton mill at the Falls, moved their machinery and tools in the night, and 
were ready to go to work in the morning. In September, 1886, they made 
another move, to the third floor of Bates' new building in East Attle- 
borough. The firm have already met with a gratifying measure of success, 
as they employ about sixty hands, to whom they pay weekly over $500. 
During 1886 they melted nearly $10,000 worth of gold in the making of 
heavy plate for the manufacture of a variety of ladies' goods, such as but- 
tons, bracelets, initial goods, novelties, etc. There is an office belonging to 
this firm at 41 and 43 Maiden Lane, New York, and another at 82 Madisou 
Street, Chicago. 

H. H. Curtis & Co. Henry H. Curtis and George H. Coggsill are the 
partners in this firm, and they organized in May, 1883, and located where 
they now are, in the Company's building at North Attleborough. They 
began with twenty hands, have now about thirty-five, and when business is 



392 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

brisk their orders require about sixty-five. They have a specialty of sleeve- 
buttons for ladies and gentlemen, in rolled plate. There have been no 
changes in this (inn and it has no out-of-town office. [Now in E. I. 
Richards' building.] 

Rii.iv cV French. The organization of this firm dates from June 1, 
1883. There have been no changes in the firm and but one in location. 
They occupied a portion of the Dennis Everett factory on East Street in 
the beginning and are now in that of the Totten Brothers. The increase to 
be noted here is from fifteen to seventy-five employees in four years. The 
present weekly payroll is 8600 to $700. This firm makes both solid gold 
and rolled-plate jewelry and a special ladies' sleeve-button with pin and 
chain attachment, of which manufacture it is the patentee. The members 
of this enterprising company are G. Herbert French and William H. Riley, 
Jr. They maintain an office at 178 Broadway, New York. [Present name 
Riley, Heffron & French.] 

F. S. Gilbert. In October, 1884, the firm of F. G. Pate & Co. sold 
out their tools, fixtures, etc., and these were purchased by Mr. Gilbert. 
He at once started work in the Union Power Company building with four 
hands and at present, when " running full time," employs thirty. His 
manufacture consists of both gold and gold-plated goods in articles for both 
ladies and gentlemen and in assorted lines. Mr. Gilbert has an office at 202 
Broadway, New York, and his business is gaining steadily in size and extent. 
C. R. Harris on retiring from the firm of Harris & Fisher in February, 
L885, at once opened for himself in a new line of business. He began with 
charms, lockets, and emblems, and to these soon added a full line of chains, 
all being made of fine rolled plate. His manufactory and office are both on 
Union Street, East Attleborough. [Mr. Harris has left town.] 

-I. N. Hugo & Co. The firm of Knight & Berry was organized June 1, 
L885, and it began to carry on business in the wooden building in the rear of 
Whiting's stone factory, where the present firm is still located. September 
1, 1885, George Brownicker entered the firm and Co. was added to its name. 
November 1 of the same year Mr. Knight withdrew, but the name remained 
unchanged. December 1, 1885, John N. Hugo became a partner, and 
the name was then changed to Hugo & Berry. October 25, 1886, Mi. 
Brownicker withdrew, and January 1, 1887, Mr. Berry also. At this time the 
name underwent another change, becoming as above, with John N. Hugo 
and John P. O'Connor as partners. The number of operatives varies from 
ten to thirty in different months. Lace, scarf, and shawl pins, brooches, 
bracelets, and eardrops are made, with a specialty of sleeve-buttons, in 
rolled gold plate and solid gold front work. The only office is at the factory 
on the third floor of the building before mentioned. [This firm is not in 
existence.] 

T. J. Hallidav & Co. A firm under the style of Bennett & Halliday 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 393 

organized February 1, 1885, and began work in Guild's Block, North Attle- 
borough, subsequently removing to the quarters occupied by the present firm 
in Robinson's building, East Attleborough. January 1, 1886, Mr. Halliday 
bought Mr. Bennett's interest and continues under the above name. As yet 
the number of hands has never exceeded twelve. The special manufacture 
is lace and scarf pins and eardrops in solid rolled plate, and there is no 
out-of-town office. [Mr. Halliday has left town.] 

C A. Shepardson began about two years ago at room' 7, Crandall's 
Block, an engraving and chasing business, and he is also a jewelry design 
maker. He usually employs about five men, and pays them an average of 
$2.50 per day each, or $75 a month. He is still located in the same place. 
[Not in the business.] 

Wheaton & Richards. This is one of the most recently organized firms 
in town. Mark O. Wheaton and J. Shepard Richards formed a copartner- 
ship on November 15, 1886. They are located in Robinson building number 
1, and their specialty is lever collar and sleeve buttons made of fine rolled 
wold plate. Beyond this little can as yet be said of this firm, as when our 
information was received there had only been sufficient time after the organi- 
zation to get samples into the market. [Present name Wheaton, Richards 
& Co.] 

Oscar M. Draper started in business in 1862, under the name of O. M. 
Draper & Co., E. I. Richards being associated with him. In 1868 the 
name became O. M. Draper alone. In 1876 he took and has since occupied 
an entire floor in the new Richards factory. He began and has continued 
with a specialty of patent fire-gilt and nickel chains, and he also makes charms 
and swivels. He was the first in town to manufacture what are known as 
" swedged goods," and his machinery is the most complete and ingenious used 
in the production of this line of goods. His business is a large and profit- 
able one, and he gives employment to about eighty hands. 

R. Blackinton & Co. dates back to I860, when the firm was organized 
with R. Blackinton, T. 8. Mann, and Walter Ballon as members. They 
began at the Falls, where, in 1867, Mr. Mann withdrew. In 187;! Messrs. 
Blackinton & Ballon, then and still the only members of the firm, moved 
to the Richards building, and subsequently to F. Gr. Whitney's factory, where 
they now are. This has been an especially successful firm, it having at times 
employed as many as a hundred and forty hands. Solid gold and all kinds 
of plated jewelry are manufactured in this establishment, and at present 
there is a specialty of bracelets. 

E. I. Franklin & Co. is among the large firms. It began in 1874 with 
Elton I. Franklin, Hiram S. Somes, and Clarence W. Fisher as its partners. 
Messrs. Franklin & Fisher purchased the interest of the third partner, and 
continue in the business together under the original name. They have been 
in both the Richardson and Draper shops, and are now in Whiting's. They 



394 A SKETCH OF THE 

have given employment to eighty hands in the making of gold front and 
plated goodsof various kinds for ladies' wear. [Now in Whitney's building.] 

Sandland, Capron & Co. started in the Richards "back factory" in 
L876, and removed in 1881 to the Union Power Company building. They 
make a general line of plated goods for both ladies and gentlemen and furnish 
employment to about seventy-live workmen. 

('. E. Smith & Co. do quite a large business in solid jewelry, and they 
also make both real and imitation diamond jewelry. [The name of this firm 

is now BUGBEE & NlLES.] 

Demarest & Brady. The present firm dates from 1877. Five years 
previous Mr. Demarest organized a stock company having nine associates, 
which carried on business in Wetherell's factory, at Plainville. In 1874 he 
sold out there and organized another stock company of five associates, under 
the style of Demarest & Fisher, which had its manufactory in the Richard- 
son building. North Attleborough. In 1*77 Mr. Demarest sold out here and 
formed a partnership with Mr. Brady. George Demarest and B. B. Brady 
•are the only members of the firm, which is located in the Whiting Manufac- 
turing Company building. It has a special make of sets, drops, studs, and 
searfpins. Mr. Demarest originated the stock plan which has been followed 
by others with success. 

Mason, Draper & Co. is another large firm, and is located in the Free- 
man shop at the Falls. It commenced manufacturing in 1870. It has in its 
employ about seventy-five men, and has a line of specialties in rolled stock 
plate, such as patent bracelets, ladies' sets, bar pins, etc., and has an office 
in New York at 17<; Broadway. The members are M. II. and S. D. Mason 
and C. F. Draper. [This firm dissolved partnership and two firms subse- 
quently formed are an outgrowth of it; namely, Mason & Robbins and the 
Mason Jewelry Co.. both at Attleborough Falls. J 

Smith & Crosby are also among the larger companies in the east part of 
the town. The firm was established in 1872. with three members, W. H. 
Smith. A. R. Crosby, and C. E. Smith. The latter has since withdrawn, and 
the two former are the only partners. The firm makes a specialty of solid 
gold front goods, of which it produces a great variety, employing when busi- 
ness is good fifty hands ami fifteen engravers. 

W. H. Wilmarth & Co. is still another large firm in East Attleborough, 
and began its existence in 1872, with W. II. and J. C. Wilmarth, forming 
the then firm of Wilmarth Brothers, which began business in Robinson's 
old shop. In 1873 .1. W. Luther was admitted to the firm, which Mas then 
styled Ltjther & Wilmarth Brothers. Shortly after Willard Wheeler 
became a partner, and the name Luther, Wilmarth Brothers & Wheeler. 
Messrs. J. C. Wilmarth, Luther, and Wheeler retired in succession, and in 
1S7G the entire business became vested in W. H. Wilmarth. The original 
manufacture was rolled plated chain ; this was changed to brass and fire- 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 395 

gilt chain ; then buttons were taken up ; and then again chain in electro- 
plate and also sleeve-buttons, with perhaps other varieties. This firm has at 
times given employment to a hundred and thirty-six hands. 

[Iu May, 1S90. Edwin B. Bullock bought this business, which he has continued under the 
same name, and for some years in the same building — Robinson's — where he occupied three 
floors, 45 by 80 feet in size, and employed from 160 to 175 operatives. The machinery in this 
establishment is very complete in all departments, "including steam power, rolling mills, 
presses, etc., a noticeable feature being the electro-plating apparatus, which is of the latest and 
most approved style." Mr. Bullock is the possessor of the curious chain-making machines 
formerly owned by F. G. Whitney A: Co. A large variety of rolled gold jewelry "of all kinds 
and in all grades" is made here, but the principal specialties are "lever and separable sleeve 
and collar buttons, curl), rope. Geneva and fancy link ladies' and gents' chains, etc., in the best 
quality electro rolled plate." It is said "fifteen hundred styles of buttons are made here con- 
stantly, three hundred old being discarded and three hundred new and popular styles substi- 
tuted each year — that is, about one fresh novelty for each working day." Among the most 
popular collar-buttons may be named the " Dandy," the " Daisy" and the ••Crescent." and at 
tines one hundred gross of each of these has been manufactured daily. Mr. Bullock uses 
many brilliants in his manufactures, and by a peculiar process of his own these are " made 
from glass canes," and a very large proportion of them are set by skilled lapidaries in his 
employ, thus materially reducing both cost and price of the goods and benefiting both producer 
and consumer. The trade of this firm extends to Europe, Australia, and Central and South 
America, and many of the manufactures are for foreign trade specially, never being exhibited 
in this country. The sales for the year ls<)0 or 1891 amounted to some $260,000. The New 
York office is at 176 Broadway, Boom 11. In 1893 Mr. Bullock built a large shop on the 
corner of Hazel and School streets in the east part of the village, commencing operations there 
the first of September. It is three stories high, the main building 200 by 40 feet, the L •"><> by 
25 feet, and the office front 52 by 20 feet. The firm uses two floors, the upper being unoccu- 
pied. In January, L894, a stock company was formed under the name of "The W. EL 
Wilmarth & Co. Corporation."] 

Streeter Brotheus made their first venture in the autumn of 18(17 in the 
Steam Power Company factory, and later moved to the factory of W. I). 
Wilmarth on County Street, where they still are. They manufacture gilt 
jewelry with a specialty of chains, and employ some twenty-live or thirty 
hands. The members of the firm are Henry A. and John F. Streeter. 

Daniel H. Smith was in the jewelry business for about twenty years, — 
beginning not far from I860, — some of the time in connection with others, 
but for a number of years by himself. He was for some time located in 
Hayward's building making plated goods of several kinds, gentlemen's lock- 
ets being a specialty. He has recently made an entire change in his occupa- 
tion and become an undertaker. He has rooms in Watson's Block, which are 
supplied with everything necessary for the proper conduct of that business. 
Mr. Smith is well fitted for this occupation and will fill a long-felt want. 

Nelson Carpenter, since his withdrawal from the firm of Hayward & 
Carpenter, has conducted business for himself. He was at first in D. H. 
Smith's shop, and removed from that to his present location in the Bates 
building, 13 Mill Street. His employees number over thirty, and he makes 
chiefly pins, earrings, and scarfpins. 

A. E. Dean began as a chaser about twentv years ago, and has always been 



3Q0 A SKETCH OF THE 

in the same location, at 270 Washington Street, North Attleborough. He has 
:il times employed nine or ten men in this line of work, but at present, owiug 
to the depression of business, is alone. 1 

E. V. Jennet, successor to the tirni of C. W. Chase eV Co., has been 
located in the Richards building since February 1, 1882. He makes a 
specialty of rolled-plate and tire-gilt rings. Just at present, business not 
being brisk, he is engaged in burnishing work. [He has since left town.] 

Daniel Crotty is also located in the Richards factory, where he employs 
about ten hands in the making of electro-plate sleeve buttons. [He has gone 
out of this business.] 

J. N. Thomson & Co. are in the same factory — manufacturers of fine 
gold plate jewelry. This business has been recently established. [One or 
two changes were made in this business, but it had only a short existence.] 

Tin »mas Totten & Co. have now a factory of their own near the depot in 
North Attleborough. They were amouo- the firms burned out in 1882 in 
the Richardson factory. Their goods are rolled-gold plated chains, chain 
trimmings, and chain bracelets. They have also been very successful in the 
making of flat plated chains. They furnish work for about sixty employees. 

Many other companies have been organized during the hundred years since 
this industry began its existence here that are no longer in any way repre- 
sented. Some have been merged into others, and some have ceased to exist 
by being dissolved — such for instance as The Union Jewelry Co., formed 
in 1855 or 1856, changed later to Thompson, Richardson & Co., and finally 
in 1861 terminated by dissolution. There are also many others at present in 
existence of which no special mention is here made. It should be said that 
recent facts have been furnished in a rather dull time, and the figures in many 
instances, therefore, are to be taken as something of a discount upon the true 
average. 

For many years this trade has furnished employment for women as well as 
men. They were first employed in the offices in putting the goods on to 
cards and packing them in boxes, and for quite a long period occupation was 
given at various homes in the making of chain. Both these are pleasant and 
moderately lucrative occupations. At the present time women are employed 
by some firms quite largely in other departments. It is said they are quicker 
in some kinds of work than men, and they do not command as high wages, 
which is of course an advantage to the employer. Several firms also employ 
women as bookkeepers. 

Some years ago the Chronicle gathered some statistics relating to the condi- 
tion of the jewelry business at that time. These were published in its issue 
of November 15, 1879. The statements are from fifty-three firms and are 



i The "at present" — "now," etc., throughout this chapter refer to the spring of 1SS7 - previous to 
the division of the tow a. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOEOUGH. 397 

said to include the larger portion of the manufactories then in town, with the 
exception of those in South and West Attleborough, which would give an 
increase of only four or live. The figures given were for the month of 
September, 1879. The fifty-three firms were employing 2,081 hands with 
an aggregate payroll of $101,461. The goods shipped during that month 
were worth the large sum of $398,210. Several firms declined to give statis- 
tics, and the Chronicle made an estimate of these as employing 372 hands 
with a payroll of 819,750 and a shipment of $83,000, which makes a large 
addition to the above given figures. The average rate of wages was "just 
about " $2 per day. The largest number of hands employed in any one shop 
was 125. There were five firms that together employed 525. The largest 
payroll was $6,100, and the five largest aggregated $24,900. The largest 
shipment by any one firm amounted to $32,500, and five firms shipped in the 
month to the amount of $123,314. To-day there are one hundred manufac- 
turing establishments in town, and to carry out some of the above figures 
there should be now about 3,900 employees, and, the proportions being the 
same for a given month, a payroll of $191,435 and a shipment amounting to 
the sum of $751,339. Large as these figures appear, they are probably less 
than the true aggregate. To the hundred manufactories mentioned above 
must be added twenty establishments now in existence, engaged in other 
branches of the trade — enamelers, eugravers, chasers, refiners, makers of 
jewelers' findings, etc., but all directly connected with and a part of it. 
There is no other town in the country where so large a business of this nature 
is done. Providence, R. I., and Newark, N. J., are largely interested in the 
manufacture of jewelry, but no comparison with them can be made, as they 
are both large cities. 

In what has been said of this great enterprise no attempt has been made 
to trace its growth in any one portion of the town as compared with another. 
At the present writing no division has been effected ; we are still the town of 
Attleborough. To the outside world certainly the credit due any part is due 
the whole. Whatever the near or the far future may have in store, the first 
century of our chronicles of jewelry belongs to the good old single town of 
Attleborough ; therefore in the preceding sketch no sectional lines have been 
drawn, but from the material at hand the facts have been arranged chiefly 
by date — though with some irregularities — and without much regard to 
locality. Only a mere sketch of this business has been attempted, not a 
history — that complete would of itself fill the pages of a very large volume. 
But if some little idea of its rise and progress has been given, and any at all 
adequate conception of its magnitude can be formed by people whose personal 
knowledge of it may be limited, the desired purpose will have been fully 
accomplished. 

[During the years since the above chapter was written many changes have taken place in 
firms and their locations, and such of them as have been ascertained have been mentioned with 



398 I SKETCH OF THE 

the particular notices. New firms have also been formed, but such obviously cannot with 
propriety have special mention, as the division made an end to the history of Attleborough 
proper. New buildings have been erected by several firms, such as Codding Brothers, who 
have ) mi i It a shop on Jay Street, near Elm,iu North Attleborough, and an addition has been 
made to the J. E. Draper & Co. building in the same village. -I. 31. Bates has also built 
another shop at East Attleborough, and other buildings there have already been mentioned. 

Many changes have occurred in the style and kind of goods produced as the demands of a 
tiekle, fluctuating market require. Sometimes this change is simply an addition to the original 
production, which i- continued, as in the ease of (). 31. Draper, who, besides hi- original spe- 
cialty of fire-gilt g 1>. makes a line of rolled-plate chains.; again there may he a cessation for 

the time being of the old productions for lines entirely new, as with II. II. Curtis & Co.. who 
are confining themselves to novelties — though of a large variety — in silver goods. Such, too. 
is i he case with Blake & Clatlin. who make now very little of their old style of jewelry, but are 
manufacturing a great variety of sterling silver articles, such as individual butter plates, salt- 
cellars with spoons, ladies' combs, fancy hairpins, boi net-pins, belt-buckles, and many other 
-mall things, -neb as paper-cutters, penholders, umbrella tags, etc, for both ornament ami 
use; while for gentlemen especially suspender clasps, key-rings, knives, cigar-cutters, aud 
pockel matchsafes maybe mentioned, the latter being their specialty and numbering several 
hundred different styles and patterns in shape and finish. These and some other articles are 
made also in solid gold. Watson & Newell have for some time been making a great many 
spoous of varied shapes and decorations, specimens of which may lie bought in cities all over the 
country as souvenirs of each place. It is said that thousands of the souvenir spoons sold in 
every department of the World'sFair, from the Midway Plaisance to the Liberal Arts Building, 
were made by different firms here, while a great many articles of jewelry sold as specimens of 
the production or handicraft of the country offering them —whether Egypt, Bulgaria. Turkey, 
or Spain — were made in the shops of our Eastern States, and no doubt their full proportion 
in our towns. 

A new line of manufacture has recently been taken up by French A- Franklin, of North 
Attleborough, in silver filigree, which much resembles and apparently equals the famous deli- 
cate Genoese work of that description. The specimens seen by the writer were extremely 
pretty; a little -rand piano two or three inches long but quite perfect in proportion and finish, 
a tiny street car with windows of real glass, and quite small enough for the most diminutive 
fairy horse to draw, with chairs, tables and sofa- all tit for the use of the daintiest elfin queen, 
in quaint and beautiful designs. Examples of this nature might be multiplied almost indefi- 
nitely, and to none would the variety and number of articles of exquisite design and beautiful 
workmanship manufactured in the two towns be more of a surprise than to a large number of 
our inhabitants themselves. One may purchase in many of the leading jewelry and silverware 
establishments of our cities articles of elegance and price, bearing the trademark of the firm 
selling them, which were made within the limits of what was so long known as the town of 
Attleborough. 

A mere glance at statistics or facts serves to make the proportions which this business has 
assumed seem amazing. Its products have penetrated to the " ends of the earth." and gained 
for our territory a wide reputation. It is true that this j s often referred to by the applica- 
tion of that familiar and rather derisive epithet of •• cheap jewelry town," and indeed we might, 
be very well content, if nothing further was done, with the reputation that same cheap jewelry 
deserves,— for a great deal of cunning, skill, and ingenuity have been required in the develop 
ment of th it branch of the trade, ami the goods are in every respect exactly and only what 
tiny claim to be. — but we know that our manufacturers are capable of a much higher grade of 
work than those goods exhibit, and that they are constantly conceiving and producing articles, 
cleverly combining in new and pleasing fashion both ancient and modern forms of beauty, 
which need not fear compel it ion with others of their kind anywhere for real artistic merit in 
style, workmanship, or design.] 



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HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 399 



CHAPTER XIV. 

SOCIETIES, ORGANIZATIONS, ETC. 

IX the early part of this century two social societies were formed in town, which flourished 
for a number of years. One of these was called "The Attleboro' Society for the 
Encouragement of Agriculture, Arts, and Social Intercourse." The constitution of this 
society was ratified February 22, 1804, with forty-nine members, many of them men whose 
names were familiar to the town records, as they were prominently engaged in the public 
affairs of their day, and like names are familiar to the ears of the present generation, — as 
Elisha May, Joel Ellis, Joseph Tiffany, Carlos Harrows, Joel Head, Noah Claflin. etc. 
The constitution contained eight articles, and in all some forty-rive sections. Its provisions 
were certainly ample and "covered the entire ground."' It seems to have been constructed 
somewhat upon the plan of the sermons of its date, especially in the number of "heads" it 
comprised. The requirements of membership were as follows: " The qualifications necessary 
in order to be admitted a member of this society are, adult age, a good moral character, 
a satisfactery knowledge of this Constitution, and mental endowments competent to understand 
and promote the designs of this institution." Honorary members were also elected. 

The society's annual meetings were held on February 22, as an expression of veneration 
to Washington, "the patron of order, and the friend of man." On this date in 1805 an 
addre--, a copy of which has been presented 1 to the library in East Attleborough, was 
delivered before the society by the Rev. John Wilder, a.m., his subject being "Man and his 
Intellect," etc., ending with a flue peroration upon Washington. The other regular meetings 
were held "on the Monday next preceding the full moon in the months of October, 
November, December, January, March and April," and sometimes a meeting was held in 
July, should the society so appoint. This society was incorporated in lsili. Its library 
contained about three hundred volumes. The books were of a very substantial character, 
such as Burke's Works, in four volumes, Adams' Defence of the Constitution, Belknap's 
History of New Hampshire, Robertson's History of Charles the Fifth, etc. Our grandfathers 
knew little of novels and romances, and fortunately they were fewer then than now. This 
society had a hall in connection with the schoolhouse in West Attleborough where its meetings 
were held. Before 1800 Moses Read gave a lot of four acres for a training field and later this 
building was erected on the lot, the same on which the "Old Powder House" now stand-. 
The building was the district schoolhouse and the cost of its. erection was shared by the 
association, which occupied the upper floor for its books and meetings. At these debating 
gatherings the order, it is said, was to have addresses of an hour's length, followed by the 
social part of the evening — the tapping of the liquor kegs and the discussions on politics, etc. 

The other society was called " The Social Library and Farmers' Historical and Geographical 
Society." This was established in 1805, founded, it is said, by Dr. Capron. The library 
contained about two hundred volumes, and iu it might be found such books as Bunyan's 
Pilgrim's Progress, Watts' Hymns, Baxter's Saints' Rest, and others of a similar nature, with 
doubtless geographical, historical, and agricultural works. At the annual meetings addresses 
were delivered by such eminent men as Tristam Burgess. Somewhere about 1835 these 
libraries were divided among the members by auction and the societies were dissolved. 

A Lyceum was established in 1830. Nothing beyond this fact is known of that organization. 

An agricultural library was formed in East Attleborough many years ago, which contained 
some useful works on farming. It was started by a Boston man, who sold the shares at live 
dollars apiece. In the course of a few years this was united with a more miscellaneous library, 
havimr about one hundred ami fortv volumes. 



1 By Mr. Joseph W. Capron. 



400 A SKETCH OF THE 

ATTLEBOROUGH LIBRARY ASSOCIATION. 

In the autumn of 1857 Mrs. Handel X. Daggetl brought from " western New York" to this 
town tlir idea of •• Mite Societies." The first meeting of the kind held here was in November 
of thai year at the residence of John Daggett, from thirty to forty persons being present. 
A hat was passed among them for a contribution of " mites," and the amount raised was 
$1.35. This small fund was the nucleus of the association. Meetings took place occasionally, 
and during the following year some books were purchased. Mr. C. J. Thompson had these in 
charge in Ins periodical store, on the site now occupied by Briggs' Block. The early records 
are very meagre. The first known report bears date March 10, 1860, and during that year, at 
least.. John Daggett was president of the association, and the library numbered one hundred 
and thirty-seven volumes. 

The approaching war naturally at this time absorbed the attention of everybody and 
interfered with literary organizations. The next record known is of a meeting held January 
6, 1863, when it was voted thai the association should unite with the Agricultural Library 
Association. The exact date when this union was consummated is not known, hut it was 
some time during 1864. On March 30 of that year the then president, Dr. J. II. Bronson, with 
L. M. Stanley, A. M. Everett, and John Daggett, were chosen a committee to revise the 
constitution and by-laws. In a warrant for a meeting to he held March 19, 1865, was this 
article: " To see what measures, if any, the association will take with regard to those holding 
shares in the Agricultural Library." This article was laid on the table and two different 
meetings were adjourned without action being taken upon it. 

Just previous to this time, in January, 1865, the idea of becoming a library corporation had 
been started. A petition for a warrant to call a meeting, signed by ten gentlemen, was 
presented to Mr. Joseph Capron, who called a meeting for February G, when it was voted to 
organize and become a body corporate. A constitution and by-laws were drawn up and 
adopted on February 11, and on March the following officers were elected: J. AY. Capron, 
president; Charles E. Bliss, vice-president; A. M. Everett, secretary and treasurer. It was 
also voted at that time to transfer the property of the "Association" to the "Corporation." 
This proceeding was somewhat irregular, but is explained by the fact that the members of the 
one body transferred themselves as well as the property to the other. Mr. Capron held the 
office of president until 1874; then George N. Crandall until 1876, when Amos Ide was elected, 
lie did much for the benetit of the society. In 1878 George P. Fittz was elected to this office, 
and in 1880 G. F. Bicknell. 

After the books were removed from Mr. Thompson's store they were placed in charge of 
Mr. A. M. Everett, who was then occupying a store on North Main Street. In 1872 they were 
in Miss II. N. Capron's store on the same street, just above Park Street. On January I, 1874 , 
Mr. and Mrs. \Y. It. Cobb bought some of the books and opened a library in the last-mentioned 
store on their own account. This circulating library consisted chiefly of novels and books of 
travel, and readied some live hundred and fifty volumes in size. They relinquished this 
library after some years, but what disposition they made of their books does not appear, 
unless, as is probable, they came into the hands of the association. A Mr. Stetson had charge 
of the library for some time, first under Union Mall and later iu Briggs' Block, to which place 
he removed, and still later Miss Mengel had charge of it there. The purchase of new books 
was nominally in charge of officers of the association, but was at times delegated to ladies. 

For a short time, from March, 1884, till July, 1885, when the affairs of the association seemed 
to be at a rather low ebb, a private circulating library, containing two hundred and five 
volumes, was kept by George II. Herrick at his jewelry store. He still has the books in his 
possession, but after the other library started up again it ceased to pay for keeping it open. 

ATTLEBOROUGH PUBLIC LIBRARY. 

The desirability of having a free library established upon a permanent basis had long been 
felt and talked about, and the preliminary steps in that direction were taken January 15, 1885. 
At that time a committee was chosen to appoint another committee, which should, as soon as 
possible, report upon the besl method of arranging a permanei t organization. This work was 
done aud on February 2, 1885, an association was formed and called " The Attleborough Public 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 401 

Library." By-laws were adopted at that time and the committee recommended thai eighteen 
directors should lie chosen. The following officers were elected: President, E. S. Horton; 
Vice-President, Miss Mary J. Capron; Secretary and Treasurer. Dr. C. 8. Holden, all of 
whom still hold these offices. Subscriptions were at once solicited and also gifts of books and 
other things and in every way the responses were generous. The largest single gift in money 
was $100 and the smallest gift 50 cents. At the time of the opening of the library there were 
one hundred and seven persons who had paid the necessary two-dollar membership tax. 
Over §1,000 had been expended and near $100 more pledged. 

In 1878 the old library catalogued 708 volumes, which number had so increased that the new 
association received from it 825 volumes. Some of these were, however, worthless and many 
had to be rebound. At the opening the present library had 1,700 volumes, and at presenl 
there are 3,025. It has two rooms in Hortou's block which are open on Wednesdays and 
Saturdays from two till nine o'clock p.m., under the charge of the librarian, Mrs.- M. A. 
Mowton. (1887.) 

The association is at present entirely dependent upon voluntary subscriptions, with the 
exception of the trifling sum obtained from tines; but an attempt has recently been made to 
obtain the income of the Richardson School Fund for its benefit. This fund, as has been 
seen, was limited to the use of a few districts, and as these are now abolished and the town is 
abundantly able to provide for all the needs of the public schools, it has been deemed 
advisable, as it certainly is desirable, to expend this income in such a manner as to do the most 
good possible and to the largest number. The consent of the majority of the heirs of the 
Richardson estate to the carrying out of the suggested plan has been obtained and the 
following report presented to the Supreme Court of the State for legal adjustment: — 

••The first board of Trustees of the Richardson School Fund were elected by the second 
Parish or Precinct of Attleboro at a parish meeting held March 28 th 1*46. — 

•• At a parish meeting held March 25, 1848, ' The Trustees of the Richardson School Fund 
reported that they had received of John Daggett, Esq. executor of the estate of Abiathar 
A. Richardson $11,000, on the 22d. day of Feb. a.d. 1847 and had loaned the same on real 
estate securities, and on the 22d of Feb. a.d. 1848 had divided among the school districts in 
said parish nine and one half mouth- interest, viz: $529.90 agreeable to said will of Abiathar 
A. Richardson, which report was accepted.' 

" The first apportionment of the income of fund to the school districts as appears from the 
records was made Feb. 22, 1848 amt $539.00. 

" The last apportionment was made Feb. 22, 1882, amt $710.04" 

The decision of the court being favorable, the library will be placed upon a thoroughly sub- 
stantial footing, and no longer subjected to the vacillations of general charity. The greatest 
remaining need of the association will then be a suitable building of its own. It is to be hoped 
that before very long as beautiful a Memorial Hall will be built in this part of the Behoboth 
North Purchase as has recently been erected in Rehoboth old town. 1 

NORTH ATTLEBOBOUGH PUBLIC LIBBABY. 

Some fifteen years prior to the formation of the last-mentioned association a similar one was 
formed in North Attleborough. A meeting of the citizens of that village was held October 24, 
1870, in the vestry of the old Universalist church '' to consider the feasibility of establishing 
a Public Library." A committee was at that time chosen to mature a proper plan, but no 
record of its members' names appears to have been made. There were present at this meeting 
Rev. J. D. Pierce, Simeon Boweu, Esq., B. Porter, Jr., John Thompson, Henrv Rice, John 



1 The matter of the requested disposition of the " School Fund " has not yet been decided by the 
court, but at the annual spring meeting in 1888 the town voted to assume the support of the library, 
ami therefore without the income of this fund its financial status for the future is assured. The 
affairs of the library are in the hands of nine trustees appointed by the town, three being appointed 
each year for a term of three years. This board is composed of both ladies and gentlemen. The 
present quarters of the library — the two rear rooms on the first floor of Sturdy's Block — are more 
convenient and commodious than those in Horton's Block. The librarian is Mrs. Nellie A. Black- 
inton (1894). 



402 .4 SKETCH OF THE 

Stanley, and a few others. The iir-t recorded committee was an executive committee 
appointed at a meeting held shortly subsequent to the above-mentioned date, and consisting 
of the following gentlemen : Rev. J. I). Pierce, Simeon Bowen, B. Porter. Jr., Henry Rice, and 
Felix <;. Whitney. The first officers chosen were: President, Rev. J. D. Pierce; Vice-Presi- 
dent, 8. S. Ginnodo; Treasurer, F. <;. Whitney: Secretary. <). ('. Turner. It was agreed that 
the amount required to constitute life membership should l>e twenty-live dollar-, payable, if so 
desired, in instalments within two years from the date of the lirst payment made, and annual 
due- were placed at one dollar. These were afterwards raised to two dollars, hut in lsT'J again 
placed at the original sum. 

The library was lirst opened in Willard Hall's house. At that time five hundred members of 
the association had paid one dollar each. The number of life members, if any, is not known, 
but the number of volumes was five hundred, purchased at a cost of about $600, and selected 
by B. Porter, Jr., and Henry Rice. The number of volumes was soon increased to six hun- 
dred, and this increase was largely due to t lie efforts of Mrs. Charles 10. Smith, who was 
active in raising the sum of $100 to procure another hundred volumes " to add to the lirst pur- 
chase, she naming the books ro be purchased." Financial difficulties arose after a time, and it 
was proposed that these be met by securing ten persons to become life members by the pay- 
ment of the necessary sum, s-_>;>. and this was done some time during the second year of the 
existence of the association. To the efforts of those present at the first meeting held in l-co 
tlie library association owes its existence, and to the ten persons who in 1872 became life mem- 
bers, its continuation. 

In December, 1*7.'3, it was voted to hire a room in Kendall's Block and open a reading-room, 
which was done, and the suggestion made by Mr. F. G. Whitney that twenty-five gentlemen 
be asked to subscribe $25 each met with a generous number of responses and the funds were 
thus comfortably increased. At this time the number of volumes, exclusive of public docu- 
ment-, wa- Tin;. This association continued under voluntary support for live years, at the end 
of which lime, in October, IS7">. it was unanimous])- voted " that the property of the associa- 
tion be transferred to the Union Improvement District, subject to the indebtedness of said 
association, and in accordance with the vote of said district." The properly was all to lie given 
to the district, which in turn voted to support the library by the payment of a sum not to 
exceed $500 per annum. 

The library was for a time in the Odd Fellows Building, but is at present again in Kendall's 
Block. There are 3,000 volumes and all the leading magazines are subscribed for by the asso- 
ciation. There is no special reading-room, hut there are accommodations in the library room 
for visitors desiring to read there. A new card catalogue has recently been issued which is 
a great improvement upon the previous catalogues. It gives the names of authors and such 
of their publications as are in the library, and also describes these books so that any person 
giving a writer's name can at once ascertain which of his books are to be found in the library, 
and also of what they treat: or, knowing only the subject or title of any work, can easily learn 
the author of the same. This catalogue, which is manifestly a great convenience and an econo- 
mizer of time, was arranged with great care and at a cost of much time and trouble by Mr. 
Maxson, and to him are due the sincerest thanks, not only of the librarians, but of all those 
persons throughout the entire \ illage who make use of the contents of the library. The books 
here are accessible to the public on two afternoons and three evenings during the week and are 
in charge of a librarian and three assistants. 

Rev. J. D. Pierce held the office of president during the live years of the existence of the 
association as a separate organization; S. S. Ginnodo, F. <;. Pate, and Rev. J. S. Beers that of 
vice-president; O. C. Turner, E. K. Dunbar, and E. R. Price that of secretary; ami F. <;. 
Whitney that of treasurer. Ella I. Barden, now Mrs. <;. Eugene Fisher, was the first libra- 
rian, and she served two years. Succeeding her and previous to the transfer of the property 
to the Improvement District the position was occupied by Kate S. Bailey and William Usher. 
The early prudential committees, as nearly as could be ascertained, were as follows: first, 
Henry Pice. John Stanley, S. S. Ginnodo, <>. <'. Turner, and B. Porter, Jr.; in 1ST.'), B. Porter, 
Jr., S. s. Ginnodo, Rev. J. S. Beers. George W. Cheever, and E. K. Dunbar; in 1*74. B. 
Porter. Jr.. John Stanley. F. (i. Pate, G. W. Cheever, and Albert Totten, and by them the 
transfer wa- made. The librarian in 1887 was John Ward. The prudential committee were 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 403 

Henry M. Maxson, E. I. Frauklin, and C. C. Peck, the first named being superintendent and 
having charge of the purchases of books, etc. [At its annual meeting in the spring of 1889 
the town of North Attlebo'rough voted to assume all the duties and responsibilities of the 
Improvement District, the management and support of the library among them, and about this 
time the removal to the present rooms in Boyle Block occurred. Miss Irene W. Day was made 
librarian, and still continues in the position. The affairs of t lie library are placed in the hands 
of a board of six trustees. These are chosen by the town, " two each year for a term of three 
years." The annual appropriation has for a number of years been f 1,500. The library now 
contains about 3,500 books, and from 300 to 350 volumes are added yearly. In 1893 Mrs. John 
Tweedy, Miss Harriet T. and Mr. E. Ira Richard s " announced their purpose to build for the 
town a library building, to be called the Richards Memorial Library," in memory of their father 
and mother, Edmund Ira and Lucy Morse Richards. They have already purchased a suitable 
lot on the corner of Washington and Grove streets, for about $6,000, and building operations 
have commenced. It has been estimated that the entire cost of the memorial will be not far 
from SJ5.000. The board of Trustees at the time this otter was made consisted of the following 
named persons: Chairman. Edward R. Price; Secretary, Rev. George E. Osgood; Miss Leda 
J. Thompson, Joseph B. Gerould, M.D., and John P. Bonnett. There was one vacancy 
" through failure to qualify." North Attleborough is most fortunate in being the recipient of 
so noble a gift — one bestowed with a large generosity and in unrestricted entirety. In no other 
way probably could a gift be made whose good results would be so widespread — diffusing 
themselves abroad in a never-ending and ever-increasing ratio — for every present and future 
inhabitant of the town, whether high or low, rich or poor, may avail himself or herself of the 
advantages accruing from it, at will. The memorial is a proof not only of the liberality, but 
of the true loyalty of the members of this family to the town of their birth. For this indeed 
they are specially worthy of praise, because the trait is rather rare, and in every way they are 
deserving of the sincere and continued gratitude of the whole town for thus bestowing upon 
it a perpetual, practical benefit. 

The building is Renaissance in style and to be built of ''brick and terra-cotta resting on a 
foundation of Warsaw bluestone, of which the steps and bases of the columns are also made." 
Light cream terra-cotta forms various trimmings, and " the roof is to be covered with a dark 
red slate Hashed and ornamented with quaint little copper dormers, in the windows of which 
will swing white latticed sashes." The porch will be supported by Iouic columns of terra- 
cotta, and in the centre of the wall space which it encloses will be a tablet of Sienna marble 
" bearing a suitable inscription." The entrance leads to a square vestibule wainscoted in quar- 
tered oak. of which wood the heavy outside door is to be made. The interior will be in its 
general effect one room, sixty-seven feet long and thirty feet wide, with a ceiling elliptical in 
form and reaching a height of eighteen feet in the centre, but " divided by paneled partitions 
nine feet in height into three rooms, the central of which is the reception hall or distribution 
room." On the right is the bookroom, occupying a space of twenty by thirty feet. " calculated 
to hold eventually 14,500 volumes," and at the left is the reading-room twenty-four and a half 
feet long by thirty wide, "from one corner of which extends a circular recessed alcove con- 
taining a bookcase designed for reference books." 

This room "is wainscoted nine feet high, and at the end opposite its entrance i- ;i broad 
open fireplace of brick tile and wrought iron, with a shelf of polished marble, supported by 
faience consoles. At either side of the fireplace are set broad paneled pilasters of wood 
which will be exquisitely carved. The cornice which is supported by these pilasters is identi- 
cal iu height with the wainscoting of the room, and forms the base to a round arched recess 
and at the same time a resting-place for portraits of the late Edmund Ira and Lucy M. 
Richards, in memory of whom the building is erected." A wing in the rear will contain a 
room eleven and a half by sixteen and a half feet in size with an open fireplace, devoted to 
the uses of the librarian and trustees. 

•■ The finish of the interior is Renaissance in style, and the same dull red and obi ivory eflect 
obtained for the exterior is here reflected iu a softer, more delicate and refined way in accord- 
ance with the finer detail here employed. Here the wainscoting is old ivory in tone, the doors, 
tables, counters and seats mahogany, which represents the yellowish red desired, and the ceil- 
ing, which is elliptical, is tinted in a soft dull red." Cypress is used in the bookroom with 



lUl A SKETCH OF THE 

eight cases al first, there being space within for more when required, and without, ground 
room i- reserved for a wing for books should the library largely increase. A combination of 
direcl and indirect steam heating will be used, with ample provision for proper ventilation, and 
the incandescenl system of electric lighting employed. Gould, Angell & Swift, of Providence 
and Boston, are the architects, and Messrs. Houlihan & Maguire, of Providence, the builders. 

On June 16, 1894, the cornerstone of this building was laid with the elaborate Masonic 
ritual, by officers of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. The day was beauti- 
ful and notwithstanding the intense heat a large number of people gathered in the portion of 
Washington Street from the Wamsutta House to Grove Street and collected about the site of 
the building whose foundation walls had been floored over to accommodate the specially invited 
guests. The procession consisted — in order — of a detachment of tire police. Hedley's 
National Rand of Providence, and delegations from Bristol Commandery Knights Templars 
of North Attleborough, King Hiram Royal Arch Chapter of Attleborough, Keystone Royal 
Arch Chapter of Foxborough, Ezekiel Rates Lodge of Attleborough, St. James Lodge of 
Mansfield, St. Albans Lodge of Foxborough, and Bristol Lodge of North Attleborough, 
numbering upwards of two hundred men, with fourteen grand officers. 

The program commenced with an overture by the band, followed by a hymn sung by the 
famed Temple Quartet of Boston; Mr. E. R. Price, chairman of the library trustees, made 
request that the cornerstone be laid, and the Deputy Grand Master replied; selections of 
Scripture were read responsively by the Grand Chaplain and the Brethren, followed by prayer, 
and then the reading of the list of contents of the box by the Grand Treasurer. Some forty 
or fifty articles were placed in the box, consisting of historical and memorial sketches of mem- 
bers of the Richards family, with several photographs, a history of the library, a catalogue of 
the same, town reports, numerous Masonic papers, —organizations of lodges, by-laws, etc., — 
several town newspapers and a Providence Journal, copies of the letters of donation of the 
building and its acceptance by the town, a record written by Miss Harriet T. Kichards.a sealed 
envelope with the indorsement " To whom it may concern in future years," etc. The jewels 
were then applied to the cornerstone; " the Deputy Grand Master spread the cement assisted 
by the chairman of the library committee, and the stone was lowered into place; " the libations 
of corn and wine and oil were poured each by a special officer and each followed by an appro- 
priate hymn by the quartet; a prayer by the Grand Chaplain, and the presentation of the 
working" tools to the representative of the architects followed, and then the Deputy Grand 
Master made a short address which he closed as follows, with sentiments all present could 
most heartily endorse: "May the cornerstone safely rest, a symbol of the permanence of 
truth and justice. May the Richards Memorial Library building stand, not simply an orna- 
ment to this town, but be the mean- of ureal good. May it perpetuate the memory of the 
virtues of that family whose name it bears and stand as a monument of filial regard and affec- 
tion." The Grand Marshal proclaimed the cornerstone laid, the quartet sang a tine invoca- 
tion hymn, the Grand Chaplain pronounced the benediction, and with the rendering of The 
Star-Spangled Banner by the band the ceremonies were brought to a close. 

The procession re-formed and marched to the rooms of Bristol Lodge. The Grand Officers, 
with Past Masters of the Blue Lodges, were handsomely entertained with an elaborate dinner 
at the •■ .Maple-." and the visiting lodges with a collation at Wamsutta Hall. To all apprecia- 
tive persons that was indeed a red-letter day in the annals of the old village and the new town 
of North Attleborough, and there can be but one to surpass it in interest, that day when, the 
beautiful building completed, it shall be dedicated to its destined uses by the opening of its 
doors to the public, and the great good, now a future anticipation, shall begin to be a present 
realization. We cannot close this brief sketch of the Memorial Library with more litness than 
to quote a sentence from the Evening Chronicle, to whose columns we are indebted for much 
of what it contains: "The generosity of the Richards family will go down into the years that 
are to come."] 

There is another library in North Attleborough, Razee's Library, which was opened about 
1ST4. This is entirely a private enterprise, not in any degree a philanthropic one. and claims 
to be conducted on purely business principles. It contains a goodly number of the new and 
popular books of the day, and these being acceptable to the general public it is largely patron- 
ized, and is therefore in a prosperous condition financially. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 



405 



MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS. 

This town had at one time four organized companies of militia, and one company of cavalry 
whose members were chiefly from the town, and one independent foot company. One com- 
pany, it is certain, was also organized during the war of 1812, for special service, and there 
may have been other such. Nothing has been ascertained regarding the cavalry company 
beyond the fact of its existence, and very little relating to the four militia companies. The 
names of their captains have been ascertained, however, and these are given in the order of 
their service. 1 



EAST COMPANY 

John Daggett, 
Stephen Richardson, 
Moses Wilmarth, 
Abiathar Richardson, 
Caleb Parmenter, 
Thomas French, 
Jonathan Follett, 
Jonathan Wilmarth, 
Abiathar Richardson, Jr.. 
Benjamin Polcom (Bolkcom?), 
Edward Richardson, 
Elkanah Briggs, 
Samuel Carpenter, 
Willard Blackinton. 



WEST COMPANY, 



NORTH COMPANY. 

Mayhew Daggett. 
John Robinson, 
Jabez Ellis, 
Jonathan Stanley, 
John Stearns, 
Ebenezer Bacon, 
Israel Hatch, 
Obed Robinson, 
Jacob Graves, 
George Bacon, 
Israel Hatch, Jr., 
William Walcott, 
Elihu Daggett, 
Chester Bugbee, 
Timothy E. Robinson. 

SOUTH COMPANY. 
John Foster, 
Samuel Tyler, 
Ebenezer Tyler, 
Jacob Ide, 
Joseph Tiffany, 
Ebenezer Tyler, Jr., 
Daniel Read, 
Ira K. Miller, 
Harvey Ide, 
Nathan H. Bliss. 

The names of the first captains show that these companies must have been organized in the 
days of the war of the Revolution, and they were all in existence in 1834. Some years prior 
to that time several of our militia men figured prominently in a very interesting occurrence. 
In 1828 there was a brigade muster in Berkeley.- this State. The force consisted of five regi- 
ments, one squadron of cavalry, and one battalion of artillery; of this force the Fourth Regi- 
ment was commanded by Colonel Ira K. Miller, the squadron of cavalry by Major Jonathan 
Bliss, and the battalion of artillery by Major Senaca Sanford, all of this town. 

The independent company's charter name was the •• Washington Rifle Corps of Attlebor- 
ough." 3 In 1815 a petition was addressed to the Governor and Executive Council of the Corn- 



Joseph Brown, 
Elisha May. 
Japheth Bicknell, 
Timothy Gay, 
Samuel Tingley, 
Sylvanus Tingley, 
Clark Sweetlaud, 
Joel Robinson, 
Samuel Slack, 
Joseph Holmes. 









1 The Editor is indebted to the late Lyman W. Daggett, for this list of captains' names. 

-The incident, recently published in some newspaper, had connection with the so-called Nichols 
house in Berkeley, which was burned not long ago. The muster was on a field near that house.— 
Editor. 

3 For most of the information relating to this famous rifle corps I am indebted to Mr. Edward R. 
Price, who courteously loaned me the book of the company's records. This came into his possession 
on the death of his father, the last captain. Judging rightly, I am sure that the words of the old 
records themselves will carry more interest to the reader than any others, no matter how well chosen. 
I have let them tell their own story as far as possible. — Editor. 



406 A SKETCH OF THE 

monwealth, signed by Martin Whitney and forty others, stating that the subscribers had long 
held a favorable opinion as to the advisability of raising volunteer companies when it could be 
done without "essential injury to the local Militia.*' They pledged themselves to obtain 
proper uniforms and equipments, to conform to all the rules binding upon such organizations 
elsewhere, and to "hold themselves in a regular state of preparation to march in defence of 
this State, at a moment's warning, to anyplace where their assistance shall be lawfully 
demanded." They declared themselves actuated by neither passion, prejudice, nor a spirit of 
change, but as having the real interest and true welfare of the Commonwealth at heart, and 
ii~ "greal Military importance, with its political consequence, and proper influence," and they 
stated that " to adtl a laurel to the Majestic brow of their native State, would give them great 
satisfaction." For these and other reasons set forth in glowing terms, they " presume to peti- 
tion*' for tin' desired charter, and at the same time recommend the bearer, who must have 
been Mr. Whitney, to his " Excellency," as " a Gentleman of honor," who is competent and 
ready to answer all necessary questions, and "they flatter themselves" that under all the cir- 
cumstances. " manner and matter of petition," etc, it will be favorably received. 

In this they were right, and their charter was granted June 9, 1815, and " by the Governor 
approved." 'The company was to be raised within the limits of the Fourth Regiment, Second 
Brigade, and Fifth Division of the Militia, and " annexed to the said 4th. Reg. provided that 
the Standing Companies of Militia are not reduced thereby to a less number than is required 
by law." The following order was received by Mr. Whitney : — 

Head Quarters, New Bedford, July 3, 1815. 
Brigade Orders. 

Mr. Martin Whitney, Sir, 

agreeably to General Orders of the 9 Division 
Orders of the 16. LTIt°, you are hereby directed to assemble with your associates in a petition 
for raising a Company of Rifle Corps, at the House of Capt. Benj" Bolkcom, Inn-holder in 
Attleborough, on Thursday the third day of August next, at two o'clock in the afternoon, for 
the purpose of electing the necessary Officers for said Company. You will give each indi- 
vidual at least ten days notice. 

Lieut. Col. Shepherd Leach of the 4"i Reg't. will preside at said Election, receive the inlist- 
nient agreeable to the provisions of the foregoing orders, and to make returns accordingly. 

(Signed) Benj" Lincoln, J Brii, rr Gen. 
1 2d Brigade. 

The usual rules and regulations governing such companies were framed and adopted. It 
may be of interest to >ome persons to know 7 who the members of this company were, so the 
list is transcribed as found on the muster-roll. The number varied from year to year largely, 
the highest number on any return being fifty-five, and the smallest twenty-four. The name- of 
the different commanders are: First, Elihu Daggett, Jr., captain from 1815 to 1822; second, 
Chester Bugbee, from 1S22 to 1824; third. William Everett, from 1824 to 1*27; fourth, Willard 
Robinson, from 1827 to 1829; fifth, Virgil Blackinton, in 1829; sixth, David E. Ilolman, from 
1830 till, seventh, George Trice became captain. The date of his election could not be found, 
but he remained the commander until the company was disbanded. The following is the list 
of members, doubtless including all from the formation to the disbandment : — 

Elihu Daggett. Jr., Earle Whiting, Josiah Draper. 2d. 

Chester Bugbee, Willard Robinson, Charles Whiting, 

Judson Blake, Job Richards. Manning Stanley, 

Martin Whitney. George Derby. John X. Dean. 

John R. Robinson. Jacob P.Stanley, Wm. S. Robinson, 

Waterman T. Dexter. Peleg H. Kent, Richard Robinson, 

SamiO. Draper, Wm. M. Wilmarth, Warren Morse, 

George Stanley. John F. Richards, Avery Gillmore, 

Wm. T. Dean, Marcus Daggett, Benjamin Freeman, 

Gulliver Dean. Davis Guild. Seth C. Sprague, 

Willard Towne, Thomas Richard-. Ira Richards, 

llermon Stanley. Jacob Daggett. Fisher Blackinton, 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOIIOIWH. 



407 



Lyman Pitcher, 
Calvin Richards, 
Payton Richards, 
Spencer Richards, 
Nathaniel Rand, Jr., 
Seamans Whiting, 
Joseph Guild, 
Leonard Blackinton, 
Rufus S. Perry, 
James Blackinton, 
Samuel Newell, 3d, 
Ellis Fisher. 
Ichabod Richards, 
Horatio N. Draper, 
Barton I. Draper, 
John Montgomery, 
Jason B. Blackinton. 
Daniel F.Ellis. 
Willard D. Blackinton, - 
John Draper, Jr., 
Jonathan Day. 
Hiram W. Titus, 
Willard Richards, 
Sam 1 P. Fisher. 
John Tift't, 
Willard Blackinton, 
Hartford Field, 
Abner Polsey, 
Leonard Holmes. 
Lewis Armstrong, 
Milton Freeman, 
Nathan H. Bliss, 
Henry Carrique, 
Martin S. Witherell, 
Onesemus Clark, 
Milton W. Blackinton, 
Horace Foster. 
Noah Claflin. Jr., 
Samuel M. Holman, 
Allen B. Messenger, 
Edwin B. Stanley, 
Cyrus W. Blackinton. 
Otis T. Stanley. -^ 
Stephen D. Read, 
James O. Blackinton, 
Ellis Fisher, 



Lucas Daggett, 
Bernard Maxcy, 
Nelson Morse, 
Aaron White, 
George Hatch, 
Richard Everett, 
Richard Robinson, 
Ebenezer H. Draper, 
Daniel Daggett. Jr., 
David T. Stanley. 
James Whittemore, 
Elias S. Grant, 
Ephraim Jewett, 
Lyman Lane. 
Lewis Holmes, 
Horace Tifft, 
Watson Atherton, 
Vernal Stanley, 
David E. Holman, - 
Amos Sweet, dr.. 
Lloyd French, 
George W. Horr, 
Uriah Bo wen, 
James Titus, 
Otis T. Titus, 
Willard Jilson, 
Richard Whitaker, 
Wm. A. Freemau, 
Asa Fuller. 
Leprilet Fuller, 
George Price. 
.lames B. Moultou, 
John Cole, 
Hervey M. Richards, 
Warren Aldrich, 
G. F. Starkey, 
Emory Gouward. 
George L. Perry. 
Harrison Wihnarth. 
Shepherd Witherell, 
Henry Bruggo, 
John Wilmarth, 
Wm. A. Stanley, - 
Andrew Davison, Jr.. 
•lames Warren, 
AJvan Bickford, 



Elias G. Richards. 
Jesse Whiting, 
Leonard Titl't. 
Virgil Blackinton. 
William Everett, Jr. 
Darwin Ellis, 
William Ellis. 
Orville Tyler, 
John Bruce, 
Mark W. Baldwin, 
George Morse, 
Charles Richardson, 
William Arnold, 
William M. Drake, 
Charles Whiting, 
Ebenezer Fuller, 
< lomfort Clatlen. 
John Bates. 
David Whiting. 
Stephen Richardson, 
David II. Grant. 
Ezra S. Brownell, 
George P. Foster. 
Daniel 1). Sweet, 
Joel Morse. Jr.. 
Lyman W. Daggett. 
Horatio N. Babcock, 
George Shepardson, 
Atherton Wales, 
Egbert R. Robinson, 
Herman W. Bragg. 
Gilford Fuller. 
Charles Stanley, 
Miller Babcock, 
( 'alvin Claflin. 
Jacob S. Capron, 
Luring Morse, 
Geo. B. Aldrich. 
Joseph Hunt, 
-lames Cummhigs. 
Wm. B. Franklin, 
James M. Turner, 
•lames II. Horton, 
Lorenzo Bullock, 
David Buflington, 
Cyril Sweet. 



Of these men forty-seven enlisted August 3, 1S15, and were therefore the original members. 
The latest enlistment mentioned is that of James H. Horton, in September. 1833. The height of 
a number of the men was found on the records, the tallest being Horatio N. Draper, who was 
six feet two inches, and the shortest Daniel F. Ellis, who was five feet five inches high. No 
special record of the first election of officers was found, but Elihu Daggett, Jr., was first captain 
and Chester Bugbee the first lieutenant. The first fiferwas Seamans Whiting and the first drum- 
mer Ellis Fisher, and it was stipulated that he should own a share " equal to five dollars in the 
bassdrum." The purchase of flu's same drum seems to have caused some trouble. It was at first 
suggested that one known to be for sale at sheriffs sale should be bought, but finally one in the 



4 1 IS A SKETCH OF THE 

possession of a member of the company, but " belonging to Mr. Cyrus Cleave land, of Provi- 
dence," was purchased for $22, " payable in sixty days." Subsequently a bugler and clarionet 
player were added to the above musicians. The uniform chosen for the company was a green 
frock, with pantaloons of the same color, or else white, and military caps with black plumes. 
After much inquiry and discussion a contract was closed " with Messrs. Slocomb .V Lamb, of 
Bromfield, Mass., for rifles at Sixteen Dollars each," quite as low a price as that for which such 
firearms can now be obtained, even with all the modern improvements, and various facilities 
for their construction at the command of manufacturers of the present day. 

The firsl recorded meeting was held in " the school-house near Mr. Manning Richards," on 
May 7. 1816. The meetings were held sometimes at private houses. — frequently at Manning 
Richards', — sometimes at stores or factories, and often at tavern halls. 

Ou July 1, 1817, the corps met at Manning Richards' house at seven o'clock in the morning. 

from thence marching to Pawtucket "'to await the arrival of Monroe. President of the 

United States." The secretary did not apparently know the first name of Mr. Monroe, and to 
be " on the safe side" left a space in his book sufficient for a much longer name than James — 
a space he doubtless forgot to fill. Upon the President's arrival the troops paraded under his 
inspection, and then he and his suite proceeded on their journey escorted by a detachment of 
cavalry. Unfortunately, the corps had not then received their striking new uniforms, but 
these must have been ready by September following, for the corps was ordered to meet at 
Samuel Newell's on the 29th of that mouth, and for the first time "Uniforms" as well as 
" Arms and Equipments, as the law directs for military duty," were required. We find on the 
records frequent reference to dinners to be provided for " muster or regimental review days; " 
purchases of powder, payment of levies or dues, — always very moderate, — and occasionally 
the entry : " Meeting not attended ou account of bad weather." 

March 28, 1821, the corps for the first time met to pay respect to a deceased member — 
Nathaniel Rand. Jr. " At one o'clock adjourned to the late residence of the deceased, whence 
(after divine service) the Corps marched with arms reversed, before the remains of the deceased, 
(the Pour Sergeants acting as pall-bearers) to the burial ground near the Meeting house in the 
East Precinct. After depositing the remains with the usual ceremonies, the Corps returned to 
the house of Col. Bolkcom, where they were dismissed." Two similar accounts were found 
later. 

In 1821 new uniforms, of which a black handkerchief was considered a part, were purchased. 
Their color was " bottle green," and it became necessary at that time to have the knapsacks 
repainted. The charge for this work was fifty cents each, and the clerk adds: (" rather more 
than was expected"). On September 21, 1821, the following letter was written to the company: 

To the Gentlemen composing the Washington Independent Rifle Company. 

Gentlemen, A number of the Ladies of Attleborough, actuated by a desire t<> add their 
feeble endeavors to the general good, ami reflecting that nothing can be considered unimportant, 
that might tend to promote emulation in improvement, and wishing likewise to testify their 
gratitude and respect to those who are ever ready to protect them in the hour of danger, have 
united their means to purchase a Standard, which they will do themselves the honor to present 
u<v your acceptance, at any time and place, you may think proper to appoint. 

Written by order of the Ladies. 

(Signed) Louisa T. Everett. 

The subscription paper containing the names of the ladies who interested themselves in 
getting this standard, with the amount each one gave, was recently found among some old 
papers in tin- possession of one of the Hatch family, 1 and deeming that lady readers at least 
will be interested to know who they were, i he lisl i- transcribed: — 

Susan Richards, Maria Richardson, Ann Lynch. 

Nancy W. Draper, Eliza Ann Draper. Betsy Draper. 

Sarah Draper, Betsey L. Richards, Rebecca Richards. 

Betsey Richards, Margaret Daggett, M. Richards, 



1 Mr-. Goodhue, granddaughter of Colonel Israel Hatch. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 



409 



Hannah K. Grant, 

Mariett Stanley, 

Julia Holmes, 

Mary Holmes, 

Eliza Holmes, 

Abigail Herring, 

Maria Ellis, 

Abigail M. Ellis. 

Clarissa Harrows. 

Maria Barrows, 

Abigail Newell, 

Eunice R. Newell, 

Susan M. Draper, 

Hannah Richards, 

Mandana Everett, 

Clementine E. Foster. 

Fanny Hatch. 

smallest, fifty cents: average. 



Joan Jackson, 
Mindwell Cushing, 
Martha Simpson, 
Sophia Richards, 
Lydia Richards, 
Amanda A. Draper, 
Bebe Draper, 
Laura S. Olney, 
Rebecca Daggett, 
Fanny Richards, 
Mary Gillniore, 
Sylvia Richards. 
Charlotte Day. 
Betsey Carrick, 
Sarah D. Rohinson. 
Sally Hatch. 

about eighty-four cents ; total. 



Olive Richards, 
Azubah Blackiuton. 
Emma Bowers. 
Hannah S. Robinson, 
Sarah R. Robinson. 
Leaf a Tyler, 
Sally Tyler, 
Ann Robinson, 
Azubah Towne, 
Lucinta Towne. 
Rebecca Stanley, 
Nancy Jackson, 
Abby Freeman, 
Nancy Simpson, 
Abby W. Draper, 
Rebecca Barton, 

Largest subscription, $1.25: 
§51.35. 

The gentlemen responded to the above communication of the ladies on September 29, 1821. 
as follows : — 

Mrs. Louisa T. Everett, Madam. 

Permit us to express to you, and your liberal associates, our sincere thanks for the generous 
offer contained in your communication of the 21. inst. and also to signify our acceptance of 
the same. 

We would most respectfully beg leave to wait on the Ladies, at Col. Hatch's, on Thursday 
the 11. of Oct. next at 2 o'clock P.M., for the purpose of receiving the proposed token of 
their Liberality and Patriotism : hoping that we shall never be unmindful of the strong 
obligation it imposes on us, to use our utmost exertions, to merit a continuance of their 
approbation. 

Per Order. 

Win. Everett. Jr., 
f Clerk of the 
I Washington Rifle Corps. 

In pursuance of arrangements previously made, the company to the number of thirty-eight 
met at the house of Lieutenant Chester Bugbee on the appointed day. "At two o'clock the 
corps marched to Col. Hatch's and wheeled into line in front of his house, where the Ladies 
(subscribers for the Standard) in Uniforms, were paraded in a semicircle." This uniform of 
the ladies was a white cashmere fichu, with a colored border, and fringed — according to an 
eyewitness 1 of this interesting scene who is still living. 

" Miss Sally Odell attended by two young Ladies appeared with the Standard " — which was 
a splendid and appropriate one, and inscribed with the motto," Protect what your fathers 
obtained"— and -'took her place upon a platform in the middle of the circle. The Orator of 
the day, and visiting Officers in Uniform, followed and took post on the right of the Corps. 
After a salute from the Officers the Standard was presented by Miss Sally Odell. with the 
following Address." 

Gentlemen of the Washington Rifle Corps. 

We are assembled before you, not to celebrate the Birth-day of a Monarch, or to partici- 
pate in the gaudy scenes of a regal Coronation; but for the pleasing and laudable purpose of 
placing in your hands, this symbol of triumph, and emblem of fame. At that eventful crisis, 
when our Fathers threw off the yoke, and burst the chains of British tyranny: and when the 



Aunt Cynthia " Hatch. (Since deceased.) 



411) .1 SKETCH OF THE 

Congress of these States, as if directed by unerring Wisdom, pronounced thai glorious, solemn, 
and sublime Declaration of [independence, and proclaimed the unalienable rights of man: then 
was introduced the" Star spangled Banner," which, like the ever memorable " star in the east," 
served, under the wise direction of a Washington, as a sure guide to peace ami Independence. 
The star of victory beamed on the crest of Columbia's sons, and with the blood of a Warren. 
:i Montgomery, and main other distinguished heroes, the} sealed the covenant made with 
Liberty. Peace and national prosperity were the blessings which followed for a -.Tics of years. 

When again the shrill clarion of war sounded to arm-, again Columbia's sons rallied around 
her standard, and in the field, and on the ocean, Albion's well-appointed veterans were com- 
pelled to prostrate the British Lion, at the feel of the American Eagle. 

I'.. you, Gentlemen, we now present this standard, in behalf of the Ladies of Attleborough, 
who feel the most anxious solicitude for your welfare and honour, a- citizens and soldiers. 
We feci the strongest assurance, that should the dreadful din of war ever again disturb our 
beloved countrj (which may Heaven avert!) you will he found in the Advanced guard of its 
brave defenders, assisting the rights, and maintaining the honour of tin- great and powerful 
Republic. 

Finally, Gentlemen, imitate the virtues, ami he inspired with the patriotism of the illustri- 
ous, the immortal Washington, whose name you hear, and you can, you will, " protect what 
your Fathers obtained." and continue to enjoy the rich blessings which we inherit from them. 

Ensign Blake accepted the standard for the company, ami in their behalf made the following 
gallant reply to the patriotic address of Miss Odell: — 

In receiving this Standard from the Ladies of Attleborough, permit me in behalf of the 
Washington Rifle Corps, to present you their sincere acknowledgments, for this noble present, 
which they receive as a testimony of your approbation. 

When we are reminded of those days, in which oppression aroused our Fathers to arm-: 
and in which they toiled, and shed their blood, in erecting the Standard of Liberty on tin 
shores of Columbia; we feel a patriotic pride in being entrusted with this symbol of their 
victory. The mime of Washington, who led the American People from tyranny and oppres- 
aion, io victory and freedom, is alone sufficient, to inspire the breasts of American Soldiers, 
with the liveliest feelings of patriotism; —But. when that name is heard from the lips of 
Columbia's Fair, and the Banner of our country is received from their hands, a noble 
ambition tires our bosoms with a firm determination to maintain and protect, from every 
attack, the Freedom bequeathed to us by our Fathers; and that this standard, the evidence of 
their invaluable Legacy, shall never be w re-ted from our hands by a Foreign Enemy, or rent 
by an internal Foe. 

The banner, which wa- in the possession of Captain Price probably for many year- and 
until his death, ha- a groundwork of green silk. On one side are the arms of Massachusetts 
a- a c.ntrcpicce, surrounded by figures of implements of war elaborately embroidered. Above 
is the inscription -'4th Reg. -2nd Brig. 5th. Div." and below " Washington Rille Corp-." (Mi 
the reverse -ide Liberty is finely represented in the central foreground leaning upon a shield 
bearing the motto: "Protect what your fathers obtained." A little back of the righl centre 
isthebustof Washington, on its pedestal the immortal lines: -First in war. first in peace. 
and first in the hearts of his country-men." In the left background an encampment of soldiers 
is represented, and on a scroll below " Presented by the ladies of Attleborough." 

The record continues : " After this ceremonj a procession was formed of the Corps. Orator 
of the day. Selectmen of the town, visiting Officers, and Ladies, and moved to the meeting- 
bouse, where an eloquent and patriotic Oration was pronounced by the Lev. Mr. Carrique,and 
several appropriate anthems sung. The whole then returned to Col. Hatch's bouse and 
partook of an excellent -upper prepared for the occasion." This description sketches a very 
attractive scene the soldiers in their bright uniforms, the ladies in pretty dresses, the moving 
crowd, the famous old tavern, a- it was ere it- palmy day- were of the past, the old church 
set in it- triangle of vivid green, the little cluster of grave-tone- near by, the surrounding 
forests in their varied brilliant dress, with the glorious air of a New England mid-autumn day 
embracing and beautifying all. But the curtain cannot quite yet be drawn: another act 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 411 

follows. Our fathers did not forget to give tangible proof of their appreciation of the 
attentions bestowed upon them on that day. The clerk of the company was instructed to 
present their thanks to the orator, and they voted " that the sum of five dollars lie presented 
to the Rev. Mr. Carrique, in consideration of his service- on the 11 th inst. —likewise, the sura 
of five dollars to Miss Sally Odell as a reward of merit, for the handsome style in which she 
presented the Standard to tin- corps, — also, the sum of one dollar to Mr. Cha s Bicknee 
[probably Bicknell?] for ringing the hell, assisting in forming the procession, etc etc. on 
that occasiou." 

On July 5, 1830, the Fourth being Sunday, the corps met at Samuel Newell's, where they " par- 
took of a dinner prepared for the occasion by Mr. Newell. The corps then paraded in front 
of Mr. Newell's, and tired fifteen round-, at :; o'clock marched to the meeting house and 
escorted the Temperance Society, where an address was delivered by Esq. John Daggett) 
prepared for the occasion. — after service attended to manouvering and tiring.*' By way of 
contrast to the manner the above-mentioned day was spent, the description found of a day's 
marching is given. September 24, 1831, there was a meeting at eight o'clock in the morning 
at Elias G. Richards' store. •• The corps took up a line of march, on the way they was invited 
by M. W. Baldwin to take something to drink at Robinson, Jones & Co's store, and then they 
marched on their way to Mr. Newell's and Mr. Edward Richards invited the Corps to take 
something to drink with him. and they excepted [the intended meaning is obvious], and when 
they got to Mr. Newell's Inn the corps hail another invitation to take something to drink 
from Mr. Samuel Newell, Jr. the corps dined to Mr. Newell's after dinner the corps took up 
a line of march for tin- Precinck on their way they had an invitation from Capt. Samuel 
Carpenter to take some wine with him and then the corps marched to Mr. Samuel Holman's 
store." This is the only recorded day on which entertainment of thi- nature was so frequently 
ottered to the company and the occurrence may. perhaps, have been an unusual one. It is an 
incident which shows the custom of the times; but another proof that "as our fathers were, 
so are we," for from time immemorial marching seems to have been productive of such deep- 
seated thirst as only frequent and copious draft- of liquid, often such as the above, could ever 
tend to slake, and the day seemed to have been one of interest to him who transcribed 
its events. 

Upon one occasion the parade was •• in front of Mr. Holman's," where a target representing 
a " full sized Indian," had been placed. This had been procured by Captain David Holman. 
who offered a dollar to the man who should make the best shot. The distance is not named, 
but all the men present fired at this '■ Indian " and no doubt with /est ami the wish that it was 
something more real than a "counterfeit presentment." The ''best shot" was Mr. Milton 
Blackinton, who "consequently merited, and received the premium." In 1S30 a sham tight 
occurred in East Attleborough. The training field, according to an eyewitness still living, 
was " about where Pine St. is now." The company met at Mr. Holman's, where they were 
entertained, and in the afternoon the battle took place. Twenty of the citizens of the town, 
dressed in Indian style, joined with the rifle corps against militia and other troops, under 
command of Colonel Isaac Miller. The records do not state which side was declared victorious. 

In " pursuance of regimental orders" the corps met on October '20, 1832, in Norton, where 
the necessary inspection and exercises were gone through. The record relating to this 
occasion, and made two day- later, was the last one found, and the entry concludes a- follows : 
"The Corps were then joined by Capt. Me, in Indian costume, bearing a colour with the 
following motto Free Trad< and Yankee Bights." Here the clerk - - record ends, though the 
company continued its existence for some years longer. These soldiers were never called 
upon to do actual active duty but once. This was during the construction of the Boston and 
Providence railroad, about 1836-3S. A riot occurred among the Irish laborers near Canton, 
and John Daggett advised sending the company to quell the disturbance. Captain Holman 
marched with his men to the place in the night and the Irishmen at once yielded. The 
ringleaders were made prisoners and brought to this town. 

March 28, 1S40. the State Adjutant-General issued a general order approved by the Governor 
abolishing the standing militia companies, and May 7, 1841, he issued the order declaring them 
disbanded. The order was carried into effect here June 1, 1841, on which date this company 
was disbanded, its officer- discharged, and the famous •• Washington Volunteer Rifle Corps of 
A.ttleborough " ceased to exi-t. 



412 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

MASONIC LODGES. 

Of all the organizations in existence at the present time of a social or beneficial nature the 
order of Free and Accepted Masons is the oldest, it goes back through many hundreds of 
years and to an Oriental country for its origin, so far as that is known. It extends all over the 
world, and though its expressions and forms of working may be varied in different lands, it- 

principles, which are of a very high order, are always the same. There are in the order 
thirty-three degrees j what is called the Blue Lodge has three those of Entered Apprentice. 
Fellow Craft, and Master Mason respectively; then comes the Chapter, with four degrees; 
then the Council with three; then the Commandery with tour; and beyond these various other 
lodges, such as Perfection of Sorrow. Scottish Rites, etc. The entrance tees and yearly dues 
of this order here are very reasonable and within the means of men of moderate incomes. 
The element of secrecy, once considered -o dangerous to society at large and the cause of much 
bitter opposition in various parts of the country, seenis now to be considered quite harmless. 
As at present existing in America, at least, the Masons are primarily a social order, beneficiary 
work among needy members not being compulsory. Such matters are left entirely at the 
discretion of individual lodges; and to their credit it may be said these are not found wanting 
in this respect. 

BRISTOL LODGE. 

The oldest organization now in existence in this town and the only one which dates from the 
preceding century i- Bristol Lodge of Free and Accepted Mason-. Its charter bears the date 
of 17!»7, and was granted to the lodge by the '• Grand Lodge of the most Ancient and Honor- 
able Society of Free and Accepted Masons of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts," and it- 
membership originally included residents of the several towns of Attleborough, Mansfield. 
Norton, Rehoboth, Pawtucket, and Taunton. 1 Some one says: "As often as the eye rests 
upon this ancient charter, its speech is of patriotism and courage, of civil and religious libert] . 
of free government," and its lustre is brightened and its value greatly enhanced by the bold 
signature of Paul Revere, the hero of that famous midnight ride from Boston to Concord as 
the bearer of the direful tidings of British invasion. 

The lodge established itself first at Norton and, continued to hold its meetings there until 
December 11, 1811, at which time it removed to this town. The old parchment has been care- 
fully preserved. Upon one side is the charter proper— the license to form the lodge addressed 
by the Grand Lodge to all the Fraternity of the State. Then come the names of the charter 
member- a- follow- : Job Gilbert, George Gilbert, Ira Smith. Joshua Pond, Samuel Morey, Jr., 
Timothy Brigess, Jr.. Sam 1 Day, Seth Smith. Jr.. Daniel Gilbert, Benjamin Brillig. 

In Testimony Whereof , We the Grand Master and Grand Wardens, bj virtue of the Power 

and Authority to us committed, have hereunto set our Hands and caused the Seal of the Grand 

Lodge to be affixed, at Boston, this fourteenth Day of June Anno Domini. 1707. And of 

Masonry 57!>7. 

Paul Revere, Isaiah Thomas. Sen. Grand Master. 

Grand Master. Joseph Laugh ton, Jun. Grand Master. 

Samuel Dunn 

Deputy Grand Master. 

In Grand Lodge. Dec. 13, A. L. r>N.")4. 
1 hereby certify that the above Charter, wa- by vote of the Grand Lodge thi- day restored 
with all its original power- and immunities to the following Brethren, petitioner- and former 
members of the within named Bristol Lodge, to wit: — Willard Robinson, S. O. Draper, 



1 I am again indebted to the courtesy of Mr. Price who, with great interest and pleasure, gave me 
free access to the ancient records of Bristol Lodge. I need make no apology for quoting freely from 
them, because the incidents referred to in this sketch will interest not only the present members of 
the lodge, but others also in equal measure, since they picture some phases of the social lite of the 
town in the early part of this century, and therefore belong to it- hi-tory. — Editor. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 413 

Willard Blackinton, Rufus P. Barrow, Ephraim Dean, Daniel Babcock, Edward Richardson, 

and Noah Clafliu. And they are accordingly authorized to reorganize and resume work as a 

Lodge. 

C'has. W. Moore, 

Rec. Grand Sec. Grand Lodge of Mass. 
By order of the Grand Lodge, 
Daniel Oliver, 
Grand Secretary. 

In Grand Lodge. 
Sept. 14, 1S59. 
The above charter was by vote of Grand Lodge, this day again restored to the Petitioners 
named in the endorsement of Dec. 13, 1854. 5854. 

Attest 
Chas. W. Moore. 
Grand Sec 

On the reverse side of the charter are the following permits : — 

To all whom it may concern. This certifies that agreeable to a petition presented the Most 

Worshipful Grand Lodge of Massachusetts at their annual communication on the eleventh day 

of Dec r A. L. 5811 by a large majority of the officers and members of Bristol Lodge, established 

by Charter in the town of Norton, in the county of Bristol, it was unanimously voted that 

permission be granted the petitioners to remove that Lodge from Norton to the town of 

Attleboro' East Parish in said County, there and there only, to hold their future meetings, and 

that the Grand Recording Secretary be instructed to confirm the same by an endorsement ou 

the Charter of said Lodge. In testimony whereof , and by virtue of the above Vote — I have 

hereunto affixed my Signature. 

John Proctor. 

Grand Secretary. 

Grand Lodge of Mass. March 10* h 5830. Voted that Bristol Lodge be permitted to assemble 
in Attleboro' instead of Attleboro 1 East Parish. 

Copy of Record, 
Attest Thomas Power. 
Grand Sec. 

The first meeting whose regular record is preserved here was held June 7, 1813, the following 
members being present: Abiathar Richardson, Jr., Jabez Newell, Luther Cobb, Obed Robin- 
son, Jr., George W. Robinson, Joseph Lang. Jebel Ingraham, John E. Robinson, James War- 
ren, Remember Carpenter, Thomas Stanley, Edward Price, Benjamin Hubbard, Amos Sweet. 
Naman Bishop, Manning Richards, Edward Foster, Thomas Williams, Samuel Carpenter. 
William Fisher. The early meetings of the lodge were generally held in the afternoon, the 
hour varying from two to five o'clock. In June, 1814. Chester Bugbee, Elihu Daggett. Syl- 
vanus Tingley, and Luther Cobb were chosen a committee to select the music for the dedication 
of the hall. Septembers, 1S14, "Voted to procure Blinds for the windows of the new hall, 
and to have them ready and hung before Dedication," and two gentlemen were deputed " to 
procure the same." This hall was Bolkcom's hall, an L which Mr. Bolkcom built on to his 
tavern for the use of the Masons. The music for the dedication seemed difficult to arrange, 
for later Remember Carpenter and Edward Richards, Jr., were added to the above committee. 
Jebez Newell, Henry Sweet, and William Verry were requested to confer " with Bro. Benj. 
Bolkcom upon a bill of fare, for the supper," and were " a committee to make the necessary 
arrangements for the day of our dedication. The lodge also " voted that :25cts. be added to the 
price of Gentlemen's tickets, to be received by Br. Bolkcom in favor of the Lodge to det ray 
the expense of musick Initiation; " the original price of the tickets was not stated. On Octo- 
ber 27 it was •■ voted to Choose a committee of nine to assist in making preparation and accom- 
modation for the Ladies on dedication day." Either the task must have been considered 
formidable or the preparations been very elaborate since so large a committee was required. 



414 A SKETCH OF THE 

November 3, 1814, the lodge met at nine o'clock for the dedication of the new hall, but as t in- 
Grand Lodge did nut appear, those special ceremonies were necessarily postponed. However, 
••the Brethren about 120 in number, formed Procession, followed by a band of musick, 
marched to the meeting-house where an appropriate discourse was delivered by Bro. John 
Holroyd. The Procession then returned to the hall again, where tiny partook of an excellent 
repast, and after wine, toasting, and singing the Lodge was closed till our next regular com- 
munication." December 22, isi4. " Voted to refund Bro. George W. Robinson 10 Dollars. 
together with the thanks of the Lodge, for his perseverance and strict attention in procuring 
furniture for the new Lodge." 

Ma\ is. 1815, "Voted to celebrate and also dedicate our Hall on the 24 th June next,— 
Bros. Edw'd Richardson. Chester Bugbee, and Elihu Daggett a committee to prepare 
nuisiek for celebration, — Chose Brs. Win. Fisher and Judson Blake a committee to procure an 
orator for Celebration." June;). 1815, " Chose Jabez Newell, Jabel [ngraham, and Otis Robin- 
son, a committee to see that necessary entertainment and refreshment is prepared for the Cele- 
bration and Dedication, at the 24"' June next, — Chose Brs. Elihu Daggett, Judson Blake, and 
Noah Claflin a committee to invite the clergy of this Town to meet with us on the 24 th June. 

Also added I'.ro. Win. Verry to s'd committee, and requested him to invite the Rev'd Mr." 

(name illegible, probably Clark, as the Rev. Pitt Clark was at that time pastor of the Congrega- 
tional ( Unitarian) church in Norton, where the lodge first held it- meetings.) 

June 24. 1815. The Grand Lodge having arrived, its members were escorted to the new hall 
bythe gentlemen deputed to perform that duty. and it was •• Dedicated in ample Form." and " a 
procession was then formed which inarched to the meeting-house where a very Excellent and 
appropriate Discourse was delivered by Rev'd. Br. Barnabas Bates of Bristol." These service- 
concluded, the procession returned to the hall where the appointed committees waited upon the 
representatives of the (.rand Lodge and the orator, to present the sincere thanks of Bristol 
Lodge for their attendance and services; "which Business being done the Brethren retired 
from the hall to the Dining Table where a splendid entertainment was provided by Br. Benin. 
Bolkconi, and after regaling themselves with food, the Brethren Drank to a number of ven 
sentimental Toasts." There were visitors on this occasion from Eastern star Lodge, King 
David, and others, with "many from Providence, Pawtucket and elsewhere." One of the 
old resident- of the East village well remembers this occasion and say- : "When supper was 
over, the room was cleared, and we danced all night," — mentioning his partner, for he is too 
gallant to have forgotten her even at the end of sixty years. A subscription of twenty dollars 
was raised and presented to Mr. Bates for his discourse, which was printed. The tirst men- 
tion of attendance at a funeral service as a lodge was on February 2. 1816, when the members 
assisted at that of •• Br. Bishop." During this year Adoniram Chapter of Royal Arch Masons 
was tormc. I in town. The installation of officers occurred June 24, isiT. and subsequently 
the chapter was transferred to New Bedford. June 15, 1S26, "I'.ro. A. Richardson" was 
appointed to keep the aprons and jewels in order and " Bro. Edward Richardson" to purchase 
a suitable dress for a candidate, " such a suit as his taste and Judgment -hall dictate." On 
Januan 3], is-is. a committee was chosen to make inquiries regarding the expense of building 
a new hall, " and see who will assist." Augusl 13, 1829, " Voted to petition the Grand Lodge 
to amend the charter of Bristol Lodge by erasing from it the words Easl Precinct," also 
-voted that Brother Elihu Daggett, Jr., be a committee to prepare a petition and personally 
present the same to the Grand Lodge at their next regular meeting agreeable to the foregoing 
vote." April s, 1830, a communication was received from the Grand Lodge to the effect that 
the petition wa- granted. 

In 1S30 it was decided to remove the lodge from the Last village. The furniture was ordered 
t<» be taken to the Farnam House in We-t Attleborough, and it was subsequently decided to 
buy that e-tale if it could be bougbl for a certain sum; but the matter fell through. About 
1830 :il a hall belonging to Richard Everett was Used by the lodge. At that lime steps were 
being taken toward- the building of an academy in North Attleborough, and on June 24, 1831, 
the lodge voted to subscribe for twelve shares in this new building provided it .amid be built 
for -d.200. and later two more -hare- were taken. The building was to he called "Attle- 
borough Acadenrj and Masonic Hall." Here the records cease abruptly. The academy was, 
however, built, and used by the lodge a- ha- been stated in a previous chapter. 



HISTORY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. j 1 .", 

Up to this time the lodge had been prosperous, but in 1833 the membership had so Iargeh 
decreased as to render it necessary to return the charter to the Grand Lodge. This was due to 
the anti-Mason excitement which commenced in western New York and spread over the whole 
land, creating such an antagonistic spirit toward the entire order that in many places Masonry 
was forced apparently to die out, and its adherents dared to remain faithful only in secret. In 
time this wave of tierce opposition subsided, and in 1854: several of the Masons here petitioned 
to have their •' time honored document'' restored to them. Tins was done, hut. for some rea- 
son little action was taken until 1859, when the charter was again restored, and since that time 
the order has been continually increasing in membership and gaining in influence, Mr. 
Ezekiel Bates was at that time the highest .Mason in town, and after the return of the charter 
lie initiated those who presented themselves for degrees. Dr. James W.Foster was the tirst 
to be received into the lodge and his son John Bates the second. 

Bristol Lodge for many years owned a building in North Attleborough and their hall in it 
was dedicated February 9, 1876. The accommodations tor all purposes are ample, the hall is 
well furnished and the special appointments are handsome. A. remarkable fac-simile copj of 
the old charter hangs over the Worthy Master's chair and an anteroom contains a case filled 
with ancient and beautifully wrought regalia. It is fitting that the picture of George Wash- 
ington should meet the eye of both members ami visitors as they enter the precincts of the 
lodge, for as a Mason he is pointed to as a shining example, and as a man and a citizen he was 
equally worthy close imitation. 1 

The following is a list of the Bast Masters of Bristol Lodge from 1813 to the present time: 
Abiathar Richardson, Jr.. William Fisher, Edward Richardson, Moses Richardson. George W. 
Robinson, D. Babcock, S. <J. Bates. Wiliard Blackinton. George B. Richards, Samuel S. 
Ginnodo, Charles E. Smith, John B. Maintain, Thomas (i. Sandland, ( >bed ' '. Turner. Francis 
S. Fairbanks. Samuel S. Bugbee, Arthur E. Codding, James A. Codding, Theodore R. Hazzard, 
Walter E. Barden. The officers for 1887 were : W. M., Elton T. Franklin; S. W., Frederic B. 
Byram ; J. W., George E. EJawes; Secretary, Charles F. Guild; Treasurer, Owen B. Bestor; 
Chaplain. Samuel IT. Bugbee; Marshal. Edwin I). Sturtevaut; 8. D., William 0. Clark; J. I)., 
Edward G.Pratt; S. S., Edward A. Phillips; J. S., Frank Cutler; I. S., Dauiel II. Ralph; 
Orator. James A. Codding; Tyler. Thomas ];. Jones. The lodge numbers about one hundred 
and fifteen members. The building lias recently been sold, but it continues to occupy its halls 
as before. 

EZEKIEL BATES LODGE. 

The original organization of this lodge at East Attleborough occurred January 1:2. 1*70, 
under the necessary dispensation from the Grand Lodge of the State. This dispensation 
expired September 0, 1871. and at that time grand officers came here to regularly institute the 
lodge and install its officers. There were twenty-four charter members. Since its institution 
this lodge has grown rapidly and almost uninterruptedly, and at present has about one hundred 
and seven members. 

The Past Masters are: Daniel II. Smith, Albert R.Crosby, George F. Bicknell, Edwin L. 
Crandall, Charles E. Bliss, Herbert X. Mason, Benjamin P. King. William J. Thompson. 
Officers for 18S7 : W. M., Edward 0. Martin: S. W.. J. Lyman Sweet; J. W.. Clarence E. 
Richards; Secretary. Orville P. Richardson, Jr.: Treasurer. Fred. a. Mason; Chaplain. Hiram 
A. Philbrookj Marshal, William H. Goff; T. D., Eugene II. Richardson; J. I)., George II. 
Herrick; S. S.. William II. Sargent; J. S., Wilbur R. Wetherell; 1. S., Thomas J. Wain- 
wright; Orator, Albert W. Winsor: Tyler. James Howarth. 

KING HIRAM ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER. 

This is a flourishing chapter in East Attleborough. It received its charter March 7. 1876. 
The officers for the year lss7 were as follows: M. E. II. P., Owen B. Bestor; E. K., Arthur T. 



1 It is a significant fact that he was admitted to the order before reaching the age of twenty -one. 
He was the first, and is probably the only person in the country of whom that fact can be stated, as 
no one is eligible for membership in a Masonic lodge before attaining his majority. In Washing. 
ton's case it was made possible only by special dispensation from England. 



410 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

Parker; E. 8.. William L. Elliot; Chaplain. Benjamin P. King; »'. of H., Luke C. Keith: 
P. S., Alfred R.Crosby; R. A. C, John W. Luther; M. of 3d V.. Alvah C. Luther; M. of 
2d V.. Edward C. .Martin: M. of 1st V., Daniel II. Smith: Secretary. D. Edward Wilmaith: 
Treasurer, Edward H. Frink; Senior, Horatio E. White. 

BRISTOL COMMANDERY OF KNIGHTS TEMPLAR. 

This commandery is at North Attleborough. Its officers for 1*87 were: E. C, James A. 
Codding; General, J. Lyman Sweet: Captain General, T. B. Hazzard; S. W.. R. B. Car- 
penter; J. W., Owen B. Bestor; T.. S. E. Fisher; R., Arthur T. Parker: St. B., Edwin Whit- 
ne) : Sw. T... C. W. Fisher: W.. Thomas <i. Sandland. 

A.URORA LODGE, I. < >. <>. F. 

Unlike the order of Free and Accepted Masons, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows is of 
comparatively recent date, which makes its rapid growth and great prosperity the more note- 
worthy. The first societies known were in London in the early part of the last century and 
they were styled "Ancient and Honorable Odd Fellows." The first known in this country 
was in the early part of the present century, in 1819, when a lodge was formed in Baltimore, 
and was a branch of the English order. It was not till 1826 that American lodges became 
independent. Since that time the American order has increased remarkably, until at the 
P resent time it has branches in almost every State and Territory and in many foreign lands. 
[ts principles are well known to be of the highest morality, and it enjoins special charity work, 
which is not confined to pecuniary aid alone, among needy members, and large sums are annu- 
ally expended in the various lodges in caring for the families of deceased members. The order 
of odd Fellowship has degrees, or stages, which must be passed in order to gain full member- 
ship: such are the initiatory, the pink, the blue, and lastly, the scarlet degree. There are also 
encampments to which only members of the scarlet degree are eligible, though this member- 
ship is not necessary to real Odd Fellowship. 

The history of this order in town dates back over thirty years, to January 29, 1846, when 
Aurora Lodge Number 107 was instituted. The charter members who signed the petition for 
permission to organize a lodge were Abraham Ilayward. Thaddeus Phelps. Alfred Barrows, 
Joseph D. Pierce. Lemuel Bishop, Benjamin F. Ilamnmr, Samuel D. Foote. and Daniel Evans. 
the latter being the only survivor. 1 The first meetings were held in the second story of a 
schoolhouse.- which stood near the site of the present Oldtown schoolhouse, the only avail- 
able place that could be found. The surroundings were lowly, but the spirit of enthusiasm in 
the members was lofty. The first officers were: N. G.. A. Hay ward: V. G., T. Phelps; Secre- 
tary. D. Evans: Treasurer, A. Tifft. The lodge increased with great rapidity, though the 
growth proved an unhealthy one. The building in which the members met was much dilapi- 
dated, and though its rude decorations may have been in keeping with a small beginning, at 
the end of a few months ampler and better accommodations became necessary. These were 
obtained in North Attleborough, and on July 23, 1846, the hall, which was later occupied by 
the Masons, was dedicated. It was furnished with elegance, and every prospect for the future 
of the lodge looked flattering in the extreme. Appearances were, however, deceitful, dis- 
couragements took the place of bright prospects, and there was a great decrease in interest. 
May 13, 1851, the lodge moved to a hall on Orne Street where it was hoped by some that the 
lost prestige would be regained. This was not the case, for deaths and removals followed the 
change in location, until existence alone became a struggle, and Aurora Lodge was little more 
than a name. 

Under all difficulties and depressions, however, there were some faithful ones who did not 
despair, and finally, long after many thought the lodge was extinct, it was through their 
earnest efforts revived. About 1808 a new lease of life seemed to be taken. The growth was 
at first gradual, but it was sure, and the subsequent prosperity of the lodge has been very 
great. In ls71 it- success was so assured that it was able to contract for a building to cosl 
$20,000. On November 14 of that year the cornerstone was laid by the Right Worthy Grand 



Since deceased. -This muS | have been the room previously occupied by the debating societies. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGR. 417 

Lodge of Massachusetts, with the ceremonies of the order in ancient form. This buildiim was 
completed in July, 1875, and dedicated on the tenth of the following November. The upper 
story is reserved for the use of the lodge, is handsomely furnished, and admirably adapted to 
the purpose for which it was designed. 

The present membership is one hundred and forty. Since its organization the thirty-two 
gentlemen whose names are here given have served the lodge as Noble Grand: namely: 
Daniel Evans. T. G. Sandland, D. D. Kent, F. G.Whitney, A. N. Quinby, E. A. Luther, W. J. 
Follett, E. R. Darling, John Thompson. J. N. Hall. S. A. Gross. F. Doll, S. Totten, II. G. 
Grant, C. F. Jackson, F. L. Burden, F. G. Pate, E. S. M. Perkins, George W. Fisher. George 
Dietz, L. V. Witherell, L. C. Tifft, G. W. French, B. Porter. Jr.. A. Totten, B. C. Rhodes, 
H. E. Coombs, G. B. Whiting, D. Thompson, W. D. Wemmell, H. L. Kent. R. G. Temple. 
The officers for 1887 were P. G., R. G. Temple; N. G.. E. J. Bacon ; V. G.. 'William McCoombs; 
Recording Secretary, David Thompson; Treasurer, Horace L. Kent; Representatives, I>. 
Thompson, James Totten, L. C. Tifft; Permanent Secretary, Ambrose Kurtz. 

HOWARD ENCAMPMENT. 

Until 184(1 Aurora Lodge was the only society of Odd Fellows in town, but on August 5 of 
that year Howard Encampment Number 19 was instituted in the hall occupied by Aurora 
Lodge. It had a checkered existence for a few years, and finally, in 1850, surrendered its char- 
ter. This was restored February 21, 1876, at which time the lodge was reinstituted, and since 
then it has been steadily increasing, both in numbers and financial strength, until now it> con- 
dition is in every way prosperous. About eighteen gentlemen have held the highest office in 
this lodge, that of Chief Patriarch, and many of them are prominent in other orders. The 
officers who were elected in 1887 are as follows: C. P., Walter E. Cook; H. P.. Sullivan Eaton; 
S. W.. A. Rosenberg; Treasurer, A. N. Quinby: R. S., David Thompson; J. W., F. R. 
DeLisle. The number of members is sixty-six. 

ORIENT LODGE. 

With the increase in the population of the town there was a corresponding increase in the 
membership of Aurora Lodge, after its revival, and in due time there was a demand for 
another lodge of the same order, and Orient Lodge. No. 105, was organized. It was composed 
at first entirely of members of Aurora Lodge, thirty-four in number. A petition for a charter, 
signed by the late Gideon 31. Horton aud twenty-nine other gentlemen, was sent to the Grand 
Lodge of the State, and the organization of the new lodge soon followed. It was instituted 
October 2. 1873. Its first place of meeting was in Briggs' Block, in the hall now occupied by the 
Grand Army. This hall was used for eleven years, but at the end of that time it was thor- 
oughly outgrown, and on August 10, 1884, the lodge removed to larger quarters iu Horton's 
Block. Here it had a convenient and well-furnished hall. It has elaborate and costly para- 
phernalia, and has attained an excellent position as to numbers and financial condition. Much 
effective charitable work has been done in looking after sick and needy members, and this .are 
has been extended to the children of those who have died. As in similar organizations, a 
watch is also kept over the conduct of all members. That the existence of this lodge has been 
uncommonly prosperous is shown by the fact that at the end of fourteen years it numbered one 
hundred and sixty-eight members. In May. 1S87, it moved into the commodious and elegant 
quarters prepared lor it in Bates Opera House. 

The first elective officers were: N. G.. Gideon M. Horton: V. G..John Baxter; R. S., Elijah 
R. Read: Treasurer, Stephen T. Smith; P. S., C. H. Fond. The following named gentlemen 
have held the office of Noble Grand: G. M. Horton, John Baxter, E. II. Read. George A. 
Adams, C. C. Wilmarth, W. S. Wilbur, W. H. Golf, N. Hicks, J. J. Horton. I). E. Adams, 
C. F. Harwood, J. W. Pratt. Joseph Heywood. E. A. Sweeney. A. D. Dean, XV. C. Sherman, 
E. B. Bromiley, II. A. Clark, F. S. Sweet. II. E. Durgin, John Slater, M. L. Chapman, C. W. 
Blackinton. Officers for 1887: X. G.,E. D. Gilmore; V. G.. E. D. Guild; R.S., J. S. Richards; 
T.. II. L. Carpenter; Warden, G. A. Taylor; Con., W. E. Newman; Chaplain, John Slater; 
R. s. N. <;., H. E. White: L. S. N. G.. E. L. Waterman; R. S. V. G., XV. E. Carpenter; 
L. s. y. G., H. E. Briggs; R. S. S., F. E. Smith: L. S. S., W. Ashley; I. G.. L. Carpenter; 
O. G., E. C. Burtouwood. 



418 A SKETCH OF THE 

CANTON kTTLEBOROUGH, M >. 18, PATRtARCHS MILITANT. 

This lodge was instituted in December, 1886. The officers for L887wereas follow-: Captain, 
Albert Totten; Lieutenant, Edward \. Sweeney; Ensign, Newton J. Sweet; Clerk, Walter 
P. Marble; Accountant, Nehemiab Hicks. 

ESTHEB LODGE, DAUGHTERS OF REBEKAH. 

There is a degree in the order of Odd Fellowship called Daughters of Llebekab. This was 
instituted in I —- ~» l for the benefit of the women connected with the families ol members of the 
order. It contains beneficiary <>r insurance arrangements similar in nature to such in other 
organizations, but, unlike some, limiting the benefits to members alone. The order of this 
degree, called Esther Lodge, No. 12, Daughters of Rebekah, has recently been organized in 
town. It is in excellent condition, well manage d, and has promise of a strong, healthy growth. 
The officers for 1SS7 were: X. «... Lucie .1. Keuney; Y. <;.. Maggie Cumberland ; R. S., Emily 
Loughlin; F. S., Mabel Kent; Treasurer. Lizzie Semple; Warden, Lisa Schmadl; Con.. Ida 
Kent: I. (...Ada Schmadl; O. G., Thomas Southwick; K. S. N. G., Julia Blackinton; L. S. 
N. «... Eugenie Jordan ; U.S. V. <;.. Annie Barr; L. S. Y. <;.. Amy Thompson. 

SUMNER LODGE. 

The Knights ol' Pythias have a flourishing organization at North Attleborough, in Sumner 
Lodge, No. 62, which was, instituted November .">. 1874, in the old hall over T.E.Hancock's 
-tore. This place answered the purpose of the lodge but a short time, and it then moved into 
the old hall of the odd Fellows on Orne Street, where it remained several years. In L880 a 

si nd removal was made to the present commodious quarters in Barrows Block. The lodge 

room i- one of the most elegant in the State, the value of it- furnishings and paraphernalia 

being estimated at Let ween $12, I and $15,000. Since the institution of this lodge about one 

hundred and thirty-five " Knights " have been made, and the present number of members is 
about eighty. This large decrease in membership is due to the fact that not long since a 
number of the members who resided in Easl Attleborough withdrew to form a lodge of this 
order in that part of the town, and represents no change in the very prosperous condition of 
the mother lodge. Sumner Lodge has accomplished a large amount of good in a quiet way, 
spending many hundred- of dollars in the care of the sick and dying, and ha- often performed 
the la-t rite- of respect at the graves of deceased members. 

Following are the officers for lssT: P. ('.. Elton E. Whiting: ('. C, II. <i. Weiler; Y. «'.. 
Aaron Bennett; Prel., F. < >. Coombs; K. of li. and s.. Thomas McAlpine; M. of T.. 
A. II. Knight; M. at A.. Henry T. Jordan; M. of E., I>. E. Hawkins; 1. G., Benjamin E. 
Pierce; 0. <•.. E. S. Allen. Representatives to the Grand Lodge and trustees are also chosen 
annually. 

PYTHAGORAS L<>lx;K. 

Pythagoras Lodge, Xo. 7b. Knights of Pythias, wa- instituted .May 26, 1885, with forty-nine 
charter member-. Its membership is composed chiefly of young and enthusiastic business 
men. who have labored with generous ardor to build up their lodge. Since its beginning this 
organization has been marked by a steady growth, and its influence, emanating from the con- 
duct :1ml bearing of it- members, has been commendable, commanding the respect and good 
wishes of the community. 

The place of meeting i- "Castle Hall," Bates' Block. Officers for lssT were a- follow-: 
P.C., J. L. Wells; C. C, E. <>. Richardson: V. C, George H. Snell; Prel., George A. Adams; 
K.of R. andS., Frank P. Keeler; M. of E., L. M. Leach; M. at A., S. M. Holman, Jr.; Trus- 
tee for eighteen months, J. Perry Carpenter. There are several other offices which are tilled 
by appointment. 

WASHINGTON LODGE, KNIGHTS OF HONOR. 

There are several associations in town, organized within a few years, which are especially 
beneficial in their nature. The original and continued cost of membership i- very reasonable, 
and they afford their member- an excellent life insurance, with a yearly rate of increase. «>t 
these associations Washington Lodge, Xo. ism. was organized under authority from the Grand 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOEOUGH. 410 

Lodge of this state. Its charter membership was nineteen, since increased to thirty-two, the 
present number. The lodge is in a prosperous condition, and there are constant applications 
for membership. The following are the officers elected for 1887: Dictator, J. Norman Hall; 
Vice-Dictator, Henry C. C'owell; Assistant Dictator, George F. Cheever; Treasurer. F. (.. 
Pate; Representative, W.H.Kling; Financial Representative, L. V. Witherell ; chaplain. La 
Burton Warren: Guide, L. H. Pherzon; Inside Sentinel. L. H. Pherzon; Outside Sentinel. 
C. Dobra. 

ATTLEBOROUGH COUNCIL <>F THE ROYAL ARCANUM. 

This council, No. 366, was organized August 8, 1879, with nineteen charter members, and it 
was instituted by officers of the Grand Council of Massachusetts. The laws of this association 
afford to full-rate members an insurance of $3,000, and to half-rate members one of $1,500. 
Since its organization this lodge has lost six full members: Edwin J. Horton, Eliot Hunt, 
Charles E. Flayward, Job Savery, Benjamin J. Angell, and Gideon M. Horton. and has paid 
out on account of these deaths the sum of $18,000. It has sixty members, and is in a thriving 
condition. The following were officers for 1887: Regent, Charles C. Wilmarth; Vice-Regent, 
A. Vinton Cobb; Past Regent, William Nerney; Secretary. Charles O. Sweet; Treasurer, 
Lucius /.Carpenter; Chaplain. Benjamin P. King: Orator. David E. Makepeace; Collector, 
Charles A. Wetherell; Guide, Frederick M. Ellis; Warden. Eugene M. Skinner; Sentry, 
J. Shepard Richards. 

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH COUNCIL ROYAL ARCANUM. 

This council was instituted March 15, 1887. by Grand Secretary II. S. Worrall. Its place ot 
meet in- i- Pythian Hall, and there are thirty members. At the time of the institution the fol- 
lowing officers were installed: Past Regent, J. A. Codding; Regent, W. H. Adair ; Vice-Regent, 
O. W. Clifford; Orator. G. W. Lyman; Chaplain, C. A. Reed; Secretary, Frank H. Cutler; 
Treasurer, G. W. Waterman; Collector. H. H. Hill: Guide. George E. Cummings; Warden. 
N. E. Moore: Sentry, C. H. Peck; Trustees. E. R. Price. E. S. Cargill, B. S. Freeman. 

MAGNOLIA COUNCIL, NO. 121, AMERICAN LEGION OK HONOR. 

The charter fortius council was given to thirty persons, and it was instituted at East Attle- 
borough, May 24, lssO. Its present number of members i> sixty-six. Officers for l*s7: Com- 
mander, Charles M. Rhodes; Vice-Commander. Mrs. Elizabeth Stewart; Past Commander, 
F. D. Hall; Secretary, R. Zequeira; Treasurer, Mrs. Emily Cooper; Collector, John L. Tobitt; 
Chaplain. Mrs. Isaac Pettis; Orator. John Cooper; Guide, Eben Hirons; Warden, G. P. Wil- 
liams; Sentry, Isaac Pettis. 

MASSASOIT COUNCIL, NO. 270, AMERICAN LEGION <>1 HONOR. 

This council was instituted at North Attleborough, July 30. ISsO. Its charter members num- 
bered nineteen, and its present membership is thirty-three. It meets in Pythian Hall on Wash- 
ington Street. This organization insures its members for sums varying from $500 to $5,000. 
The officers for 1887 were: Past Commander, E. R. Richardson; Commander, Herbert K. 
Sturdy : Vice-Commander, Hamilton A. Kendall: Secretary, Jesse D. Bates; Treasurer. 
Charles T. Guild; Orator, Horace M. Scribner; Collector. Paul Schmidt; Chaplain. Benjamin 
W. Goode; Guide. Ira V. Dunbar; Warden, Samuel Hamlin; Sentry, W. P. Whittemore; 
Medical Examiner, Dr. F. L. Burden. 

DIONYS LODGE, NO. 317. 

This is an association of a similar nature to the above, and belongs to a German order. Its 
members are German citizens entirely, ami in its meetings no language but the German is 
used. The order in this country started in 1S49, and now extends all over the States and into 
some of the Territories and since its commencement has paid to beneficiaries more than 
$800,000. The principle of the order is " Charity.'* the motto. " Friendship, Love, and Human- 
ity," which is almost exactly like that of Odd Fellowship — " Friendship, Love, and Truth." 
Dionys Lodge was instituted July 29, 1873, at North Attleborough, and has a present member- 
ship of fifty-six. It pays to sick members 85 per week, and in case of death the sum of $500 to 



420 A SKETCH OF THE 

the family of the deceased. Following are the officers for 1887: <>. !>., John Bet/: V. I'... 
Ernst Henbach; Secretary. Amand Witzke; Treasurer. Charles W. FTempel; Prchf., Henry 
Stetter; Representative to Grand Lodge, Otto Driesner. 

I'ENMM.lnX LODGE, N< ». 4t. 4NCIENT ORDER in UNITED WORKMEN. 

The order hearing this title is an organization " for the mutual benefit of its members and 
their families," and is composed of subordinate and grand lodges and one supreme lodge. It 
is. though its name implies differently, a modern organization, dating ils origin from 
Meadville, Penn., on October 27, 1868. It has had a wonderful growth, and is represented all 
over the land. This order has various degrees, with appropriate initiatory ceremonies, and 
like all the others mentioned is secret in its character and beneficial in its workings, not only 
financially, but morally. By the yearly payment of a very small sum. $-2,000 is secured to the 
family of each member — or to any person designated by him — who dies in full and honora- 
ble standing, and during the first fifteen years of its existence the order paid out in this way 
over $7,500,000 " without one dollar of loss or defalcation." 

PENNINGTON LODGE, X". II. was instituted June 19. 1SS:>, with twenty-two charter mem- 
bers, and it now has ninety-five. Its first officers were: Past Master Workman, G. M. Horton; 
Master Workman, X. J. Smith; Foreman, J. W. Luther; Overseer. John Slater: Recorder, 
F. L. Le Baron; Financier, J. L. Lamb; Receiver, J. L. Sweet; Guide, S. It. Briggs; Inside 
Watchman, C. W. Sherman; Outside Watchman. C. H. Bates; Medical Examiner, J. \V. 
Battershall; Trustees. G. M. Horton, George F. Holmes, J. W. Battershall. The officers for 
1887 were: Past Master Workman. Emmons D. Guild; Master Workman, George A. Taylor; 
Foreman, Herbert H. Clark; Overseer. George O. Wilmarth; Regent, Thomas D. Gardner; 
Financier, H. E. Durgin; Recorder, L. Z. Carpenter; Guide, George H. Smith; Inside Watch- 
man, Charles Keeler; Outside Watchman. Louis B. Kingman; Medical Examiner, J. W. 
Battershall; Trustees. G. T. Holmes. J. W. Battershall, L. Z. Carpenter. 

MOUNT HOPE LODGE, N< >. 67. 

This lodge of the same order was organized at Xorth A.ttleborough, August 30, 1886. The 
original number of members was twenty-seven, and there was no increase until April, L887, 
when two new members were admitted. The following were the officers for 1887 : Past Mas- 
ter Workman. T. G. Sandland; Master Workman, If. P. Richards; Foreman. George W. 
Cheever; Overseer. H. W. Sherman: Regent, J. H. Peckham; Financier. Alpin Chisholm; 
Recorder, J. A. Codding; Inside Watchman. E. F. Whiting; Outside Watchman, O. II. 
Atwood; Trustees, F. L Harden. X. B. Follett, S. E. Fisher. 

ATTLEBOROUGH YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION. 

The preliminary meeting having in view the formation of this association was held in the 
Methodist Church, October 10, 1867; the second in the Second Congregational Church on Octo- 
ber 22, when a constitution was adopted and the following officers elected : namely, President . 
X. (.'. Luther; Vice-President, J. O. Tiffany; Secretary and Treasurer, C. G. Hill; Standing 
Committee, C. E. Bliss. C. L. Fuller. C. E. Carpenter, and Freeman Robbins. Among the 
charter members were Rev. F. X. Peloubel and Rev. A. Anderson, then pastors of the Second 
Congregational and Methodist churches respectively. 

In May, 1868, the association voted to hire Dean's Building, opposite the old postoffice, for a 
reading-room ami meeting-place, and the first meeting held in these, their own quarters, was 
on the thirtieth of June following. They remained in this building (which meanwhile changed 
hands and became the property of W. II. Hardin) until the spring of 1886, when the increased 
interest manifested in the work, and especially in the Sabbath afternoon meetings, made ir nec- 
essary to obtain ampler accommodations, and rooms were secured in Pierce's Block, on Park 
Street. Religious meetings have been held here on Sunday and Thursday evenings, with an 
attendance on Sunday varying from sixty to a hundred young num. and occasional religious 
work is also done in outlying districts of the town. A thoroughly good work has been in prog- 
ress under the auspices of this organization during the twenty years of its existence — often 
in the face of great discouragements, when many of the members have lost interest. There 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 421 

have always been, however, ''the faithful few," whose courage has never failed, and whose 
zeal has always been practically manifested. The work, though varying in amount from year 
to year, has never been entirely interrupted, and much tangible good has been accomplished. 
There is now a growing appreciation on the part of the general community of the benefits 
resulting from the labors of this association, and appeals for assistance in carrying out its 
purposes have met with very liberal responses. There are at present eighty active and twenty- 
eight associate members. Increased efforts and more extended work are contemplated, and 
the association looks forward to a building of its own, as soon as practicable. 1 

The following gentlemen have served as presidents: Nathan C. Luther, three terms; Charles 
E. Bliss, one term; Hartford S. Babcock, one term; Alvin F. Wood, one term; Edwin J. 
Horton, eight terms; Homer M. Daggett, two terms; Samuel W. Gould, four terms. Pol- 
lowing are the various secretaries in their order: Calvin G. Hill, Edwin J. Horton, Job B. 
Savery, George E. Luther, William H. Gould, Benjamin P. King, Albert H. Tucker. Officers 
for 1887 were: President, A. Vinton Cobb; Secretary, G. M. Chace. 

WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION. 

The rise of this large and powerful organization throughout the land must be attributed to 
the temperance raids by the women of Ohio in 1874. Fanatics these were called — the leaders 
in every reformation are; unwomanly — perhaps so in many instances; overstepping the 
bounds of their proper sphere in life — that may be to some extent true; interfering in what 
was none of their business — no; too many of them through husbands, brothers, and sons 
were suffering from the evils of the dreadful curse they longed and sought to remove. They 
certainly placed themselves in a position to induce the severe criticism which was liberally be- 
stowed, and their methods may have been unwise, but the end has justified the means. From 
that little band of crazy enthusiasts, as they were termed, has sprung up a great order of 
women banded together by the strongest tie — a common love and a common sorrow — to fight 
the universal ill, which is acknowledged to be a terrible scourge. The members of this order 
are of every rank in life, from the wife and daughter of the laborer to ladies of the highest cul- 
tivation and rank; so indeed were the crusaders, many of them being ladies of refinement and 
of high social position. The members of the unions are doing their varied forms of woman's 
work in a womanly way, but none the less in a determined and businesslike manner, and many 
forward steps have been taken and much good has been already accomplished. Then' are 
town, county, and State leagues, each one independent in its own special work, but mutually 
dependent in that common to all, and above and uniting all there is a grand or national league. 
These are all thoroughly organized, their business affairs properly managed and well conducted. 
To the fundamental work — which is still supreme — are added various forms of charitable 
work, as location or circumstance may dictate, and especially the remedy for ills which are 
engendered by other vices than that of intemperance is sought for. Earnest and conscientious 
efforts have been and still are being put forth in every direction possible, and each year brings 
encouragements not only in increase of numbers and formation of new unions, but in other 
visible good results to the labors. 



1 This building has been erected. During the latter part of L888 some preparatory work was begun : 
the cornerstone was laid in the spring of 1SS9, and the building dedicated in the autumn of the same 
year. Land was purchased of Dr. J. It. Bronson, on County Street, near its intersection with 
Park Street. The building is about 34 by 58 feet in size, and two stories high above the basement. 
The latter includes the gymnasium, bathroom, etc.; the first story, reading-room, parlor, boys' room, 
and ollice ; and the second story, two class or lecture rooms. The cost of building and land was about 
$10,000. Toward this sum the largest contributor was Mr. J. M. Fisher; the two next largest, Mr. 
S. W. Gould and Mr. M. E. Rowe, while Mr. J. L. Sweet made a very generous promise to be fulfilled 
when a certain amount of the entire sum should be raised. It is lining to mention the names of 
Edwin J. Horton, Samuel W. Gould, and A. Vinton Cobb as very earnest practical workers in the 
cause of this association. Previous to the erection of the new building a Ladies' Auxiliary was 
formed, which, as its name indicates, aids the work of the association in various ways. The organi- 
zation here has been very efficient. 



422 .1 SKETCH OF THE 

ATTLEBOEOUGH WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION. 

Through the efforts oi Rev. (Mrs.) Ellen <'. Gustin, then vice-president of the Massa- 
chusetts Temperance Union, a convention for Bristol County was held in the Second Congre- 
gational Church, this town, on April 20, l*7<;. This meeting was addressed by various per- 
sons engaged in the cause, and considerable interest was apparently awakened. By arising 
vote it was decided to form a union in the East village. A nominating committee was 
appointed by Mrs. Gustin, and those ladies whose names were presented to the meeting by this 
committee were unanimously elected to the various offices. These were: Mrs. C. E. Luther, 
president; Mrs. N. M. Daggett, vice-president; Mrs. L. B. Sweet, secretary; Miss C. C. 
Thacher, treasurer. An executive committee numbering twelve was also chosen, but by a 
subsequent vote was reduced to seven in number. 

The firsl business meeting was beld at the residence ol Mrs. Samuel Holman, on the twenty- 
fourth of the same month, April, 1876, and a constitution was then adopted. At the same time 
it was announced that the Young .Men's Christian Association bad offered the use of it- reading- 
room to the Union. This courtesy was gratefully accepted and acknowledged. It was freely 
extended for a period of nearly ten years, for it was not until December 2. iss.">. that the union 
moved into its own pleasant ball in Horton's Block. This kindness on the part of a society not 
overbountifully supplied with funds was always properly appreciated, and it was with much 
pleasure that the ladies at one special time found opportunity to give tangible proof of their 
thankfulness, in assisting to raise funds for the young men's association, which sonic of them 
did to a considerable amount. 

The yearly dues in this organization arc only fifty cents. Large sums are not required for 
carrying on its particular lines of work, though more or less is done in the way of charity, 
which requires money. When funds arc needed entertainments are given, and many eon- 
ducted by the ladies of this union have been both pleasant and profitable. To the small mem- 
bership at the start there have been large accessions, and the union has now one hundred and 
one active members and eleven honorary members. 

The officers for 1SS7 were: President, Mrs. C. E.Luther; Vice-Presidents (two from each 
church), Mrs. L. B. Sweet, Mrs. Charles Blackinton, Mrs. Lowell Brown, Mrs. J. Jordan, 
Mrs. L. J. Lamb. Mrs. Edwin Claflin, and Rev. Mrs. Gustin; Recording Secretary. Mrs. A. E. 
Richards; Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. Helen A. Wexel; Treasurer. Mrs. Harford Capron ; 
Assistant Treasurer, Mrs. Abijab Wales. 

There is a large and flourishing Baud of Hope earned on by the members of this union. 

ATTLEBOROUGH YOUNG WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION. 

This union for young ladies was organized October 19, 1S85, by Miss E. S. Tobey, president 
of the Massachusetts State Union. The first officers were: Mrs. E. A. Cummings, president; 
Miss Annie Wheaton, and Mrs. Clara Mason, vice-presidents; Mis- A. L. .lone-, secretary; 
Miss I. L. Bacon, treasurer. This union is independent of the other, but unites with it in 
hiring a hall. Its methods for raising money are the same, and this is applied for charitable 
work as is necessary. Every year something is done for the Flower Mission in town. There 
are about fifty active members, and twenty-four honorary members. Following are the officers 
for L887: President. Mis- Florence Fisher: Vice-Presidents, Mi" Annie Wheaton and Mrs. 
Clara Mason; Recording Secretary, Miss B. II. Webber: Corresponding Secretary, Miss E. E. 
Gavitt : Treasurer. Miss Alice 1). Graham. [No longer in existence.] 

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION. 

On the morning of Maj 3, L876,jus1 two weeks subsequent to the meeting held in the Easl 
village, a meeting was held in the Free Evangelical Church at North Attleborough, under the 
auspices of the state Union, having in view the formation of a union there. At this meeting, 
Mrs. Richards, of Charlestown, Mrs. Ward, of Salem, and Mis- Oliver, of Boston, were the 
speaker-. A second meeting was held in the afternoon of the same day, which was opened 
with prayer by Mrs. Gustin, who also made remarks. An original poem by Mrs. Sweet and 
an essay by Mi--. Holman were read. It was al that time decided to organize a union, ami the 
following officers were elected: President, Mrs. Canfield; Vice-President, Mrs. E. French; 



' HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 423 

Secretary and Treasurer, Mrs. H. Rice; and an executive board numbering six ladies. The 
first elected president served but three months, and since that time the following named ladies 
have occupied that ottice: Mrs. Copeland served nearly three years; Mrs. Thompson, one 
year; Mrs. Kendall, one year; Mrs. Copeland, again, for one year; Mrs. Wood, one year; Mrs. 
Draper, four years, and still continues. 

This union has devoted itself chiefly to the distribution of temperance literature, and the 
suppression of that of an impure character, to Sunday-school, juvenile, and evangelistic work, 
to press and legal work, to town and county fairs, narcotics and tobacco, and to temperance 
instruction for the children of the public schools. A considerable and encouraging work has 
been accomplished, and the union is prospering, with a membership of one hundred and 
thirteen. 

The officers in 1887 were: President, Mrs. Lafayette Draper; Recording Secretary, yir>. 
Eugene Fisher; Corresponding Secretary, Mrs. Copeland; Treasurer, Mrs. A. G. Hatch; Vice- 
Presidents, Mrs. J. G. Barden, Mrs. J. B. Hatch, Mrs. A. M. Sperry, Mrs. Phillips, Mrs. 
Pliny Thomas; these with the other officers forming the executive hoard. 

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH YOUNG WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION. 

This union was organized October 15, 1886. It has at present sixty-three active members 
and twenty-three honorary members. Its work has been especially in the Flower Mission, 
temperance literature and amongst railroad employees, and it has been carried on with much 
zeal and enthusiasm. 

Great efforts have been made in this part of the town to secure signers to the temperance 
pledge, and the Reform Club has also claimed the attention of the union. The children in the 
Sunday-schools were pledged, and in 1880 a society named the Children's Gospel Temperance 
Society was organized by Mrs. Kendall and Mrs. Copeland, and out of that has grown the 
present children's society. In 1S83 the name was changed to the Band of Hope, and in 188.5 to 
the present one of Loyal Legion. Since this society was first formed four hundred and fifty 
names have been enrolled upon its books, and it is now in a very prosperous condition. In 
the various ladies' temperance unions the aim is as far as possible to first set the children right, 
and through them — by their influence in great measure — to reach and benefit parents and 
elders, and in these as in general charities this has proved to be an efficient way to accomplish 
the desired ends. 

KELLOGG DIVISION, NO. 115, SONS OF TEMPERANCE. 

This society was instituted February 7. 1885, and has its hall for meetings in Horton's Block 
The officers for 1SS7 were: W. P., Charles D. Knight; W. A., Harry Carlyle; R. S., William 
Miller; A. R. S., Frank Stearns; F. S., Hattie Mallery ; T., Charles Streeter; Chaplain, Samuel 
Hodson; Con., Bertha Pease; A. C, Annie Dow; I. S., Miss Kingman ; O. S., Clark Newell. 

CARLISLE LODGE, NO. 200, INDEPENDENT ORDER OF GOOD TEMPLARS. 

This lodge was instituted September 22, 1880, and also meets in Horton's Block. Its officers 
for the year 1S87 were: W. C. T., Sheldon Williams; W. S., Sanford L. Wood; W. F. S., 
E. C. Newell; W. Treasurer, Alfred Mowry. 

HOPE LODGE, 1 NO. 116, SONS OF TEMPERANCE. 

This lodge meets at Central Church, Attleborough Falls, and was instituted March 22, 1885. 
Following are the officers for 1887: W. P., William H. Robinson; W. A. R. S., Valentine Den- 
zer; A. R. S., Charles Carpenter; F. S., C. N". Richardson; T.. H. D. Dean; Chaplain, Maggie 
Denzer; C, Cora Miller; A. S., Mrs. Jesse Andrews; P. W. P., G. O. Jenness; I. S., Samuel 
Miller; O. S., E. C. Stanley. 



'Or Ray of Hope Division, Sons of Temperance. 



424 -A- SKETCH OF THE 

oLIVK BRANCH DIVISION, N' >. I IT. SONS OF TEMPERANCE. 

Tliis lodge meets in Gould's Block on Washington Street, North Attleborough. Itsofficersiu 
1887 were as follows : W. P., Harrj A.Holt; P. W. P.,Henrj S. Shea; W. A., Miss Dora P. 
Nightingale; F. S., Charles E. Metcalf ; Treasurer, Burgess Howland. 

Fur some years there was a lodge of the Temple of Honor in town, but it has recently been 
disbanded. 1 

POKANOKET TRIBE. NO. 38, ORDER OF RED MEN. 

This lodge was instituted in East Attleborough, March 15, 1887, and the following officers 
were installed by Grand Sachem W. J. Dinsmore of the Grand Council of Massachusetts, 
seventy-five " palefaces" having been previously made into - red men" : Pasl Sachem, George 
Randall; Sachem, Edward A. Sweeney; Senior Sagamore, George II. Smith; Junior Saga- 
more, Alfred II. Chatterton; Prophet, George Randall; Keeper of Records, Edgar L. Black- 
intou: Assistant Keeper of Records, Louis U. Cooper; Keeper of Wampum, Benjamin A. 
Sibley; First Sannap, Arthur F. Lincoln: Second Sannap, O. W. Hawkins ; Warriors, G. II. 
Uhlig, II. X. Alger, L. B. Kingman. J. B.Shaw; Braves, C.E.Richards, B. F. Blackinton, 
A. R. Bishop, A. A. McRae; Keeper of Wigwam, J. T. Inman; Keeper of Forest, J. B. 
Hodge. 

ATTLEBOROUGH BOARD OF HEALTH. 

At the annual town meeting held March 19, 1883, a Board of Health was for the first time 
established. The members then elected were: Elisha G. May. George N. Crandall, Joseph G. 
Barden, George Mackie, M.D., .lames R. Foster, m.d. Thisentire board was reelected for three 
years consecutively. At the last annual meeting of the town Everett S. Horton was elected a 
member in place of Mr. Crandall. Dr. Mackie has held the position — by election — of chair- 
man of the hoard since it came into existence, and Dr. Foster that of secretary in the same 

way. 

The duties of such an organization are too well understood to need explanation. The board 
here has made yearly detailed reports of its work, and these have been printed in the annual 
town report-, thus bringing information regarding its labors before the inhabitants. While in 
a town like this there may not be such serious need of this work as in our large and over- 
crowded cities, still even now the need is decidedly appreciable, and its good results apparent. 
With an increase of population and a more general introduction of so-called city improvements 
there will be a corresponding increase in the necessity for an efficient health department, and 
its real value will doubtless be more properly estimated. The town is wise in looking forward 
to the probable future, and in " taking time by the forelock" in this matter. 

During the first year of the existence of the board only live notices to put premise- into 
proper condition had been necessary, and in one instance only was a second notice required, 
suggestions to property owners having almost always proved sufficient. During the year 1882 
or 1883 not a single death occurred in the town from scarlet fever, measles, or smallpox; only 
one from whooping-cough and diphtheria, and only eight from typhoid fever. During the year 
1886 the board state that not a single legal notice with regard to the condition of premises had 
been served — an excellent showing. Of the hundred and sixty-eight death- reported for 
that year, nine only were from contagious diseases, four being from diphtheria, three from 
scarlatina, and two from typhoid fever. Consumption had caused the greatest number of 
death-, but on the whole the town was in a healthy condition and had been remarkably free 
from serious epidemics. 

The members of the board for 1SS7 were: Dr. dame- R. Foster, Dr. George Mackie, Everett 
s. Horton, Thomas P. McDonough, and Daniel II. Robinson. 

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH BOARD OF TRADE. 
This board was organized December 27, 1880. Its membership increased from lift y. the 
original number, until there were upwards of sixty members, among them many of the men 



■ some it' not all of these last-mentioned temperance organizations appear eitherto have disbanded 
or to have been merged into other orders, for none of these names seem to be extant at the present 

time, ts-.t:!. 



HISTORY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. 425 

of wealth and business influence in that village, the Falls, and Plainville. The meeting place 
was a room in Barrows' Block. The officers elected for 1SS7 were as follows: President, 
Edward R. Price; Vice-Presidents, Henry F. Barrows, Samuel E. Fisher, and Edward E. 
Barrows; Secretary, F. B. Byram; Treasurer, Henry F. Barrows, Jr. Although its condition 
was flourishing it was decided to abolish this organization, chiefly because there are so many 
others to maintain, and that was accordingly done in February, 1SS7. 

ATTLEBOROUGH BOARD OF TRADE. 

In November, 1881, this board was organized with about twenty-five members. The present 
number is twenty-nine. The first president was Joseph M. Bates. The second president, and 
the one holding that oflice in 1887, was Daniel Smith ; the vice-president, James II. Sturdy : and 
the secretary and treasurer, Orville Richardson, Jr. The board has a room in Horton's 
Block. [This organization has passed out of existence.] 

COMPANY C. ASSOCIATION. 

The real beginning of this association was a torchlight company which was formed in the 
East village during the Garfield and Arthur campaign in the autumn of 1880, and it gave itself 
the name of Company C. In the next presidential campaign, that of Blaine and Logan," many 
of the old boys, with some new ones, formed a company, and adopted the old name.'' On 
election night, November 4, 1884, they secured Room No. 19 in Horton Block and made arrange- 
ments for receiving election returns there. During that evening it was decided to form a 
permanent organization, and a committee was appointed to draft a constitution and by-laws. 
On November 11 this committee presented its report, which was accepted by the adoption of 
the constitution and by-laws prepared, ami the name of < lompany C. Association was formally 
assumed. The following officers were elected at that time: President, E. S. Norton: First 
Vice-President, George A. Adams; Second Vice-President, E. \V. Rhodes; Secretary, Fred. L. 
Morse; Treasurer, John McDonald; Executive Committee, C. H. Chappell, W. H. Blaney, 
W. L. King, E. S. Horton, and B. J. Augell; Auditing Committee, Fred. L. LeBaron, George 
A. Adams, and E. W". Rhodes. The number of members at the organization was forty-two. 

The object of the association is set forth in the preamble to the constitution: "The object 
of the Association shall be the maintenance and promulgation of the principles of the Repub- 
lican party, literary entertainment and social enjoyment." 

The officers for 1887-88 were: President, E. S. Horton; First Vice-Presideut, W. B. Allen; 
Second Vice-President, W. L. King; Secretary, C. J. McCIatchey; Assistant Secretary, J. A. 
Thayer; Treasurer, W. J. Newman; Executive Committee, George Randall. A. T. Wales, 
W. L. King, W. B. Allen, and F. L. LeBaron ; Auditing Committee, C. E. Richards, J. A. Thayer, 
and F. L. LeBaron. At this time the membership was eighty-seven. [The Association 
remained in the room first occupied until November, 1888. when it removed to Room No. 11 on 
the same floor of Horton Block. On July '2, 1888, it removed to the suite of rooms now occu- 
pied on the third floor of the same building. This consists of reception, reading, and billiard 
room, parlor and anteroom. "The number on its rolls at present — Feb. 1894 — is 242. 
The success of the Asso' is chiefly due to the personal interest taken by its members, the low 
cost which it has been, $3.00 per year for dues since its organization, and its exceptionally line 
list of periodicals, costing about a hundred dollars a year for subscriptions. Much of the 
success of the Asso' is due Ex Pres't E. S. Horton. whose zeal in behalf of the organization 
has been unflagging since its inception, and who still retains a lively interest in it. He was its 
Pres't from its organization until Nov. 3 rd 1893, when he declined to serve longer. He had 
several times before tried to retire, but the members would not hear to it." His successor is 
George A. Adams, Esq.] 

BANKS. 

The town has two national and one savings bank, and all are in a satisfactorily successful 
condition. 

The Attleborough Bank was started in 1836, and chartered by the state. Following is 
the act : — 

An Act to establish the Attleborough Bank. 

Jacob Bolkcom, Johnathan Bliss, and Richard Robinson their associates and successors, are 
hereby created a corporation, by the name of the President, Directors and Company of the 



426 - 1 SKETCH OF THE 

Utleboro Bank to be established in Attleborough, and shall so continue until the first day of 
October in the year I »ne rhousand Eight Eundred and Fifty One. And shall be entitled to all 
the privileges and powers and subject to all the duties, liabilities, and requirements contained 
in the Thirty Sixth chapter of the Revised Statutes passed the fourth day of November in the 
year One Thousand Eight Eundred and Thirty live. 
Capital Stock shall consisl of one Eundred Thousand Dollars. 

The first board of directors, elected in 1836, vv< re: N. W. Sanford, Jon" Bliss, Jacob Bolkcom, 
Samuel Carpenter, Willard Blackington, Capron Peck. Herbert M. Draper. William Otis, Rich- 
ard Robinson, Samuel B. Schenck, Laban M. Wheaton.i 

In 1858 the bank was removed from Easl to North Attleborough by Act of Legislature. 
The argumenl urged in favor of its removal was that the latter village represented a much 
larger amount of capita] than the former, and was therefore entitled to the hank, its require- 
ment in that direction being -renter than those of the east part of the town. In 1865 the 
organization was changed to a national hank with a capital of $100,000. The charter received 
at that time ran for twenty years. At its expiration in 1885 there was a reorganization and 
ii became the North Attleborough National Bank, and it- capital was iucreased to 
$150,000. President in 1887, Henry F. Barrows; Cashier. Edward R. Price. 

Following i- a li>t of the presidents from the beginning: N. W. Sanford, elected May 9, 1836; 
Samuel Carpenter, October 2, 1837; L. M. Wheaton, October I. 1852; E. Ira Richards, February 
II. 1856; Daniel Evans, January 27. 1875; Henry F. Barrows. 1885. This hank has a building. 
By Act of Legislature, the Attleborough Savings Bank was incorporated February 2, 
I860. The petitioners for the charter of thi> organization were E. I. Richards, J. D. Richards. 
II. M. Richards, and George .Morse. About a year after this petition was ratified, the corpora- 
tors organized and twenty-live gentlemen were elected by the petitioners as members of the 
organization. They chose Ezekiel Pates president and W. II. Robinson vice-president. These 
corporate members became depositors for small sums ranging from five to twelve dollars, simply 
to create a basis upon which to commence operations, and " during the first 15 months of the 
hank - - existence, nearly 25 names appeared upon its book- as regular depositors." The advan- 
tage of having in town a place of security for both the savings and the surplus soon came to be 
generallv recognized, and since the first year of the existence of this bank there has been a 
rapid increase both in the number of depositors and the amount of deposits. The members of 
the corporation are men of good judgment and business sagacity, and under their prudent. 
•• careful management, this savings-bank has often been pronounced one of the soundest in the 
State.'' The number of depositors i- 2.:;00 and the present amount of deposits in round num- 
ber- $800,000. In 1887 the officers were: President, Abiel Codding; Vice-President, George 
A. Dean; Secretary and Treasurer. Edward R. Price. Conduct- its business in National Bank 
Building. 

The First National Bank of Attleborough was chartered in 1875 with a capital of 
$100,000. Mr. Willard Blackinton, who had been one among the originators of the old Attle- 
borough Bank, was one of the gentlemen most actively interested in obtaining the charter for 
this new hank. He was elected its first president, and two years after its establishment he 
died suddenly at the bank in Sturdy's Building while engaged in the performance of one of the 
duties of his office — presiding at a meeting of the board of directors. Mr. J. 31. Bates was 
hosen his successor and has retained the office ever since. During the past year. 1886, this 
bank has losl tour of its directors by death: namely. Charles E. Hayward and Gideon M. Eor- 
ton, of Ea-t Attleborough. Frank S. Draper, of North Attleborough, and George C. Elliott, of 
Norton. Officers for 1887: President. J. M. Bates; Cashier. Homer M. Daggett; Directors, 
J. M. Bates, J. H. Sturdy, S. W. Carpenter. 13. S. Freeman, W. M. Fisher, G. A. Dean, C. L. 
Watson, J. J. Horton, J. L. Sweet. 

ATTLEBOROUGH SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATION. 
This association was organized about 1854 as the ATTLEBOROUGH Loan Funi> Assmn- 
tion and continued under that name about fourteen years. In 1869 it was reorganized as the 



1 Of Norton. Names are spelled as found on the records. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 427 

Attleborough Loan and Fund Association, continuing about seven years, and on 
January 1, 1S7G. it was reorganized for the second time under the present name. 

Shares are issued as desired at two dollars per month and put at interest. Upon the same 
principle as that of savings banks, the accumulations are added to the principal and drawn al 
the option of the shareholders. January 31, 1887, the loans on real estate and stock shares 
an: ounted to over $174,000 — this is a sum continually on the increase — and the entire assets 
of the association were $190,679.86. There were then twelve series of shares, numbering in 
all twelve hundred and eighteen, with a cash value of $2,442.98. The rate per cent, earned dur- 
ing Isst was five and three-fourths. The amount of the guarantee fund was $3,946.40. 

The first president of the association was Lorenzo Makepeace, who held the office aboul a 
year; following him was Willard Blackinton, who continued about the same length of time; 
then Joseph W. Capron was elected and he still continues in the office, having retained it for 
fully thirty-two years, through all the changes and under all the titles. In the twelfth annual 
report of the present-named association the following list of officers is given: President, 
Joseph W. ('apron; Vice-President, James H. Sturdy; Secretary and Treasurer, John T. 
Bates; Directors. .1. M. Bates, S. X. Carpenter, A. B. Carpenter, E. S. Horton, G. F. Bicknell, 
William IF. Smith, M. P». Short. George A. Dean. F. I. Babcock; Trustees, J. M. Bates. A. B. 
Carpenter; Loan Committee, J. M. Bates, S. X. Carpenter, Mace P.. Short; Financial Com- 
mittee, S. X. Carpenter, F. 1. Babcock. Mace B. Short. 

ATTLEBOROUGH AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION. 

This was first known as Tin-; Farmers and Mechanics Association. Duringthe winter 
f 1868-69 a course of agricultural lectures was uiven in the vestry of the Baptist Church by 
Dod^e Howard. At the close of these lectures the proposition was made to form a farmers' 
club in town. The gentlemen present at the time this proposition was made fully approved of 
the idea suggested, and a meeting was appointed for March -J!), to be held at the Falls school- 
house. This meeting was held and various officers and committee- elected pro tern. The 
purpose of the association was declared to be " the advancement of agriculture as an art, and 
as a science.** and a constitution and by-laws were drafted and later accepted and adopted. At 
the next meeting held the following permanent officers were elected: President, George Price; 
Vice-President-, W. EL Tiffany, S. S. Guild. S. M. Stanley: Secretary. Eliot Hunt: Treasurer, 
Elisha (i. May. 

In August of the same year " a Meld meeting was held on the farm of S. M. Stanley. This 
was something quite novel, and a decided advance in the history of farmers' clubs.'" At the 
annual meeting held in July. L869, it was voted to have reports of the various meeting- of the 
association sent to the Massachusetts Ploughman, Boston Cultivator, New England Farmer, 
and Pawtucket Chronicle. There were Held meetings held subsequently at Henry Richard- 
son's and Charles E. Hayward's at which addresses were made by Mr. Leander Wetberell of 
the Cultivator, and various members of the club. The first " fair, and market day" of the 
association was held on October 14, 1869, and it was celebrated at the old town house. 

It was in March, 1S70, that the first steps were taken towards procuring grounds and build- 
in--. The tract purchased is near Robinsonville, at the junction of the two roads leading front 
East to North Attleborough. A building one hundred feet long and sixty feet wide with a 
mansard roof was erected, and proves to be very well suited for its chief purposes. Besides 
this then' are various other buildings such as the requirements of such an association demand, 
and the racing track, a half-mile in length, i- -aid to be one of the best in New England. The 
amount of money expended upon these buildings and grounds was about $25,000. They were 
appropriately dedicated September -JO, 1871, the oration being delivered by Hon. George 15. 
Loring, of Salem, and the following month the annual exhibition was held there for the first 
time. This society ha- been of great benefit to agriculturists of the vicinity, and the town 
ha- reason to feel a goodly degree of pride in the yearly fairs, which are a real credit to our 
farmers, and the times of their occurrence are great gala days to hundreds, perhaps W e should 
say thousands, of people for miles around. 

The association had but three presidents previous to the reorganization. George Price held 
the office from 1869 to 1X7", Charles E. Hayward from IS77 to 1886, and Elton I. Franklin was 
elected in 1886 and served till May, 1887. The other officers last chosen were: Vice-Presidents. 



428 - 1 SKETCH OF THE 

Thomas A. Barden, Elisha 6. May, William M. Fisher: Secretary, L. F.Mendell; Treasurer, 
John Tbacher. The membership reached a large number, and included many prominenl citi- 
zens of this town, and some from other towns in the vicinity. 

Almost from the beginning the association had been hampered by the large debt it had 
incurred in building, and putting it- grounds in proper order, and it was finally deemed besf to 
form it into a stock company. A petition asking for the desired authority was sent to the 
Legislature which in due time was favorably received, and it was voted " to incorporate the 
Attleborougb Agricultural Association, with a capital stock of $30 ,000, and the right to hold 
i\ to the amount of $:i0.000." Agreeably "to a call of a majority of the incorporators," 
a meeting of the new association was held in Agricultural Ball May 28, 1887. E. I. Franklin 
was chosen its chairman, and I.. F. Mendell secretary. Messrs. -I. .1. Horton, E. I. Franklin. 
W. H. Wade, and L. I-'. Mendell were chosen a committee to presenl an appropriate constitu- 
tion. They made a report which was accepted, and after some slight changes adopted. Then 
the following board of directors was elected: T. A. Barden. F. (.. May, W. M. Fisher, E.I. 
Franklin. \Y. II. Wade. 0. M. Draper. J. G. Barden, [saac Alger, J. D. Lincoln, |>. II. Smith, 
James Orr, E. S. Williams, R. D. Manchester, R. F. Simmons, J. J. Horton. J. L. Sweet. 
.1. M. Bates. T. I. Smith. F. M. Whiting, C. T. Guild, F. I. Allen (of New York). John 
Austin (of Providence) , and A. H. Sweet (of Norton). John Thacher was chosen treasurer, 
and I.. F. Mendell secretary. These two last-named gentleman "are ex-officio directors." and 
with the others form a hoard numbering twenty-live members. This meeting was adjourned 
without electing the other officers. These were subsequently elected. R. F. Simmons being the 
president. 

The annual meeting was held November ">. 1887, when a reelection of officers for the coming 
\, ar to.,k place. The above-named hoard of directors with the exception of three was chosen : 
In place of <>. M. Draper. .1. L. Sweet, and T. 1. Smith. E. I. Riley. C. L. Watson, and E. L. 
Hixon were elected. The present number of stockholders i- one hundred and five and the 
financial condition of the association under the new organization i* most encouraging. The 
officers elected are a- follows: President, R. F. Simmons: Vice-Presidents, William M. Fisher, 
F. (.. May: Secretary. L. F. Mendell; Treasurer, John Thacher; Track Committee, Elton I. 
Franklin": Directors: from North Attleborougb., T. A. Barden, Joseph G. Barden, Frank M. 
Whiting, Earle S. Williams, F. I. Franklin. Charles T. Guild, Elmer I. Riley; from Attlebor- 
ough, John Thacher. Daniel Jl. Smith, James -I. Horton, Clarence L. Watson, J. M. Rates. 
William M. Fisher. Isaac Alger. 1!. D. Manchester; from South Attleborougb, -lames Orr, 
Elisha c. .May: from Attleborough Falls, R. F. Simmons, E. L. Hixon; from Plainville, 
.James D. Lincoln. William H. Wade. L. F. Mendell; from Providence. John Austin: from 
Norton. A. II. Sweet: from New York, F. I. Allen. 



NORTH ATTLEBOROUGB GASLIGHT COMPANY. 

This is an incorporated company, and was organized in April, 1855. Its capital stock was 
§42,500. The works were erected at the Falls, and were established largely through the 
instrumentality of H. M. Richards, who about that time purchased the property in that village 
where he soon after huilt the stone mill. The manufacture of gas commenced in the Novem- 
ber followingthe formation of the company. In 1*71 some $25,000 was spent in enlarging the 
work-, and a new gasometer has been huilt. In 1876 the estimated value of the company's 
property was about $80,000. The capacity of the works is one hundred thousand cubic feet 
per day. About ten miles of pipe have been laid, extending north to the G. A. R. Hall in 
Plainville. and south to Mr. Freeman's residence below Rohinsonville, in which village the 
company lights the shops as well as those at the Fall- proper ami in North Attleborougb. 
There are now about three hundred and seventeen consumers. 

The first superintendent was Henry Rice, who held the position for twenty years, from July 
l. L855,to August !. 1875. Hi- successor was Charles S. Colbeth, who continued aboul seven 
years. He was succeeded by Mr. Hamlin, who remained a year, and then E. G. Pratt was 
Reeled to the office. He resigned in 1887. The president of the company was then Abie! Cod- 
ding, and the treasurer Charles II. Randall. The board of directors numbered seven. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGIL 429 

ATTLEBOROUGH GASLIGHT COMPANY. 

This company was formed in 1857, and Dr. Edward Sanford was elected its first president, 
<;. A. Whipple its first treasurer, and Jonathan Peek the first superintendent. The works 
were built on what is now Dunham Street, near Pine Street, then at a considerable distance 
from the village, but now quite near its centre, and they were enlarged in 1S73. The present 
length of street pipe is 18.400 feet, the number of consumers 172. and the amount of consump- 
tion about 5,448,500 cubic feet yearly. Gas is carried through all the principal streets of the 
village, north to Blackinton's and south as far as the new residence of Mr. John Cummings, 
on South Main Street. At first the gas here was made of rosin, but the war caused such a rise 
in the price of that material that it became necessary to make the change to coal gas, and since 
1867 that has been the kind produced. In the month of January of that year twenty thousand 
feet of gas were made: at the present time the daily production exceeds that amount. 

In 1882 new buildings were erected, and these contain all the facilities for the proper produc- 
tion of good gas. The holding capacity of the establishment had become quite inadequate, as 
a large amount of gas is consumed in the village, especially in the shops and opera house, and 
additions in this direction have recently been made which provide all the space required for 
that purpose. This is a very well-managed company, those " most actively connected with it 
being some of our public-spirited business num." In proof of this may lie cited the fact that 
the former price of §0.50 per thousand feel has been reduced to $2.25. with a better quality of 
gas. A large share of the late success of the company is due to the efficiency of the superin- 
tendent. Mr. Capron. The officers for 1887 were: President, J. W. Capron; Vice-President, 
G. X. Crandall; Secretary and Treasurer. A. W. Sturdy: Directors, J. W. Capron. G. X. 
Crandall, S. W. Carpenter. A. W. Sturdy. William M. Fisher, E. S. Horton, G. A. Dean; 
Trustees, J. W. Capron. G. X. Crandall; Auditors. G. A. Dean, S. W. Carpenter, E. S. Hor- 
ton: Superintendent. E. S. Capron. 

ATTLEBOROUGH FIRE DISTRICT. 

Upon the town book, under date October 12, 1859. may be found the following record : 
•■ Voted st.000 reward for detection and conviction of person who set tire to Steam Power 
Co.'s building.'' This reward was never claimed, and that matter is still covered with mys- 
tery, but one of the results of the fire proved to be beneficial. So helpless did the people find 
themselves in the face of this tire, which for hours threatened the complete destruction of the 
entire central portion of the village, that the serious attention of the citizens was turned 
toward the question of fires, and the urgent need of providing more adequate means of 
extinguishing them than hastily collected wooden buckets or a few wet blankets provided by 
private individuals proved to be was fully realized and acknowledged. 

Somewhat upon the principle of locking the door securely after the thief lias escaped with 
the stolen property, the damage having been done and the fire being thoroughly out. means of 
prevention were taken. Xovember 19, 1859, the town constituted the school districts number 
fifteen, eighteen, and twenty-one a lire district, and a fire department was established therein. 
Joseph W. Capron was chosen clerk, and a board of engineers consisting of one chief and nine 
assistants was appointed. These were: Wheaton Briggs, chief, and Ezekiel Bates, Jesse R. 
Carpenter. Henry Weaver. Willard Blackinton, Augustus A. Starkey. David E. Holman, 
Handel N. Daggett, George X. Crandall. George J. Sturdy, assistant engineers. A hand engine 
was purchased, and lodged in a small building at the foot of Bank Street, which was the engine- 
house for many years, and was the place where the lire company's meetings were held. It 
took twenty-four men to manage that engine, and it is carefully preserved as a souvenir of " the 
good old times." For many years the fire companies were entirely voluntary ; later the men 
were paid while on active duty at the rate of payment per hour in their respective shops, and 
in L880 the rule was made that they should be paid thirty cents an hour whenever they were 
training, as well as when they were engaged in actual service. About 1885 the tire and water 
districts were united by an act of the Legislature. Since the establishment of the waterworks 
only hose-carts have been necessary, as thus far the pressure they supply has proved to be suf- 
ficient for the needs of the tire department. There are two hose companies: D. H. Smith, 
No. 1, on South Main Street, and Union, Xo. 2, on Dunham Street, corner of Union Street; 



43(1 I SKETCH OF THE 

and one book and ladder company — E. S. Horton, No. L, a1 the same place — which has two 
Bangor extension ladders. These companies have eacb twelve members and a captain, and are 
an efficient, and up to the present time have proved to be a sufficient, force. 

The nitirc department is under the control of a chief engineer and four assistants. In 1887 
these were: l>. II. Smith, chief; T. R. Gay, first assistant; E. V. Carpenter, second; J. W. 
Cody, third; and R. i'>. STye, fourth — a competenl and reliable board. About two years ago 
the " Gamewell System of Fire Alarm " was introduced into the village, and ten alarm boxes. 
two indicators, and a steam gong, using three and one-half miles of wire were placed. These 
proved to be satisfactory, but they were insufficient, and the district soon voted to place live 
more boxes. The fire district is comprised within a radius of a mile from the site of the old 
depot, which was just in front of " Union hall." The chief engineer's report for L886 stated 
that the department was in a satisfactory condition, with but few wants to be supplied, the 

most important anion- them being some more prompt method of transportation for the ! ■ 

carts. Five tire alarms had been given during that year, only two of which had caused any 
amount of damage, tbe largest estimate being $500. 

ATTLEBOROUGH WATEE DISTRICT. 

The gentlemen most largely instrumental in establishing this districl were <;. A. Dean, Dr. 
J. R. Bronson, and the late William I>. Wilmarth. An act incorporating said district was 
drawn up by the late John Daggett and presented to the Legislature in 187:3 and was approved 
by that body. The first Water Board consisted of William D. Wilmarth, Edwin Cummings, 
and S. W. Carpenter, the first-named gentleman being its chairman. The treasurer of the 
district was <;. A. Dean. The necessary funds were raised by the issuing of bond- by the 
district, and the -urn of $20,000 was thus raised the first year and S40.000 additional the next 
year. In lsTT the district was authorized to make a third issue to the amount of §6,000, and 
subsequently -till further sums were needed. 

The reservoir, a brick tower and a conspicuous object from its elevated position on County 
Street hill, was constructed in L874 and has a capacity of about two hundred and twenty-five 
thousand gallons. The water is supplied from a spring near the river and is also pumped from 
the river itself by contract with A. Bushee & Co. The district originally comprised a radius 
of half a mile from the site of the old railroad depot: but when it was merged into the fire 
district its limit was increased to a mile radius to correspond with that district. 

The water commissioners for L887wereG. A. Dean and William M. stone, and Dr. George B. 
Fittz was registrar and superintendent. The prudential committee of the entire district now 
called the Attleborough Fire District were George A. Adams. Dr. George Mackie, and Jason 

L. Well-. 

The registrar's report for the year 1886 stated that there were then 278 metres in use. and 
the metred water used during that year amounted to 9,603,834 gallons, of which 7,119,005 gal- 
lon- had been used by families. The district was then furnishing water to 581 houses, 878 
families, ami besides the metres by faucet, to the number of 466. Considerable new pipe was 
laid during that year, and eight new hydrants were set, making of the latter a total of 106 in 
the district. It is acknowledged that year by year the water supply in this part of the town is 
becoming more and more inadequate to the ever-increasing needs of the community, and in the 
I a Midden demand from a large tire there is danger that it might fail. During 18S6 it 
was suggested that a union be made with Plainville and the Falls to obtain water from 
Whiting's ami Archer's ponds in Wrentham. A committee chosen for the purpose investigated 
that matter thoroughly, employing a competent engineer to go over the ground. After due 
consideration the committee reported that in their estimation the proposed plan was not 
feasible, and the district accepted their views. No other definite plan for increasing the 
supply here was proposed, and nothing further has been done in that direction. The ordinary 
yearly expenses of both branches of the Attleborough Fire Department amount to about 
$5,000, tin; additional appropriations made by the town being to carry the large debt incurred 
for construction, extension, etc. 1 



i Since the above date the property of the water district has been purchased by the town. A much 
larger tower lias been constructed very near the old one on County Hill; the roof of that building, 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 431 

ATTLEUOROLUill IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT. 

A movement for lighting the streets in the East village by private subscription was started 
by Joseph M. Bates and the late William I). Wilmarth, and the Improvement District was the 
outgrowth of this movement. The district was organized in 1875 by action of the town which 
was taken on November 22 of that year under provision of the Statutes of 1870. This and the 
water district were together and included the same territory until the union of the latter with 
the fire district. The Improvement District Act provide- for the care of libraries, sidewalks, 
lighting of streets, employment of policemen, watchmen, etc. 

The first prudential committee was composed of the following gentlemeu : Albert M. Everett. 
J. L. Carpenter, Mace B. Short. The first secretary was Charles O. Sweet, and the first treas- 
urer Shepard W. Carpenter. The latter served until May, 1880, when he declined a reelection 
and Mr. Sweet became treasurer and continues to hold that office in connection with that of 
secretary. The prudential committee for 1887 were L. M. Stanley. E. S. Horton, H. A. Bodman. 

This district had in charge especially the lighting of the streets, and when at the annual 
meeting of 1887 the town voted to assume that expense its business was virtually at an end. 
The treasurer had in his bauds at that time a cash balance of over 81,100, and at the annual 
meeting of the district it was voted to direct him to place all funds in his possession at interest, 
subject to the approval of the prudential committee, and they were directed to dispose of the 
property of the district in such manner as they deemed would be for its best interests. The 
organization still exists and will probably be continued for a time, as a movement may be made 
toward its assuming maintenance of the library. For the present, however, it is practically 
defunct. 

NORTH ATTLEl'.OROUGII FIRE DISTRICT. 

This district was organized October It. 1871, on petition of J. D. Richards, F. G. Whitney, 
Simeon Bowen, Stephen Richardson, Charles E. Smith, H. F. Harrow-. W. D. Whiting, <). M. 
Draper, Henry Rice, A. Codding, Jr., and E. Ira Richards; and Thomas A. and Joseph G. 
Barden and John Stanley were also actively engaged in the enterprise. It comprised the 
territory included in School Districts No. 1 and No. I in that village. Tiie tire department 
was organized a month later, on November 18, when a prudential committee aud a board 
of engineers were elected. The former consisted of Samuel S. Ginnodo, Stephen Richardson, 
aud Randolph Knapp, and the latter of John Stanley, chief engineer, and Charles E. Smith, 
Charles B. Carpenter. David D. Codding, and Charles E. W. Sherman, assistants. Thomas A. 
Barden was the first clerk of the district. 

Volunteers to form an engine company were called for, and the following are the names 
which were presented and approved: Foreman, Charles E.Smith; First Assistant Foreman. 
Theodore B. Hazzard : Second Assistant, Charles W. II. Day; Clerk and Treasurer. II. II. 
Evertson; Engineer, II. F. Briggs; Fireman. W. A. Bennett; Hosemen, T. W. Draper, E. B. 
Follett, C. S. Ballon, Benjamin II. Smith, J. Norman Hall, A. M. Sperry. Willard E. Hall. 
Thaddeus Terry, Edward R. Darling, George II. Spaulding, Albert J. Smith, William H. 
Smith, II. E. Thompson, George Becker, Osmond H. Atwood. W. P. Bennett, Joseph C. 
Bennett, A. O. Hall, II. W. Ferguson, Isaac B. Smith, Jacob A. Blackinton, W. H. Stanley. 
Charles B. Thompson, Willis J. Follett; thirty in all. 

A similar call was made for a hook aud ladder company, and the following volunteers were 
appointed its members: Foreman. William E. Clark; First Assistant, II. W. Caswell: Clerk 
and Treasurer, John A. Wollmer; Hook and Ladder men. Gardner Whiting, Timothy Collins, 
Henry McLear, Hiram Packard, E. S. Brastow, H. II. Bennett, George Macker, Charles Bishop, 
A. W. Bowers. N. K. Bliss. Elmer Riley, Charles A. Somes, James Day. Jr., T. Mace, Crosdale 
Robinson, Arthur W. Read, George K. Gibbs; twenty in all. 

These men were at first all volunteer-, aud all the apparatus was drawn by hand. In 1873 



which still stands, was partially destroyed by fire. Property was purchased near Orr's mill, at 
South Attletaorough, containing a fine watershed. Here a large well was sunk and an engine house 
built which contains the necessary pumping machinery. The grounds also contain the engineer's 
dwelling. The supply promises to he adequate for a long time to come, and the water i- of a better 
quality than that from the former source. 



\:V2 .1 SKETCH OF THE 

horses were first put to the engiue, and in LS80 to the hose-cart. The apparatus is now all 
fitted with swinging harness after the manner of the fire departments of our large cities, and 
four horses are always " kept on hand to answer all alarms." I >uring the first live years after 
the organization of this department there were twenty tires which occasioned a loss of 
$111,450, but this was almost entirely covered by insurance. 

John Stanley, the first chief engineer, remained in office until 1879, when he declined to serve 
any longer, and •'. E. Smith was elected hi- successor, serving for a year and four month-. 
Upon hi- resignation J. 15. Peek was chosen chief engineer, and was serving at the time of 
di\ ision. Mr. Barden continued to he clerk for eight years, and in April, is?.!, was succeeded 
by his son. F. I. Barden, who is still in the position. 

In IS82 Chief Peck recommended a reduction in the force of the department which was 
approved and took place. There is now a chief engineer, with two assistants instead of four; 
the Steamer Company numbers twenty instead of thirty men. and the Hook and Ladder 
Company ten instead of twenty, making the entire force thirty-three men. Up to this date the 
men had been unpaid. 'out since that time they have had a small salary. The chief engineer 
and superintendent of lire alarms have each $100 per year; the assistant engineers $25 each; 
the engineer of the steamer $150; the fireman of the steamer §100; the hose and ladder men 
each s-j.-). in iss,-,the Gamewell Electric Fire Alarm Telegraph" was put in. with seven street 
nd three and a half mile- of win' in circuit." The district covered by the tire, water. 
and tire-alarm department- i- about one square mile. The steam engine used by the tire depart- 
ment wa- built in 1^71 by William Jeffers, of Pawtucket, and remains as it was originally, and 
in excellent condition, with the exception that in 1SS1 a new boiler was put in. 

During the year lsso there were fifteen fires in the north part of the town, and two of them 

were outside the district limits. The expenses of this department for that year amounted to 

|3,085.55. 

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH WATER COMPANY. 

This company, consisting of Henry F. Barrows, Handel N. Daggett. Joseph G. Barden, and 
their associates and successors, was chartered May 16, 1883. ••Tin- charter gave the Fire 
I district the right to purchase the Franchise of the Water Company at any time after organiza- 
tion," a right said district exercised at once, for on June 21, 1883, mi petition of B. Porter. Jr.. 
Henry Bice. F. (i. Pate, and forty others, it was voted to purchase thi- franchise for the sum 
of $100. The Water Company organized June 16, 1883, with II. F. Barrows, president, H. N. 
Daggett, clerk, and J. G. Barden. treasurer. The charter of this company was transferred to 
the fire District on July IT. L883. 

In 1SS4 the waterworks were constructed, and pipe- laid, the water being turned into the 
mains for the first time on the thirteenth of September of that year. Previou- to this time 
water for use in eases of tire wa- obtained from " Fire Well-." and through pipes laid to the 
river. It was -non ascertained that in the greater part of the district the pressure would be 
quite sufficient without the use of the " steamer,*' so a hose-cart was purchased for the tire 
company: but the steamer is still retained to be sent out in case of a second alarm. The water 
is taken from a well which is sunk in some grave! beds found at the north end of the village. 
It is thirty feet deep and thirty feet in diameter, and is lined with brick laid in cement to 
within two feet of the bottom. Thus all the water which enters it must come in at the bottom 
and through gravel. The reservoir, "or standpipe," is constructed of boiler iron, is sixty 
feet high, forty feet in diameter, and holds 565,000 gallons of water. The base of this reser- 
voir stands a hundred and forty feet higher than the greater portion of the district, so that 
there i- a "200 foot head at more than two thirds of the hydrants." Its position is on a hill 
w hich is about half a mile from both the well and pumping station, and the connection i- by a 
main sixteen inches in diameter. There are some ten and a half miles of pipe in the district, 
varying from six to sixteen inches in diameter, and there are ninety-live hydrants, with two 
leading hose and one steamer outlet. 

The first water commissioners were F. G. Pate. F. S. Draper, and E. G. Pratt. This board 
had charge of the construction of the waterworks, which cost $100,000, and since the original 
outlay some .-Mo.nOO in addition has been expended. These works tire entirely adequate to the 
present need- of the district, and for those of the future for a long period, and the supply of 
water is ample. The water commissioners' report for 1886 was most favorable and showed 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 433 

the property of their department to be in excellent condition, and they assured the people of 
the district that the water supply was " practically inexhaustible within the district, and not 
liable to pollution from any known source." The expenses for that year had been §3,034.42 
and the receipts $6,470.65, showing a creditable balance upon the right side. The number of 
gallons of water pumped during the year was 35,592,361; the average number of gallon- con- 
sumed per day about 97,511, and the average number of hours required for the pumping three 
and a fraction (seven minutes). 

The officers of the entire district which, as in the East village, is called the " Fire District " 
were as follows in 18S7 : Water Commissioners. Sanford Hall, Anthony H. Bliss, Walter P. 
Whittemore; Superintendent of Water Works. Walter P. Whittemore; Clerk, C. A. Kennej : 
Treasurer, George W. Cheever; Chief Engineer of Fire Department. John B. Peck: Firsl 
Assistant, T. W. Draper: Second Assistant, O. L. Swift; Prudential Committee, C. T. Guild, 
T. G. Sandland, J. H. Peckham. 

THE UNION IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT, 

This district was organized September 6, 1ST5. and embraced the School Districts No. 1 and 
No. 4, North Attleborough. It had three purposes in view : namely, to improve the sidewalks 
within its limits, to light the streets, and to support a public library. The following-named 
gentlemen were actively engaged in the organization and early work: S. s. Ginnodo, F. G. 
Whitney, F. G. Pate. Joseph G. Bardeu, B. Porter, Jr.. 0. M. Draper. II. F. Barrows, Joseph 
E. Pond, Jr.. John Stanley. E. K. Dunbar, Thomas A. Burden, D. D. Codding. Charles E. 
Smith, and J. D. Richards. 

On September 16, 1875, the district voted to accept the property of the North Attleborough 
Library Association and to become responsible for the maintenance of the library, and appro- 
priated $500 for that purpose. At the same time $500 was appropriated for sidewalks and 
f 3,000 for street lighting and current and incidental expenses. From 1875 till 1884 the streets 
wore lighted by kerosene and gasoline, but on April 14 of that year, on recommendation of the 
then prudential committee, it was voted to light the streets with gas and to contract therefor 
with the North Attleborough Gaslight Company. On April 12, 1880, electric lighting was 
adopted, and that method is continued by the town. 1 

Following are the various officers of the district from the organization : Prudential Commit- 
tee from 1875 to 1878, Felix G. Whitney, Samuel S. Ginnodo, Francis G. Pate; from 187s to 
1880, F. G. Whitney, S. S. Ginnodo. Charles E. Smith; for 1880-81. Charles E. Smith. C. S. 
Colbath, F. G. Pate; for 1881-82, C. E. Smith. C. S. Colbath. J. D. Richards; from 1S82 to 
1884, J. G. Harden, B. Porter. Jr., F. G. Pate; from 1884 to 1887, E. I. Franklin. II. M. Max- 
sou, C. C. Peck; for 1887-88, C. E. Smith. (). M. Draper, II. M, Maxson; for 1888-89, C. C. 
Peck. II. M. Maxson. R. Donnell. The first clerk was Joseph E. Pond. Jr.. who was in office 
from 1875 to 1885; the second F. I. Barden, from 1885 to 1889. The first treasurer was Joseph 
G. Barden, for 1S75-76; the second. F. S. Draper, from 1876 to 1884; the third, W. W. Sher- 
man, from 1884 to 1880; the fourth. J. II. Peckham. from 1886 to 1889. 

The town having assumed all its duties the Improvement District is practically abolished. 
The only matters connected with it uow requiring adjustment are financial, there being a debt 
upon the organization. It was hoped that at its annual meeting for 1889 the town would 
vote to assume this debt and thus bring all the district's affairs to a final close; but this was 
not accomplished ami therefore a continuance of officers was necessary. Those for the 
preceding year were reelected. The two improvement districts of the old town are there- 
fore in similar condition — well officered but almost dutiless, and to all intents and purposes 
extinct .- 



1 Light had been supplied by the North Attleborough Steam and Electric Company, but in 1S92 the 
town decided to have a plant of its own. During- the latter part of the following year this was put in, 
and early in 1S94 light was used for the first time. The incandescent system of lights i- used. 

2 The Editor deemed it best to continue the sketch of the Union Improvement District beyond 
the date of division because its work came to an end, and it will not be long continued as an 
organization. 



434 A SKETCH OF TEE 

NORTH V.TTLEBOROUGH STEAM AND ELECTRIC COMPANY. 

This company dates it- beginning a little over a year previous to the division. It started 
with a small plant, including one dynamo, one engine, and one boiler, and had but twenty- 
three ligbts in operation. These were in stores in North A.ttleborough. After a time, as they 
proved to be excellent, the Union Improvement District voted to use similar lights in the streets. 
At tin' annual meeting for L886 the town voted to light the road between the North and East 
villages, aud at the annual meeting for 1887 extended this vote "to assume the expense of 
lighting tin' public streets," and appropriated $6,500 for the purpose. These lights were placed 
and proved satisfactory, and soon stores in the Easl village began to adopt the electric mode 
of lighting. 

The company, by good management, was enabled to start with a capital of a little more than 

$250 pec lamp — about half the usual amount for such companie and has therefore been 

able to supply light at a much lower rate than the majority of other like companies. With 
recent addition- the station is now (18S7) eighty-five by thirty feet. It contains two boilers of 
two hundred and ten horse power (having the Jarvis patent setting which demands the small- 
est possible amount of fuel), three engines, a steam-pump, and all the practical and ingenious 
appliances for the carrying on of the necessary work. There are live dynamos, three for 
street circuits and two for inside lighting, so arranged that the circuit can be maintained with 
each dynamo and either engine, in this way every chance for any serious delay in lighting 
being avoided. In April, 18S7, the company was operating fifty-five miles of wire, with seven 
hundred pole-, one hundred and forty are and eighty-five incandescent lights, and reported 
itself in a very satisfactory and successful condition with encouraging prospects for the future. 

The officers for isst were as follows: President, O. A. Hancock; Treasurer, II. M. Daggett, 
Jr. : < lerk. K. I. Babcock. There were live directors : the three above-named gentlemen, with 
J. E. Draper and Harvey Clap in addition. 1 

WILLIAM A. STREETEE POST, X' >. 145, GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC. 

•• At a meeting of soldiers and sailors, held May 26, 1869, -I. B. Savery was chosen chairman 
and E. R. Read secretary. E. S. Horton was chosen marshal for Saturday, May 29th, and was 
authorized to appoint two assistants. It was voted that as far as possible black hats be worn. 
Voted to adjourn to 12-30 P.M. Saturday, May '20. *' 

The above is a short account of the preliminary meeting to the first Memorial Day service in 
town. The address upon that occasion was delivered by Rev. Rufus 1*. Stebbins, i>.i>.. of 
Cambridge, Mass., aud the band from the neighboring town of Mansfield furnished the musi- 
cal portion of the program. 

During May, 1871, a meeting took place in Engine Hall on Bank Street, where the arrange- 
ments were made for the observance of Memorial Day of that year. Just subsequent to this 
time. June 12, 1871, this Post was mustered in in Union Hall. Its first meeting-place, where 
members met the following August, was Hate-" Hall, ami on September Hi Union Hall was 
hired for four dollars a night. The following spring tin- Tost moved into Dean's Building, 
and on August 11, is;:'., into Briggs' Block, where it still continues to have its quarters. 

On March 11. IST'2. a delegation from P. M. Whiting Post had a conference with William 
A. Streeter Post in regard to the insertion of an article in the warrant for the coming annual 
town meeting, asking for a public appropriation to defray the necessary expenses for the cere- 
monies of Memorial Day. The desired article was inserted, the town voted favorably upon it 
and made an appropriation of three hundred dollars. The custom then established has been 
continued and without change, excepting that once or twice perhaps the sum named may have 
varied slightly. The town has also supplied some permanent tablets for marking the graves ot- 
her soldiers. In 1887 the whole number of graves to be decorated was one hundred and five 
besides two marked ''Unknown": thirty-two at Woodlawn and twenty-six at Mt. Hope 
Cemetery; twenty in the old Kirk Yard, nine each at South Attleborough ami Dodgeville; 



1 This company subsequently purchased the old Fanners' factory property, to which they built an 
addition and used it as their power-house. The building has been partially destroyed by fire, causing 
cessation of cars and lights. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 435 

eight at St. Mary's Cemetery, and three at Briggsville. In the two last-named yards are the 
unknown graves. 

Up to 1S87 there had been a total membership in this Post of two hundred and thirty-five, 
and at that time there were " 120 comrades in good standing." The first death of a comrade 
of the Tost was that of R. H. Lee, in June, 1S72, and the last previous to the above-named 
year that of Gideon M. Horton, iu December, 1886. Previous to this date the sum of $2,277 
had been expended in charity. 

Following are the names of the Past Commanders of this Post : D. H. Smith, E. S. Horton, 
E. C. Martin, A. T. Wales. W. H.Wade, W. II. Goff, W. J. Thompson. Edwin J. Horton, M. O. 
Wheaton, E. W. Rhodes, F. L. Le Baron, T. K. Gay, George L. Jillson, E. D. Guild. K. S. 
Horton served as commander for three years. The officers for 1S87 were as follows: Com- 
mander, Emmons D. Guild; S. V. C, Loring Cole; J. V. C, Charles L. Fuller; Adjutant, 
R. G. Bell; Quartermaster. Mark 0. Wheaton; Chaplain, 1). E. Adams; Surgeon, E. R. Read; 
O. of D., G. A. Taylor; O. of G., G. H. Alfred; Sergeant-Major, E. S. Horton; Quartermaster 
Sergeant, G. R. Adams; Delegates to Department Convention. E. S. Horton, R. J. Bell; Alter- 
nates, E. C. Martin, A. T. Wales. 

The Fourth of July. 1872, was celebrated hereafter the real New England fashion with a clam- 
bake, etc. In this always pleasant festival to true " sons of the soil," William A. Streeter Post 
had an important share. The celebration took place in Peck's grove, and was made the occasion 
for the presentation to the "Grand Army "of a beautiful State flag, which had been purchased 
for them by the ladies of the East village. A group of young ladies, wearing the patriotic 
colors, bore the banner, and one of them voicing doubtless the thought- and feelings of all 
the loyal women there, presented the flag to the Post with these words : — 

" Members of the William A. Streeter Division of the Grand Army of the Republic. 

"Eleven years ago, when the booming of the first rebel gun sounded the thrilling call — to 
arms. Massachusetts nobly responded with regiment after regiment of her sons, and, as she 
sent them forth, she placed in the hands of each, with the country'- flag, her own banner, that 
together they might lead her brave boys on to battle for the right. 

" I need not recount to you who shared in them, the toils and dangers, or the triumphs of the 
war, but those banners came back with shattered staves, pierced by bullets, and bathed in 
blood, to tell the story of the dreadful conflict, and they shall be preserved in our State Capitol 
as her richest treasure, with the other memorials of Massachusetts bravery. 

"War no longer desolates our laud. Peace and prosperity reign within her borders; and 
thanks be to Him whose strong right arm hath gotten us the victory, we are once more a free, 
united people, and today, when we are met to celebrate this welcome anniversary of our 
national independence, we bring to you another banner. Yet. glorious as was the history of 
those war flags, we cannot ask for this a similar fate, for we do not forget that many of our 
best beloved, who went forth to the contest full of manly strength and ardor, fell beneath then- 
folds, and returned to us cold and lifeless forms, or lie buried beneath the soil of some 
distant Southern plain. 

"All honor to our martyred heroes; bravely they fought, nobly they fell. 

' O for the death of those 

Who for their country die. 
Sink on her bosom to repose, 
And triumph where they lie.' 

" On this our greatest national holiday, greeted from the Atlantic, to the Pacific, with ringing 
of bells, booming of cannon, and joyous acclamations, and. in the words of an ardent patriot of 
our own Massachusetts, uttered on the very day of the Declaration. ' celebrated with thanks- 
giving, with festivity, with bonfires, and illuminations,' mid sounds of martial music, and the 
tramp of marching feet, this banner comes as a fitting reminder of those scenes which you as 
soldiers witnessed together, and we ofl'er it as a partial expression of our gratitude for your 
patriotic services in the field. 

"We trust it may never wave over more warlike scenes than we see around us todav but 
if ever again hostile force molest, or fratricidal hand be raised against the land we love, voices 



436 A SKETCH OF THE 

from the soldiers' graves all around u>, bid us tell you to bear it side by side with the oM stars 
and stripes, if need be, into the thickest of the fight, and bring it back from the field of battle 
stained by no act of cowardice, though 1 >ut a single hand be left to hold its broken stall', and of 
it- silken folds but a few tattered shreds remain. 

•• In presenting this banner, we hope that nothing but the destroying hand of time will ever 
mar its beauty. By those principles founded on Plymouth Rock, and proclaimed from Inde- 
pendence Ball, by the memory of that cause you fought, and so many of your comrades died to 
save, we charge you. in war and in peace, in life and in death, be true to God and your country. 
•• Mai. Horton, — 

••I now deliver into your hands this banner, the gift of the ladies of East Attleborough. 
Let it be a rivet in the link which this year add- to that mighty chain of events, binding this 
day, July 4 th , 1872, to that ever memorable day, July 4 th . 177U. 

■ Our star-spangled banner. 
Oh ! long may it wave 
O'er this land of the free. 
And this home of the brave.' '* 

Major Horton received the banner in soldierly fashion, and grasping its standard in his right 
hand responded to the little speech of presentation, on behalf of himself and his comrade-, in 
the following gallant manner: — 

■• Miss Daggett,— 

•• In accepting this beautiful Flag at your hands the gift of the Ladies of East Attleboro' to 
Wm. A. Streeter Post No. 145, Dept. of Mass. Grand Army of the Republic I would return to 
you their most grateful thanks. 

•• We heartily respond to the uoble and patriotic sentiments which accompany the gift, and 
which have been so happily expressed. We will ever cherish them in our hearts, and be 
guided by them in our conduct. 

"Long may it be ere this Flag shall be borne through the terrible scenes of war. but we 
assure you on the honor of a soldier, it shall never be unfurled in the cause of treason. Should 
the time ever come again when the peace of our country shall be disturbed by war's alarms, 
this gift, which I hold in my hands shall be unfurled only in the -acred cause of Law. Union 
and Liberty. 

'•Should foreign foes ever invade our shores, or domestic traitor- ever again attempt the 
overthrow of this glorious fabric of free institutions reared for us by the hands of our fathers, 
this Flag shall stand foremost in our country's defence, and in the hour of battle and danger 
the memories associated with this gift, leading us in the advance, will inspire us with renewed 
courage and a firmer faith in our country'- cause. We will be animated — as if inscribed on its 
beautiful folds — by the immortal words. — 

• Union and Liberty forever.'" 

The hope expressed on this occasion was realized; no bloody shot or shell has ever marred 
the beauty of that silken banner, but time, the inevitable, the sure destroyer of all perishable 
things, did lay his hand upon it till it became little more than a worn and faded remnant of the 
once fair emblem. The ladies of Attleborough, however, again came to the rescue of the 
needy, and another equally beautiful State tlag was purchased by them, ami on the evening of 
the installation of its officers, in January. 1*77. was presented to the Post by another young 
lady, with the following well-chosen words : — 

■•Mr. Commander, officers, and members of William A. Streeter Post, Grand Army of 
the Republic. 
•• We are told, and also read in history, that deeds of valor and heroic acts performed by the 
Union soldiers of the late civil war. were recognized and rewarded according to their merits. 
The disbanding of the army did not sever the bonds of fraternity, charity, and loyalty, and ever 
since the organization of this post, you have extended the right hand of fellowship and dis- 
pelled charity freely to every needy comrade, ami so (irmly cemented the bonds of loyalty that 
nothing but death can sever. And now, Mr. Commander, this has not fallen by the wayside 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 437 

unnoticed, and I, in behalf of W. A. Streeter corps, assisted by their lady friends of Attleboro', 

present to you this flag, and may the record of this post ever be as pure as the color of this 
emblem." 

Commander Guild accepted the gift in the following happy manner: — 

" Mrs. President, Ladies of the Relief Corps, and Friends: — 

"The pleasant duty devolves upon me as commander of this post, to receive from your 
hands this beautiful banner, its white folds emblematical of the peace which now pervade- our 
once distracted country, its strong arm and firmly grasped sword bearing witness to the means 
by which that peace was secured. We come together to-night under its peaceful folds, you, 
the mothers, wives and daughters, we, the fathers, husbands and sons, not to recall the bit- 
terness of the past, but its most cherished memories, of when you with willing hands and 
loyal hearts buckled on our armor and bade us God speed, in the work that was before us. 
For this you have our country's thanks. For what you have been to us since, so truly an aid 
and relief corps, you have our sincere thanks, and it needed no token of remembrance to keep 
alive our interest in your organization; nevertheless, we shall cherish and protect it, as we did 
the flag of our country, with even nearer and dearer ties to bind us to it. And now in behalf 
of William A. Streeter Post, allow me to extend to your our most heartfelt thanks." 

Still another gift to the Post deserves mention. On the evening of November 3, 1886, by in- 
vitation, the members met with the Women's Relief Corps in the Grand Army Hall. The pres- 
ident spoke a few words of greeting and welcome to the guests, and then presented to them 
another member of the Corps, who very prettily expressed the interest of the Corps in the 
Grand Army, and of the appreciation of its members of the favor and kindness shown to them 
by the Post; then as a proof of their sincerity requesting the Post to accept an offering more 
material and substantial than words. This was an altar, consisting of a plush-covered table 
resting on four brass cannon, the lower connecting shelf containing a pile of cannonballs. 

For once Attleborough soldiers were taken completely by surprise ; but Commander Guild, 
like an able general, began at once to rally at least his mental forces, in order to make the best 
defence possible. He found himself, however, entirely surrounded by the smilingly victorious 
enemy, and wholly at their mercy, with no alternative but to accept the situation —and the 
gift. This he Anally did. with becoming courage and in proper soldierly fashion, on behalf of 
himself and his comrades. With a few well-chosen words he gracefully capitulated to his fair 
foe, apparently well content with their terms of unconditional surrender on the part of the 
Post to the pleasures of a social evening. 

The Grand Army "quarters" are quite commodious and very comfortably furnished, and 
the large hall contains a goodly number of interesting relics of the war. Upon the walls, 
among the other flags, hang two famous guidons, the one carried by Lemuel Gay, and by him 
secreted during his days of captivity in the prisons of the South, and brought home with him 
on his return, and the other brought back by Major Horton, from the same regiment, the 
Fifty-eighth Massachusetts Volunteers. This regiment started for the field with six guidons, 
two red, two blue, and two white ones, presented to it by Xew Bedford. After the services in 
the field were ended it was found that but two of these guidons were left, and the colonel of 
the regiment proposed to keep them as souvenirs of the Fifty-eighth's experiences. Major 
Horton took the liberty of differing with his commanding officer upon that point, and decided 
that the two had better be separated, little dreaming that the one placed in Mr. Gay's care 
would ever lie brought back. Upon one occasion, therefore, in the colonel's absence, one dis- 
appeared, and he never found it again. " All 's fair in love and war," and so the Attleborough 
Grand Army is the fortunate possessor of more than double a company's share »f these 
guidons of the Fifty-eighth. 

Among the relics carefully preserved are various pieces of Southern scrip, and a Bible picked 
up near Petersburg, Va., by Major Horton; two canes made from stockades, the one from 
Andersonville, the other from Libby prison; some pipes whose owners — Charles William H. 
Harley and Charles William Upham of the Fifty-eighth — were shot with them in their pockets; 
and two briarwood pipes made in prison, in one of which Major Hortou secreted money. He 
had thirty-five dollars in greenbacks when he was captured and he managed to smuggle them 
into prison with him, and to preserve them as tobacco. There is a box whittled in Andersonville 



438 A SKETCH OF THE 

by J. C. Wilmarth and used by him for sail when he could get it : and various letters, rings, 
and ornaments of bone made in prison are also to be seen. There are a number oi bullets, 
shells, etc., from many differenl battlefields, and among the former is one carried by a man in 
his leg for twelve years before it was extracted; a drum-cord taken from a drum at the Battle 
of the "Wilderness may be seen, a picture of a cottonpress in New Orleans, drawn by Charles 
Goodier, a mallet made from a bit of flic stockade at Andersonville. specimens of candlesticks 
used by soldiers, a roll of bandage, army buttons, etc., ami one relic of Revolutionary days 
— a piece of a blanket used by a soldier of that time and presented to .Major Horton by an old 
lady in New Hampshire. 

William A. Streeter Post owns a lot in Woodlawu Cemetery, upon which there is a suitable 
monument designed among the members themselves. These have been paid for wholly by 
soldiers of the army and navy. 

It may be of interest to have here a list of the comrades of the Post who were confined as 
prisoners during the war. with places ami time of confinement: — 

Emmons D. Guild, 
Richmond, Belle Isle, Andersonville, 

Savannah. Mellen. Charleston. Florence. 

16 mouths. 1+ days. 

( reorge W. Horton, 

Tallahassee, Andersonville. Florence. 

12 months. 12 day-. 

Eli Barrett. 

Libby, Columbia, Castle Thunder. 

11 months. 

John C. Cummings, 

Audersom illc. Florence. 

10 months. 

H. G. Danforth, 

Danville, Andersonville, Florence. 

9 months, 21 days. 

Everett S. Horton, 

Petersburg, Libby. Salisbury. Danville. 

5 months; 

Selected as hostage January, 1805. 

Lemuel Gay. 

Libby, Salisbury, Danville, 

5 months. 

J. C. Wilmarth, 

Andersonville. Mellen, Florence, Savannah. 

7 months. 

George L. Titus. 

Libby. Belle Isle. Salisbury, 

G months, 18 days. 

Edward C. Martin. 

Belle Me, 

42 days. 

R.J.Bell, 

Libby. 

53 days. 

< . W. Bo wen. 

Belle Lie. 

42 days. 

Silas IL Wilson. 

Libby, 

56 days. 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 439 

Richmond Holley, 

Castle Thunder, Belle Isle. 

12 weeks. 

Jahiel Jordan, 

Danville, Libby, 

4 months. 

Died at Andersonville, 

Attleborough soldiers, 

George P. Johnson, George H. Norton, 

A. Baylies Cummings. 

The purposes of the G. A. R. are too familiar to every one to need either explanation or 
comment, but if the ceremonies of Memorial Day were the beginning and the end of its work, 
and it had no other, nothing better could have been projected as the basis of an organization. 
No better motto could be devised than the one used by the order regarding each of its dead : — 

"For what he was and all he dared, 
Remember him to-day.'' 

William A. Streeter Post has always been faithful in the discharge of its Soldiers' Day duties, 
and the public services are always well arranged and interesting. 

The following " Memorial Hymn " was written for one of these occasions some years since 
by "our town poet," whose pen was never idle in those dark days, when words of hope and 
patriotic cheer were so often aud so sorely needed, and whose time and talents are freely given 
tn advance every good cause: — 

" May, with fragrant offering, 
Dewy with the touch of Spring, 
Wakens memories sad aud sweet 
Of the lives so brave and fleet. 

Heroes, in the war they stood, 
Battling for the nation's good. 
Crown them with immortal fame. 
Blend in song each honored name. 

Grateful thanks with tears are shed 
On the living andjthe[dead ; 
Children's voices chant the lay 
Sacred to Memorial Day. 

Mother earth, upon thy breast. 
Fold thy mantle where they rest. 
We will trust Eternal power; 
To revive each mortal flower." 

" They fought to give us peace, and lol 
They gained a better peace than ours." 

We of the North thus carefully year by year place our votive offerings orer the forms of 
those buried among us, but there are many from the " ranks of our dead " lying on far South- 
ern plains or in distant, quiet churchyards whom we cannot reach with our fragrant garlands : 
still these are not all forgotten, for it is said that when they of the South year after year like 
ourselves decorate the graves of their own soldiers they generously scatter sweet blossoms 
over friend aud foe alike. 

Nothing could prove more conclusively that the bitter animosities and burning hatreds 
naturally engendered by the causes which led to and carried on the war are fast dying out than 
this simple fact — a fact quite properly referred to here. One stanza of a beautiful poem 
which was written to commemorate the first of the general decorative ceremonies by women 
of the South so aptly describes the feeling pervading the laud at this the end of a quarter- 



440 A SKETCH OF THE 

century since the close of the war that it seems fitting- to quote it ;is the most appropriate 
tinisli possible to a sketch of an organization whose very name must of necessity recall the 
former days of tierce and bloody strife : — 

•* Xo more shall the war-cry sever. 

Or the winding rivers he red; 
They banish our auger forever 

When they laurel the graves of our dead ! 
Under the sod and the dew. 

Waiting the judgment day; 
Love and tears for the Blue, 

Tears and love for the Gray." 

SONS OF VETERANS. 

The first camp organized under this name was at Pittsburg, Penn., in 18M, by Major A. P. 
Davis, and with the following objects in view : — 

" Sec. 1. To keep green the memories of our Fathers, and their sacrifices for the mainte- 
nance of the Union. 

" Sec. 2. To aid the members of the Grand Army of the Republic in the caring for their 
helpless and disabled Veterans; to extend aid and protection to their widows and orphans; to 
perpetuate the memory and history of their heroic dead, and the proper observance of Memo- 
rial Day. 

" Sec. 3. To aid and assist worthy and needy members of our Order. 

" Sec. 4. To inculcate patriotism and love of country, not only among our membership, but 
among all the people of our laud, and to spread and sustain the doctriue of equal rights, 
universal liberty, and justice to all." 

The camp in our town organized April 30, 18*4, with the following officers: Captain, C. A din 
Smith; First Lieutenant, O. W. Hawkins; Second Lieutenant, E. II. Davis; Chaplain, George 
Pierce; Orderly Sergeant, W. H. Streeter; Quartermaster Sergeant, E. A. Wales; Color Ser- 
geant. C. H. Meyers; Sergeant of the Guard, J. A. Thayer; Corporal of the Guard, L. A. 
Wales; Principal Musician, F. I. Jackson; Camp Guard, L. B. Kingman; Picket Guard, J. F. 
Woodward. The number of charter members was twenty-three, which had increased in 1887 to 
thirty-two, at which time the following named were the officers: Captain, H. E. Waugh; First 
Lieutenant, G. C. Parker; Second Lieutenant. G. A. Pierce; Chaplain, O. P. Newell; Quarter- 
master Sergeant, J. F. Woodward ; Orderly Sergeant, C. H. Harwood ; Color Sergeant, 
W. Caswell; Sergeant of the Guard, A. F. Guild; Camp Guard, H. E. Briggs; Musician, 
W. H. White; Picket Guard, W. Young. 

At the commencement a considerable anil very commendable amount of interest was mani- 
fested in this organization, but at present this is very much on the wane. So decidedly is this 
the case that there are evident signs of disbandment at no very distant day; but we trust the 
sous of our old soldiers will not suffer such a course to lie pursued. We ought to remember 
ourselves, and our children and children's children through the ages to come should be 
taught to remember, what their fathers did in the great war for the Union by perpetuating 
unceasingly as a patriotic duty the customs of Memorial Day. 1 

THE WOMEN'S RELIEF CORPS. 

This organization was formed September 4, 1884, with twenty charter members. The soci- 
eties bearing this name are the outgrowth of similar societies formed during the war for the 
succor and relief of our soldiers in active service, and now their aim is to primarily furnish 
aid to needv soldiers and their families, though thev combine with their good works some 



1 For some years this lack of interest continued, until the organization almost died out. Atone 
time there were but three "regular paid members," though the list contained some thirteen names. 
In the spring of 1890 interest revived and a new lease of life was taken. There were in 1891 about 
thirty members, and the interest is still maintained (1893). [Kecently disbanded.] 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 441 

features of a social nature. Charters are granted to the minor societies by the National 
Women's Relief Corps. 

The lirst officers of the corps here were : President, Mrs. Lucy C. Martin ; Senior Vice-Presi- 
dent, Mrs. Lizzie C. Thompson; Junior Vice-President, Mrs. Ellen Fuller; Secretary. Mrs. 
Isabel Mowton ; Treasurer, Mrs. Abby Thompson; Chaplain, Mrs. Sarah E.Cole; Conductor, 
Mrs. Evelyn Fogg; Guard, Mrs. Fanny Rhodes. 

There is a membership fee attached to this organization and a yearly tax of two dollars, 
payable quarterly ; and whenever it becomes necessary money is raised by entertainment^ <>f 
various kinds. During the past year and a half $150 has been raised, and since the formation 
of the corps fully $200. There is a general fund and a relief fund, with a special relief com- 
mittee to ascertain needs and present the same to the entire body for its consideration and 
action. The ladies of this society attend both to their own special charity work and that of 
the Grand Army Post. During the past winter, that of 1886-S7, very little charity work was 
required — proof positive of the healthful prosperity of the members of the Post. 

The officers for 1SST were as follows : President, Mrs. Emma Adams; Senior Vice-President. 
Mrs. Ellen Fuller; Junior Vice-President, Mrs. Myra Makepeace: Secretary, Mrs. Abby A. 
Smith; Treasurer, Mrs. Emily Luther; Chaplain, Mrs. Margaret Hawkins; Conductor, Mrs. 
Sarah E. Hall: Guard, Miss Emma Larrabee. 

PRENTISS M. WHITING POST, NO. 102, GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC. 

This Post antedates by about two years the William A. Streeter Post, since, as nearly as can 
be ascertained, it was organized in 1869, and its first charter bore the number " 133.'' Its 
membership reached one hundred, and it was for some time in a very prosperous condition. 
Its chief work in the early days was a charitable one, " in relieving the widows and families 
of soldiers." There appear to have been some twelve commanders : the first, S. H. Bugbee, 
and his successors, Mr. Bernard. Mr. Loughlin, Dr. O. C. Turner, W. H. Goodhue, Thomas 
Currain (now deceased), Thomas Sandland (who was the first adjutant), E. D. Sturtevant, 
W. W. Fisher, B. F. Lincoln, B. T. Brouson, and J. N. Hall. The prosperity of the Post 
continued unabated for six or seven years, but about 1875 dissensions began to make them- 
selves manifest, and they were finally the means of entirely breaking up the organization. 
These dissensions were the result of discussions upon " parliamentary usage and rules," which 
have been characterized as " red hot." Their effect upon the life of the Post was disastrous; 
interest waned, numbers dwindled to about one half apparently, — fifty-seven, — and at length 
the charter was returned to the authorities who issued it. Many of the members subsequently 
joined the William A. Streeter Post and others probably the George H. Maintien Post in 
Plainville after its formation in 1882. 

After the division of the town the citizens of the new town of North Attleborough prom- 
ised substantial aid financially to Grand Army men there, and especially to those who had been 
members of this organization, if they would form a new Post and take up the old charter. 
This latter it was found could not be done, as the old charter had been given to the Plainville 
Post; but a new Post was formed under the old name, and a new charter and number were 
obtained. This organization was effected July 15, 1888, and the good work was accomplished 
largely, it is said, through the efforts of Department Commander Walker. Again S. H. 
Bugbee became the first commander, and he retained the office through the two succeeding 
years. The adjutant during those years was R. J. Bell, and he still retains the office. The 
second beginning seems to have been auspicious, and the existence of the Post thus far both 
prosperous and encouraging. In its existence of a little more than two years there have been 
but four deaths among the members, and but four other losses in number, two from resigna- 
tion and two from change of residence. Those who died were Dr. F. L. Burden, C. E. 
Burgess, B. F. Evans, and William L. Kilkenny, and one of those who left town was Charles 
Taylor, who was transferred to the Soldiers' Home at Wickford, R. I. There are now eighty- 
five active members. 

There are two auxiliaries connected with this post — the J. N. Corse Sons of Veterans Camp, 
No. 57, with a membership of fifty, and the Women's Relief Corps, No. 117, with a member- 
ship of one hundred and forty. The ladies of this organization accomplish a large amount of 



442 



A SKETCH OF THE 



good work among the families of soldiers, many of whom would perhaps otherwise be 
dependent upon the town for support. 

The officers of the Post for 1891 are as follows: Commander, C. T. Guild; Senior Vice- 
Commander, O. L.Swift; Junior Vice-Commander, Thomas (.. Sandland; Quartermaster, 
\V. P. Whittemore; Chaplain, F. II. Lisdala; Officer of the Day. T. W. Draper; Officer of the 
Guard, Joseph F. Whiting. The headquarters of the Post are in Knights of Pythias Hall in 
Barrows" Block. The official year ends in December, and installations occur in January of 
each year. Following is a list of the members at the present time, 1891: — 



S. H. Bugbee, 

C. T. Guild. 

W. P. Whittemore, 

0. L. Sweet, 

A. R. Block, 

J. L. Aldrich, 

Henry H. Bennett, 

A. T. Briggs, 
J. B. Carter. 
Horace Champlin, 
Charles W. H. Day. 
Gamaliel B. Gotf, 
F. A. Gould, 
Charles Hackett, 

B. F. Lincoln. 

J. F. Mackinson, 
John B. Peck, 
E. D. Sturtevant, 
Henry G. S. Strucker, 
E. H. Tappan, 
Samuel Terrell, 
Frank II. Tisdale, 
Edwin Whitney. 
George W. Waterhouse, 
T. S. Wood, 
John E. Bent, 
Osmyn II. Atwood, 
Joseph H. Chatham, 



C. W. Eaton, 
W. W. Fisher. 
A. Gordon. 
J. Norman Hall, 
J. G. Hall, 
H. E. Lincoln, 
Charles E. May, 
George F. Stone, 
Joseph Slaiger, 
R. J. Bell, 
Eben L. Sylvester, 
Stephen Ballon, 
Augustus B. Hyde, 
J. Sample, 
Frederick Stafford. 
Alfred Worthington, 
W. H. Birch. 
James N. Woodward, 
Harvey Clap, 
Albert L. Wheeler. 
Patrick A. Kewlin, 
Timothy Maloney, 
Matthew Shea. 
Thomas C. Perkins. 
Winfield S. Thompson, 
Lewis G. Whiting, 
Arlon M. Whipple, 
W. E. Wood, 
Andrew M. Belcher. 1 

NEWSPAPERS. 



Stephen Stanley, 
C. C. Peck, 
J. F. Whiting, 
T. W. Draper, 
George E. Bassett, 
Julius I. Bosworth, 
John Carroll, 
Frank Cassels, 
W. B. Congdon, 
Halsey W. Draper, 
Thomas Farrell, 
Thomas G. Sandland, 
T. M. Sears. 
Daniel R. Rose, 
William Smith, 
W. Barnett, 
B. F. Bronsou, 
Walter Katon, 
Asa 31. Franklin, 
Jacob Wits. 
Charles B. Wood, 
Michael McGam, 
John Drayton, 
Roger Delaney, 
Thomas II. Flynn, 
Edward Rolfe, 
William J. Glassey, 
Benjamin H. Lattimer. 



The first newspaper in town was the Attleborough Bulletin, published at North 
Attleborough, with Mr. J. M. Stewart as editor. Later its name was changed to the Bristol 
County News, and it was then in the hands of Mr. Robert Sherman, of Pawtucket. 
Nothing beyond these facts has been obtained relating to these publications. 

the attleboruu<;h chronicle. 2 

" The history of every large and prosperous New England town necessarily includes a recog- 
nition of the local press, as potent among the factors that have influenced its character and 
growth. When a town has reached a certain stage of municipal development, the local news- 
paper is sure to appear. — indigenous as cedars to Lebanon, and as closely akin to the commu- 



" It was not until the present year, '.891, that any information could be obtained relating to this Post, 
and as so few facts were gathered regarding its earlier existence it was deemed proper to continue 
the sketch as given down to the present time. Its history belongs to the old town as well as the new. 

2 For the above sketch we are indebted to Mr. Edgar Perry, former editor of the Chronicle, who 
kindly prepared it for us.— Editor. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 443 

nity it represents as buds to the apple tree. Attleborough oft'ers no exception to this law of 
social and material evolution. 

"Following close upon the opening of the Attleborough Branch railroad, and like that enter- 
prise a resultant of the business prosperity tbat followed the war. came the Attleborough 
Chronicle. It was the first paper whose form and method, as well as time of appearing, 
gave any hope of permanence or prosperity. In a History of Attleborough it deserves fitting- 
representation, because its own service to the cause of local history, in catching and holding 
by the ' art preservative' the events of recent years, has been of the greatest value. 

" In November 1871 the idea occurred to Mr. Walter Phillips, 1 who was then employed on 
a Providence paper, to start a journal of his own, and his attention and choice were naturally 
directed to Attleborough, the birthplace of his wife,- and a large and growing municipality. 
The latter part of December of that year, Mr. Phillips began a personal canvass of the town, 
which was continued by himself and others until the first of February 1ST2, when $1,900 had 
been paid in advance subscriptions. The first paper was issued February 3 rd 1872, the type 
being set in a little office near Ryder's Hotel, now Park Street Hotel, Attleboro', and the 
forms were sent to Providence and printed by the Providence Press Company. Pressure of 
advertising made it necessary to enlarge as early as May of that year. 

'• On the completion of Kendall's Block, in North Attleboro', the enlarged paper was 
moved into the rooms in that building now occupied by the engraving office of Lincoln it 
Ballon and the Union Improvement District Library. A Washington Ward press was added, 
and upon it Edward Quinn, foreman of the office, ' worked' the forms. July 20 th Mr. Quiun 
also became local editor, and in August the journalistic force was further augmented by the 
employment of Mr. Eugene K. Dunbar, who came to the work with the collegiate honors of 
Brown University freshly upon him. August 24 th the firm became Phillips & Dunbar. Janu- 
ary 18 th 1873, Mr. Phillips sold the paper, with the job office connected, to Messrs. Dunbar & 
Quinn for $5,000. All the printing material had been paid for from the earnings of the first 
year. July 1 st of tbat year — 1873 — E. K. Dunbar became sole editor and proprietor, and so 
continued for nearly four years. During all this period he was assisted by Mr. Eliot Hunt as 
local editor and representative of the paper in the village of Attleboro'. To Mr. Hunt's able 
and conscientious work much of the success of the paper was owing. 

" .March 3 rd 1877, Mr. Dunbar sold the paper to Mr. F. B. Greene of Providence, sou of 
Prof. Greene of Brown University, Eliot Hunt of Attleboro', and Edwin A. Codding of North 
Attleboro'. The new firm organized as F. B. Greene & Co., Mr. Greene owning a half, and 
each of his partners a quarter, interest. Two years later, March 1 st 1879, Mr. Hunt purchased 
the interest of Mr. Greeue, and the firm became Eliot Hunt & Co. The business prospered, 
but at the expense of the health of the senior proprietor, who found it necessary in the spring 
of 1881 to call editorial assistance. He procured the services of Mr. Edgar Perry, like Mr. 
Dunbar and Mr. Greene, a graduate of Brown University. Mr. Perry began his duties March 
8 th 1881, and a year later was formally given sole charge of its editorial and news columns. 

"In November, 1881, the Chroxiclk moved into its present convenient and commodious 
rooms in Anawan Block. December 1 st 1882 its form was changed from an eight-column folio 
to a six-column quarto, printed on tinted paper, and cut and pasted. 

"Mr. Hunt's journeys in quest of health proved unsuccessful, and on Sunday morning 
September 8 th 1883, he passed peacefully to rest at his residence in Attleboro'. Mr. Hunt's 
administrators sold his three fourths interest in the paper, December 8 th 1883, to Edgar Perry, 
who in turn sold a quarter to Mr. William H. Barnes, a former foreman of the office, a news- 
paper man of experience and at that time proprietor of a job printing office in Odd Fellows 
Building. The two businesses were consolidated, and the firm organized January 1 st 1884, as 
Perry, Barnes & Co., Mr. Edwin A. Codding still retaining his quarter interest in the concern. 
April I s ' 1884, the Chronicle was changed to a semi-weekly, a four-page edition being 
published every Tuesday. July 13 th 1886, Mr. Barnes purchased the interest of Mr. Codding, 
and became equal partner with Mr. Perry, the firm taking its present style. Perry & Barnes. 



1 Now general manager of the United Press. 2 Miss Francena Capron, daughter of the late Virgil 
Capron. 



444 A SKETCH OF THE 

•• December 8 th 1886, Messrs. Perry & Barnes founded and have since printed at the Chron- 
icle office three thriving local journals for neighboring towns, viz.: — 'The Rehoboth 
Townsman,' 'Norton Mirror,' and 'Cumberland Standard.' They have contributed 
to Old Colony history, ' Historic Rehoboth,' ' History of the Attleborough Farm- 
ers and Mechanics Association,' and 'History of the Bristol County Agricul- 

TORAI So< II. IV.* 

"The Attleborough Chronicle has received an unusual share of conscientious, pains- 
taking work and well-directed enterprise. The high esteem in which the citizens of Attleboro' 
and North Attleboro' regard it. is evidence that the labor of those who have advanced to larger 
fields of journalism and of him whose day closed >o early, ha* not failed of its reward.'" ' 

THE ATTLEBORO ADVOCATE. 

The success of the above enterprise in the newspaper line very probably marked the way for 
another of the same nature, and three years after the Chronicle started on its prosperous 
career another town publication made its appearance. The first issue of the ATTLEBORO 
Advocate bore the date of March 27. 1875, and was published by Mr. T. S. Pratt. On the 
tenth of the following May Mr. Pratt and Mr. David S. Lowe opened an office in the building 
now known as Briggs' Hotel, on South Main street. In the latter part of December of that, 
same year the proprietors removed their business to Dean's Block on Park Street, where it 
was carried on for nearly four years. On October 1. 1879, Mr. Pratt sold his interest to Mr. 
Lowe, who soon increased the facilities of the otlice by the purchase of the large newspaper 
press on which the Advocate is still (1887) printed. It was at once apparent that steam 
power was required for the advantageous operation of this pre--, and a move was therefore 
made to the upper floor of the building loug known as the " Steam Tower Company's building." 
where ample space and the necessary force were obtained for carrying on the printing, while 
the office still continued in Dean's Block. This arrangement for the presswork proved to be 
unsatisfactory to the tenants of the floors below on account of the " power of the press" to 
jar the building and another move therefore became necessary. This was effected on January 
1. 1880, the entire business going to County Street. 

About a year later, on January 15, L881, Messrs. E. II. and X. J. Sweet purchased the busi- 
ness. April 5, 1884, the paper was changed from a folio to a quarto and other changes were 
made at the same time and many improvements added to its makeup. In November. 1SS4. >till 
another move was made — to the offices still occupied on South Main Street. Job B. Savery 
was the first editor and agent of the Advocate, and the other editors have been successively 
Mr. Carpenter. C. M. Barrow-. N. A. .Mow ton. and George Randall. The latter assumed the 
position in December. 1884, and retained it about four years. He was previously the editor of 
the Peabody Press. 

In November, ]ss4. a- stated, a move was made from County Street to the present quarters 
on South Main Street, very near its intersection with North Main, County, and Park streets. 
Since coming here its circulation has steadily increased. The new proprietors being enterpris- 
ing men. they continually augment their facilities in the job department of the business, adding 
from time to time both to the variety and quality of the work they produce. At the time of the 
tlood the Advocate bad many illustration- of its effects in the various portions of the town, 
and was the first paper in town to use cuts of that kind to any extent. The edition for the 
week of the flood was 6,500, and was very large during the entire month. 

In the early autumn of 1887 an extremely severe illness sustained by Mr. E. H. Sweet 
obliged him to relinquish all business. He left town on the seventh of October of that year, 
for southern California, and the conduct of all the affairs of the establishment was assumed 



1 In May, 18S8, Mr. Perry left town, and Mr. Barnes became sole owner of the paper. Mr. Burrill 
Porter, Jr., assumed the editorship and has retained the position ever since. In November, 1890, the 
weekly publication was merged into a daily and at once discontinued, the first issue of the Daily 
Chronicle bearing date November 17, 18!i0. In the autumn of 1SS9 the business removed its quarters 
to Elm Street, and in the latter part of 1892 to the building on the same street formerly occupied by 
Mr. John P. Bonnett. It isconducted under the name of ■' The Evening Chronicle Co., W. H. Barnes, 
Manager." 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 445 

by the partner and brother. Mr. N. J. Sweet. Since then additional space has been taken and 
the facilities for all kinds of printing have been increased, with the result of a decided growth 
in the business. The enterprise and energy displayed oy these latest partners have reaped an 
abundant reward in the way of present success and of encouraging promise for the future. 
The Advocate is popular and has a very large circulation for a town paper. Attleborough 
may, we think, safely challenge comparison with almost any town in regard to her two news- 
paper publications, both in character and appearance. 1 

ATTLEBOKOUGH BRANCH RAILUOAD. 

For many years previous and up to 1869-70, the only public mode of conveyance between the 
North and East villages was by a line of stages. These met certain trains only in the latter 
village, and year by year were proving to be more and more inadequate to the demands made 
upon them by the two villages and the interlying portions of the town. The necessity for 
more frequent and rapid communication in this direction had therefore come to be a widely 
acknowledged fact. About the beginning of the year 1870, at his request, several gentlemen 
met at the residence of Handel X. Daggett at the Falls village, to consult upon a plan for start- 
ing a railroad and to arrange for taking the initial steps in the enterprise. This meeting was, 
so far as known, the real beginning of the Branch Road. 

The plan matured proved to be an admirable one and it was promptly and ably executed, for 
in less than a year from the above date the road was completed and in running order. A peti- 
tion was drawn up, which was signed by Handel X. Daggett, Henry F. Barrows, and Stephen 
Richardson, who were made the corporators, and presented to the Legislature. This provided 
for the corporators permission to build the road to unite with the Boston and Providence Rail- 
road and the Taunto,*. Branch Railroad at their junction in Attleborough. with power to lease 
the same. The capital stock was not to exceed $100,000 and shares were to be $100 each. This 
petition passed the House March VI. 1870, and the Senate on the 11th, being approved on the 
19th of the same month. 

The first meeting called by the corporation was held in Mr. Rice's office at North Attle- 
borough on May 14,, 1870. Besides the above-named petitioners there were present Dr. J. R. 
Bronson, J. H. Sturdy, and A. M. Ide. The charter and by-laws were accepted at an adjourned 
meeting held later in the same day. On June 1 H. F. Barrows was elected president, 
J. R. Bronson, clerk, and H. N. Daggett, treasurer. The fir.-t directors were H. F. Barrows, 
H. N. Daggett, J. R. Bronson, Stephen Richardson, and A. A. Folsom. On July 29 it was 
voted to contract with E. G. Perkins and John Lynch to construct the road for $40,000, and it 
was to be completed by the first of November following. This contract was carried out in 
the usual way, with some extra charges. In 1871 power was granted to increase the capital to 
$130,000 and the road was leased to the Boston and Providence Railroad for a term of thirty 
years from December 31, 1871. 

The officers of the first election have continued in their respective positions to the present 
time, 1887, and there has been but one change in the board of directors, O. M. Draper having 
been elected in the place of Stephen Richardson, deceased. The stock is held almost entirely 
in town and by about thirty-five persons, these being chiefly residents of North Attleborough. 
The road is in good running condition and prosperous financially. The stock has increased 
fully fifty per cent, in value and therefore pays large dividends on its par value. [The road 



1 Mr. Randall retired from the paper about August, 188S, and in January following Mr. Mowton 
again took the editorship. Soon after the departure of Mr. Sweet, Mr. William A. Sturdy, of Chartley, 
entered the business and in November, 1SSS, the firm of Sweet & Sturdy was formed. The following 
year it was decided to establish a daily paper, and the first issue of the same bears the date of Sep- 
tember A, 1889, under the name of the Attleborough Daily Sun. There were 306 publications 
during the first year, with an average daily number of 2,205. Various "popularity contests" were 
started, and were one of the means of maintaining a large daily average for quite a period. 

The firm of Sweet & Sturdy dissolved partnership July 1, 1891, Mr. Sweet leaving town at that time. 
For two months the business was conducted under the name of Willliam A. Sturdy, but at that time, 
September 1, 1891, Mr. Mowton took control. The business has passed into other hands, and early in 
1894 Mr. Mowton left town to take a position on a newspaper in Brockton, this State. 



446 ^ SKETCH OF THE 

came under the management of the Old Colony Railroad when that company leased the Boston 
and Providence Railroad, and in turn under that of the New York, New Haven and Hartford 
Railroad, which corporation has leased the entire Old Colony system.] 

There are several other organizations of varied nature in town, such as the Attleborough 
Poultry Club, organized in issi: the Attleborough Rifle Club; the Columbia Bicycle Club, 
organized March 10, 1881, etc. Then- arc two courts of the order of Foresters: Court Attle- 
borough, No. 7,260, organized in 1886, A. O. F., and Sarsfield Court, M. C. O. F.; North Attle- 
borough Branch. No. 379, C. K. of A., and Attleborough Chapter No. 2S, Golden Rule Alliance. 
The Norfolk and Bristol Horse Thief 1 >etecting Society has a number of members in town. Of 
his society J. W. Capron is treasurer, C. S. Williams is agent at Attleborough, and John Rates 
assistant agent. It is said to have been organized April 18, 1790. The Attleborough Mutual 
Fire Insurance Company, organized January 1, 1S4.">. still continues it> prosperous existence, 
with .1. W. ( apron as president. S. W. Carpenter, treasurer, and E. R. Read, secretary. It has 
two agencies in town. North Attleborough has a Musical and Literary Association, organized 
in May, 1882, a Germania Singing Society. Frohsinn, incorporated in 1874, and three other 
musical associations; namely. North Attleborough Cornet Band, organized March 22. 1S70; 
Lamphier's Orchestra, organized in 1880; and the North Attleborough Orchestra. Attle- 
borough has Blackinton's and Stewartson's orchestras, the latter organized in September, 
L881. At North Attleborough a newspaper called the Attleboroiiiii Advertises is 
published bi-monthly. 

Another organization which has come to be very prominent has recently been formed. 
About the time of the division of the town a petition signed by about sixty-seven citizens was 
presented to the Legislature asking permission to form a military company. This was the lirst 
among several other petitions presented for the same purpose. It lias been granted and the 
company duly formed, all necessary arrangements made for rooms, uniforms, etc.. and the 
prospects promise a military organization which shall prove a great credit to the new old town 
of Attleborough (1887). 

[For some years there had been a desire manifest to form a military company in town, but 
there was no opportunity to carry such a desire into effect unless it should become an independ- 
ent company, until the year 1887. when, under a new law. the' military force of the State was 
increased. In Chapter 411 of the " Acts and Resolves of Massachusetts " for that year, Section 
22 reads as follows: "In time of peace, the volunteer militia shall consist of not more than 
seventy-two companies of infantry, three companies of cavalry, three batteries of light artil- 
lery, two corps of cadets, and a signal and an ambulance corps to each brigade." Previous to 
this time there had been but sixty companies of infantry in the State. George A. Adams. Esq., 
O. P. Richardson, Jr., and some few others were the prime movers in this matter, and through 
their efforts the way was paved for active measures to be taken. 

A preliminary meeting was held in Engine Hall, October 5, 1887. A temporary organiza- 
tion was effected withG. A.Adams as captain, T. K. Gay as first lieutenant, and O. P. Richard- 
sou, Jr.. second lieutenant, and sixty-four men were enrolled as members. The necessarj 
petition was framed and sent to the Adjutant-General of the State. On October 27 Adjutant- 
General Dalton inspected the petitioner- at (i. A. R. Hall, and the company was notified to meet 
later on at Park Hall to be mustered into service. This was done November 18, 1887, by Colonel 
Bancroft of the Fifth Regiment, to which the company had been assigned, and they were 
thenceforth to be known as Company I. Fifth Regiment. M. V. M. The names of the original 
members of the company are as follows : — 

G.A.Adams, Charles Allen. W.B.Allen, 

George L. Bullard, E. H. Briggs, A. S. Blackinton, Jr., 

Bradford Bullock, W. B. Bliss, C. T. Burr. 

C. E. Briggs, H. A. Clark. J. D. Chilson, 

F. B. Eldridge, A. G. Fuller, C. F. Forrester. 

T. K. Gay, F. C. Gray, A. A. Guild, 

E. L. Go wen. L. F. Golf, W. II. Golf. 

0. W. Hawkins, A. S. lngraham, L. B. Kingman. 

F. E. Keeler, O. A. Knight. D. L. Lowe. 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 447 

J. H. Lewis, H. C. Luther. F. L. Morse, 

W.T.Mason," Eugene Martin. R. D. Manchester, 

Samuel McCartney, T. T. MoAdams, G. C. Parker, ' 

A. W. Parmenter, G. A. Pierce, H. R. Packard, 

G. F. Power, O. P. Richardson. A. M. Richards, 

C. F. Rhodes, C. E. Richards. 0. A. Richardson, 

C. H. Swift, G. E. Snow, G. H. Sykes, 

C. A. Sturdy, David Smiley. F. E. Smith, 
F. E. Tripp", E. A. Taylor. J. F. Woodard. 

D. E. Wilmarth, G. O. Wilmarth, M. L. Wood. 

E. F. Young. 

On February 27, 1888, the following were added to the above number by being mustered 
in : — 

F. E. Allen. O. P. Bliss. J. E. Pagney, 

F. C. Power, I. W. Smith. George White. 

The first commissioned officers were : — 

Captain. William H. Goff. 

First Lieutenant. George A. Adams. 

Second Lieuteuant, O. P. Richardson, Jr. 

The first non-commissioned officers appointed by the captain were: — 
First Sergeant, Fred. L. Morse. Corporals. 

Second Sergeant, Herbert A. Clark. Frank E. Keeler, 

Third Sergeant, Thomas K. Gay, George H. Sykes, 

Fourth Sergeant, D. E. Wilmarth. Amos S. Blackinton, 

Fifth Sergeant, Clarence E. Richards. Charles A. Sturdy. 

At its first inspection Company I took the highest place, and has stood Number 1 ever 
since, maintaining the same high standard in all respects and everywhere. Its record in camp 
has been wellnigh perfect, and it has •• never had a man in the guard bouse." The Fifth 
Regiment attended the celebration in New York attendant upon the one hundredth anniversary 
of the inaugural of Washington, and was the recipient of very high compliments from the 
City of New York. This regiment presented the appearance of regulars and was the " only 
regiment in the IT. S. that marched 24 file front."' At the Cotton Centennial celebration 
in Pawtucket in the autumn of 1890, to which Company I was specially invited, it was the 
only company in the procession which marched with the " file front of regulars," and with 
every eye looking straight ahead. Much praise has been bestowed upon this company, and 
justly, for the men have labored diligently to acquire the military knowledge and technique 
necessary to place them where they desired to be — in the front ranks of militia companies. 
The " drill squad" deserves special praise for its attainments in the line of what, for want 
perhaps of the proper military term, we must call fancy drilling. In the intricate and artistic 
movements involved in this style of drill the men seem to have reached almost perfection. 

A high compliment was bestowed upon Company I, and through it upon the town, by the 
order which directed that the regimental " Field Day " manoeuvres for 1890 should be conducted 
here. Under the orders issued it was impossible for the citizens of the town to offer the 
regiment any entertainment in the way of a collation, but what could be done by them was 
done. A large number offered themselves as soldiers for the day to "acton the defensive." 
The threatening weather of the eighth of October prevented many from presenting themselves 
at the appointed rendezvous, but the well-planned defence was carried out nevertheless by the 
small number who were actively engaged under the command of Major Hortou. The attack 
was directed by Colonel Bancroft and the result w as a foregone conclusion, as of course the 
town had to be taken, but it was some hours before the regiment was victorious. The fighting 
was in the vicinity of Dodgeville, chiefly to the east of that village, and the limit of the battle 
was Maple Street: when the regiment should have driven its enemies to the north of that point, 
the houses south of it being captured, all hostilities were to cease. There were some brilliant 



448 A SKETCH OF THE 

manoeuvres, some sharp skirmishes, and a few casualties, or the semblance of such, but for- 
tunately no serious accidents. A small number of prisoners were taken by Company I with 
great difficulty — especially in the ease of E. C. .Martin — some wounds (to garments) were 
sustained, the necessary surgeon being found in a neighboring kite-hen, and some refreshments 
stored fur the use of one party fell into the hands of another; notably some kegs were discov- 
ered and seized bj some scouting party, declared " contraband," and the contents were imme- 
diately appropriated by the captors* 

It having become known that the State's provision of ammunition would be inadequate for 
the requirements of Field Day, it was decided that a proper amount should be presented to 
the regiment. To that end eighl gentlemen of the town subscribed twenty-five dollars each. 
and the supply thus obtained proving to be more than sufficient for the various encounters of 
the 'lay. after the battle was over the regiment drew up in line on Maple Street and disposed 
of what was left in an exhibition of brilliant tiring. They then inarched to the common, 
where preparations for dress parade were made. A line of march through some of the princi- 
pal streets of the village was followed, the route ending via South Main Street to the field east 
of it and south of .Maple Street, which had been selected as the place for the final exercises. 
Halting at the residence of Mr. John C. Cummings, Company I moved forward on to the lawn 
ami received a handsome silk national flag. This was presented by the members of the Ball 
and Mallet Club, a social organization of ladies, who in this pleasant deed were most heartily 
and materially a>>i>ted by their husbands. The pride in and the appreciation of the company's 
success thus voiced by a few would no doubt be concurred in by the entire town. Following 
this presentation was that of a beautiful bouquet by one of our most charming young ladies to 
Company M. of Hudson, who won this compliment by presenting the best appearance of any 
company on the inarch. Dress parade brought the military exercises to a close, and the regi- 
ment left town expressing themselves as well pleased with their reception and with the 
success of the day. The streets from an early hour were tilled with an eager, interested 
crowd of people from everywhere in the entire vicinity, to many of whom it was no doubt 
in its way the day of their lifetime, and to all of whom it musl have been one of unusual 
gratification. Clouds threatened all day but withheld an outburst, commencing only to let 
down gentle showers when the parade was nearly over. Fields were wet ami streets were 
muddy, but otherwise little was left to be desired, and the Field Day of October S, 1890, may 
be recalled with a 1 degree of satisfaction. 

As has been stated. Company T held the Iir»t place in the regiment from the commencement 
of its career and continued to do so for years. This was largely attributed to the fact that but 
few changes had occurred in its ranks, and long practice together had enabled the men to reach 
their high degree of perfection. The term of enlistment for many of the men expired in 1890, 
and numbers of these did not reenlist, their places being filled by recruits. It was therefore 
confidently expected, from the very nature of the case, that the annual inspection for that year 
would show the standard of the company to be lowered. When results showed to the con- 
trary it was a surprise and gratification to every one interested. The new men proved them- 
selves to be truly loyal to the interests of the company. They seemed to consider themselves 
in large measure responsible for its position the ensuing year, and that they worked with the 
will which paves the way to success is attested by the fact that Company I still continued to 
hold its high rank. This statement in no wise derogates the work of the old men, or detracts 
from its importance; new men and old striving harmoniously together accomplished what 
neither could have done alone. The anxiously-looked-for inspection occurred February it. L891, 
at Armory Hall, Pierce's Block, the headquarters of the company. Major (Jakes was the 
inspecting officer, and his words to the company on that occasion, though brief, contain a 
lengthy meaning: " I thought a year ago that the company did finely, but to-night's perform- 
ance excels that record. I never saw a company in such excellent condition in my life a> I find 
Company I this evening. No company in the State is its superior, and I believe there are few 
companies in this country so well posted in all the duties of the soldier as Company I of Attle- 
boro." We can easily pardon the " irregularity " displayed by an inspecting officer in speaking 
to a company of the results of their work, when he uses expressions of such high praise as 
these, and to citizens of our town. 

It may serve to show more clearly the real position the company has attained if a few figures 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 449 

of this inspection of 1891 are given. The men were examined and marked for sixteen differ- 
ent things. In eleven of these they were perfect, and in the remaining five very nearly so, as 
they received 694 points out of a possible 700. Considerable interest has been taken in rifle 
practice, and the results may be seen in the following report of Lieutenant R. B. Edes. the 
regimental inspector of rifle practice, for work done during the year 1891: "Company I of 
Attleboro qualified its full complement of 61 men, and made a record for itself which will be 
hard to equal and difficult to excel. To accomplish this remarkable feat the hardest and most 
persistent work was required of officers and men, and they are deserving of the highest credit 
for making such a glorious record, never before equalled by a company of this regiment and 
seklom by any militia organization. By its brilliant record in marksmanship, Company I has 
well earned the title of the 'Shooting company' of the 5th regiment. To Capt. Got!" and 
Lieut. Adams the thanks of the department are tendered for the indefatigable efforts put forth 
by them in placing their command in the proud position it now holds." 

The high point reached continues to be maintained, and great credit is due both officers and 
men for this fact, for no amount of ability to command on the part of the former could have 
availed without the hearty inclination to obey on the part of the latter. Company T has been 
unusually fortunate in both these directions. One who has now retired from the company 
deserves special praise. He was foremost and essential in the work of its organization. His 
aim was to make the company a credit to itself and to the community, and he was wise and 
efficient in carrying out all plans tending towards its realization, ably seconding the men in all 
their advancing efforts, and never satisfied until they were successful in reaching the high 
standard set. His ability and faithfulness were recognized and appreciated by the entire com- 
pany, and it was with great reluctance and only after several repetitions that they suffered the 
resignation of Lieutenant George A. Adams to be accepted. 

The officers for 1893 were as follows : — 

Captain, William H. Gotf. 

First Lieutenant, Herbert A. Clark. 

Second ,, George H. Sykes. 

First Sergeant. Walter T. Mason. 

Sergeants. 
Charles A. Richardson, E. H. Briggs, 

Frank C. Gray, David L. Lowe. 

Corporals. 

A. H. Carpenter, Otis F. Hicks. 

Fred. W. Northup, Wilbur S. Stowe. 

Fred. Wihnarth. Joseph H. Williams. 1 ] 

ELECTRIC STREET RAILWAYS. 

Some time previous to the division of the town the question as to the advisability of starting 
an electric street railway company and the practicability of building such a road was mooted. 
After considerable discussion a number of gentlemen, chiefly of this town, decided to embark 
in such an enterprise and subscribed the amount of money required by law to start it. They 
in the early autumn of 1887 organized as the Attleborough, North Attleborough. and Wren- 
tham Street Railway Company, with the following gentlemen as directors : PI. G. Bacon, Peter 
Nerney, C. L. Watson,. T. E. Draper, H. M. Daggett, Jr., W. M. Fisher, and F. L. Burden. 
The projected route was to be from the Park-street railroad crossing in Attleborough through 
Park and North Main streets in that village; through North Avenue and High Street to North 
Attleborough; through Elm, Washington, and South streets to School Street, in Plainville, 
including a distance of six miles. The convenience of such a means of frequent and rapid 



1 A very high compliment has recently been paid to Company I. By order of the Adjutant-General 
the six Gatling guns belonging to the State militia have been removed from the batteries and placed 
with infantry companies. One of these was assigned to and has been received by Company I. 



4-*)0 A SKETCH OF THE 

conveyance must :it once be realized and acknowledged, and, once established, would become 
more ami more an ever-increasing necessity to all within it- reach. It is to he hoped that the 
plans of these gentlemen will meet with a speedy consummation and the electric railway soon 
he constructed. 

[Work was commenced on this railway in July. 18S9. and it was practically completed in the 
following October. During the three days of the Agricultural Fair, which was held about the 
middle of September that year, cars were run from the village of Attleborough to the grounds 
with horses, and large numbers of passengers were carried. The road was entirely completed 
early in the following spring, and electric cars commenced running April 5. 1890. The road is 
operated by the Thomson-Houston system. The capital was $00,000 and the number of stock- 
holders eighteen. First mortgage bonds were issued to the amount of $50,000. The cost of 
construction was $69,736.91; the cost of equipment, $45,957.29; the total. 8115.694.20. The 
legal expenses were $3,792.13. During the first -ix months after the road regularly commenced 
operations T.70'2 trips were made, covering a distance of over 02.400 miles; the number of pay 
passengers was 461,692, and of free passengers +.021. making a total of 405,713. The number 
of regular employee- was fourteen. Before the close of the year some changes were made in 
the board of directors under which the road was constructed and commenced operations, and 
the stock owned by the gentlemen who left the board was transferred to other hands; but in 
January, 1891, the officers were as follows: President, Winthrop Coffin, of Boston; Superin- 
tendent. George A. Murch, of Attleborough; Treasurer and Clerk, Alfred A. Glasser, of 
Boston; Directors, Winthrop Coffin and W. 15. Ferguson, of Boston; Peter Xerney and 
Homer 31. Daggett. Jr.. of Attleborough; J. E. Draper, of Xorth Attleborough: George 
Demarest. of Plainville; and George W. Mansfield, of Melrose, this state. 

This first enterprise proved so successful that soon others of a like nature were contem- 
plated, and two connecting electric road- were projected under the title- of the Interstate and 
the People's lines. The proposed routes were a- follow- : the Interstate from the Wanisutta 
House corner in Xorth Attleborough. through Washington Street south to a point near the 
residence of the late George 15. Richards, thence over the "Old Post Road" through the vil- 
lages of West and South Attleborough to Barrows" Tavern, thence over Washington Street — 
or the turnpike — again to Pawtucket. returning over Central Avenue through Seekonk or 
over the " Create Plaine" to Hebronville; the People's from Park-street railroad crossing 
iea-t side) through Union or Pine Street, crossing to South Main and through Dodgeville and 
Hebronville, meeting the Interstate at that place. The latter never matured, and the entire 
road was constructed by the Interstate Company. The line followed was through Pine and 
Orange streets to South Main and thence through the two villages named to Pawtucket. 

Work on the Interstate line was commenced in April. 1891, and was so far completed as to 
be open for traffic on July 17. 1892, and through to Paw tucket on the 23d. Two cars were 
run from Xorth Attleborough to Oldtown (West Attleborough) on August 13. 1892. The 
promotion of this enterprise was watched with great interest by the people of this village and 
South Attleborough, and the appearance of the first cars over the road was the signal for a 
public demonstration after the true American fashion — bell-ringing, firework-, etc The 
portion of the route toward Attleborough was ready for traffic October 15. 1892. and on 
November 1 following the company was running one car at the other end. from Attleborough 
to Hebronville; and on December 4 car- commenced running between those two villages, con- 
necting w ith cars from Pawtucket. For some time a change of cars at Hebronville was neces- 
sary, as the Interstate could not cross the Old Colony line at grade. Later that grade-crossing 
\\:i- abolished and the old town road closed at that point, the depot at Hebronville. A bridge 
was built over the railroad tracks a number of rods to the east and the town road changed, as 
was neces-ary. Over this road the Interstate tracks were laid and passengers enabled to ride 
through to Pawtucket without change. 

The capital stock of this corporation is $302,500. a little more than half of which i* owned 
in Attleborough and North Attleborough. The officers first elected were: President. H. M. 
Daggett, dr.. Attleborough; Treasurer, W. X. Otis, Providence; Clerk. George E. Webster, 
East Providence ; Directors. H. M. Daggett. Jr.. W. X. Otis, II. W. Harvey. p]ast Providence; 
William A. Walton. Providence: W. H. Haskell. Pawtucket; Peter Xerney, Attleborough: 
C. T. Guild, Xorth Attleborough ; George Demarest. Wreiitham, and E. C. Dubois. East 



HISTOBT OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 451 

Providence. These are the same at the present time — December, 1893, — with the exception 
of Mr. Demarest. The officers of the Attleborough, North Attleborough & Wrentham Street 
Railway Company are the same as above, with the exception of C. T. Guild, who is its clerk. 
The superintendent of the system is Eli W. Adams. On July 1. 1893. the Interstate Street 
Railway Company acquired all the rights, franchises, and property of the Attleborough. North 
Attleborough tt Wrentham Street Railway Company, and since that time the roads have been 
run as one system. The Interstate Company has also purchased a large per cent, of the capital 
stock of the North Attleborough Steam and Electric Company, which was incorporated April 
2. 1886. Most of its officers are gentlemen connected with the purchasing company. 

The following words are those of one who has been interested in this enterprise from the 
outset. They show a little of what has already been done and of what it is hoped may soon 
be accomplished : — 

'• The United Electric Traction Co. of New Jersey, who own the Union R. R. Co. and the 
Pawtucket St. Ry. Co., have made overtures to buy the control of the Interstate Co. but the 
trade has not been consummated. The relations between the two roads undoubtedly will be 
harmonious, and persons can at present ride on the Electric Cars from Plainville in the Town 
of Wrentham to Bullock's Point in the Town of East Prov. (21 miles) or f rom Attleboro to 
Roger Williams Park or Pawtuxet. Through the extension of the Electric Lines by the 
United Traction Co. it is supposed that by Oct. '94:, persons can ride from Wrentham to 
Phoenix by Electric cars. Franchises have also been granted for a line from Pawtucket to 
Woonsocket, which may be built during the next year. The number of passengers carried 
from Sept. 30 th , '92 to Sept. 30' h , '93 was 1,710,135. 

" During the Summer of '93 much improvement has been shown in real estate along the line 
of the Electric Road, one new house having been built in Oldtown, the first for 30 years. A 
Post Office has been established there, and along a portion of the road a tract of land has been 
laid out into house lots and 13 lots have been sold to persons who intend building. In So. 
Attleboro there has been much improvement and 7 new houses have been erected, and a large 
addition to Coupe's Tannery nearly doubling its capacity has been erected. The Town has 
constructed water works at this place and new pipes have been laid through the village. A 
park has been laid out at Walnut Grove which is on high ground and commands an extensive 
view. It is a very lovely spot and much appreciated by the persons who can reach it by the 
Electric cars on the Line from Attleboro to Pawtucket, The same can be said as to the 
improvement of real estate in Attleboro along the line of the Road. There have been erected 
this year 11 dwelling houses, a large farm has been laid out into house lots and streets, and the 
widening of streets has begun. In the Town of Seekonk through which we run for about one 
mile, there have been 3 new houses built and much improvement in the value of land. In 
the City of Pawtucket between Cottage St. and Central Ave. in the tract contiguous to our 
Line there have been erected more than 70 dwelling houses and 2 large manufactories estab- 
lished along the line, and the price of real estate is much improved. 

" The whole idea of the projectors has not been carried out. It was anticipated that they 
would have a line of their own in to Prov. and that through cars could be run, and also that 
express cars could be attached to the passenger cars thus doing an express business which 
would greatly add to the facilities for doing business in the Towns of Attleboro, No. Attleboro 
and Plainville which are now served only by one Co. It is hoped that in the near future the 
express business can be commenced by making an arrangement with the Union Line from 
Pawtucket to Providence. 

" The total investment for the whole enterprise up to date is about 1*800,000.00." (December, 
1893.) 

[The early history of this great enterprise is like that of many another of a similar nature, and 
its experiences much the same. Opposition, criticism, hindrances, and delays without num- 
ber had to be met and overcome, but the figures given show that the public — the great arbiter 
— at once set its seal of approval upon the scheme, and in no uncertain manner, by its daily, 
general use of the line. Much had been accomplished toward placing the undertaking upon a 
firm basis, and matters looked promising for permanent success, when in the autumn of 1893 
such serious financial troubles overtook the company as to necessitate the appointment of a 
receiver. Added to this misfortune, on the night of January 1, 1894, the power-house — the 



452 ^ SKETCH OF THE 

old Farmers' mil] — was partially destroyed by tire, the valuable machinery being considerably 
injured. Efforts were immediately made to temporarily obtain power elsewhere, but unsuccess- 
fully, and the financial conditions of both the power and railway companies have caused com- 
plications which could not be adjusted without delay. Meanwhile, being deprived for a time of 
this very convenient and inexpensive means of transportation, people begin to fully realize 
what an accommodation it was and how much dependence had been placed upon it. 

The idea of this scheme of electric railways in our vicinity originated with Mr. Homer M. 
Daggett, Jr., and he has gone steadily and unflinchingly on, pushing forward as far as possible 
tow ard completion the plans formed by himself and others, in the face of obstacles which would 
have daunted any man with one jot le^s of perseverance, determination, untiring energy, and 
active resource than himself. There can be but one wish expressed — that of ultimate suc- 
cess to a project which promises as this does so much real benefit to both the Attleboroughs, 
and included in that success prosperity both to the originator and all others among our 
citizens who have done all they could with name and money to advance its interests. 

The property of the power company has been purchased by Mr. W. II. Haskell, of Paw- 
tucket, and the station is in process of reconstruction. A day for the sale of the electric road 
has been several times appointed, and several times postponed, and at the present writing the 
sale has not been consummated — July 2, 1894.] [The station has been completed, and at a 
special meeting the town of AttleboroUgh voted nearly $5,000 for street lights for the coming 
year. The affairs of the electric road are as yet unchanged. September 20. 1S94.] 



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HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 453 



CHAPTER XV. 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES. 



PEREZ BRADFORD was a great-grandson of Governor Bradford. In his 
father's family there were nine sons, and in the year 1720 these nine 
brothers, " all men of high personal character," were, with their families, 
living in the town of Kingston, Mass. One of these, Major William Brad- 
ford, was the grandfather of the subject of this sketch, and Lieutenant Sam- 
uel Bradford was his father. His mother was Hannah Rogers, daughter of 
John Rogers, of Duxbury, this State, in which place Mr. Bradford had settled. 
Mr. Rogers was at one time a resident of Barrington, R. I., Mount Hope 
Neck. Hannah Rogers Bradford was great-granddaughter of the famous 
John Alden who tried to woo the Puritan maiden Priscilla for his friend, the 
doughty Miles Standish, and to his surprise — but evident satisfaction — won 
her for himself. 

Perez Bradford was third in a family of seven children and was born in 
Duxbury in 1694. He graduated at Harvard College in 1713. About 1717 
he was a resident of Kingston and probably lived upon his grandfather's 
estate there. Nothing appears to be known of his wife beyond her name, 
which was Abigail Balch. In 1732 the records show that he was living in 
Milton, for at that time he and two cousins became administrators of the 
estate of his grandfather, John Rogers. He was there also a year later, for 
on July 16, 1733, his mother, " Hannah Bradford, a widow, of Duxbury, in 
consideration of £500, conveyed to him one hundred and ten acres of land in 
Swansea." This (Barrington) was formerly the homestead of his maternal 
grandfather. September 6, 1745, Mr. Bradford was living on this homestead 
in Swansea, for at that time he bought the homestead of Benjamin Wise in this 
town — containing seventy acres and an additional tract of fifty acres — for 
the sum of £1,300. 

Immediately after this he removed to this town and in the following spring 
was chosen a representative to the General Court. On the meeting of the 
Legislature he was elected one of the Council and took his seat as a member 
the last Wednesday of May, 1746. He died on the nineteenth day of the 
following June. 

Mr. Bradford had eight children, four sons and four daughters. One of 
these daughters, Hannah, married Jabez Gay, a man prominent in the town, 
April 30, 1746. 

In the old burying ground at West Attleborough are two gravestones, 
inscribed as follows : — 



454 A SKETCH OF THE 

•• In memory of Hon. Perez Bradford, who departed this life on ye 19th day 
of June, 1746, in ye 52 year of his age." 

" In memory of Mrs. Abigail Bradford, widow and relict of ye late Hon. 
Perez Bradford, Esq., who departed this life ye 15th of November, 1746, 
in ye 52 year of her age." 

Rev. Naphtali Daggett, d.d., President of Yale College, was the son of 
Ebenezer Daggett and Mary, his wife (daughter of Penticost Blackinton), 
and was horn in Attleborough, at the old residence of the late Harvey M. 
Daggett, September 8, 1727. He was the second son among eight children. 
His father dying while he was yet young, he was left under the direction of a 
mother who was, however, in every respect peculiarly qualified to discharge 
the duties which devolved upon her. He soon after commenced studies pre- 
paratory to college. When he was quite a youth the Rev. Solomon Read, 
of Bridgewater, — then a licentiate, but afterwards a settled minister in Fram- 
ingham and Middleborough, — became acquainted with him and formed a high 
opinion of his talents and promise. He took Mr. Daggett and two other 
youths of the vicinity as pupils and received them for a time into his own 
family, without charge, with a view of aiding them to obtain a liberal educa- 
tion for the purpose of entering the ministry. The following record tends to 
prove that the idea of studying for the ministry was probably impressed upon 
Mr. Daggett's mind at an early age : " In the revival of 1740, two hundred 
persons were added to his [Habijah Weld's] church, among them Naphtali 
Daggett." He was then thirteen years old. He was for a time, by his 
patron's assistance, under the tuition of the distinguished Dr. Forbes, of 
Ravnhain ; then under that of Mr. (afterwards the Rev. Dr.) James Cogges- 
well, who was teaching a school in Plainfield, Conn. Remaining with him 
a vear and a half, he then removed to Abington, Mr. Read's native place, 
where he continued to prosecute his studies under his first tutor's directions. 

In the summer of 1744 Mr. Read took this pupil, with others, to Cambridge 
with a view to offer them for admission to Harvard College, but some unex- 
pected difficulties having arisen in regard to their being admitted to an 
examination — difficulties, it would seem, connected with the theological con- 
troversies of the day and which Mr. Read's efforts, seconded by those of the 
Rev. Mr. Weld, of this town, could not overcome — he took young Daggett 
and one other of his pupils to New Haven and entered them in Yale College 
in the autumn of the same year, 1744. Mr. Daggett graduated in 1748, at 
the age of twenty-one. He was distinguished during his college life for 
industry and close application and thorough scholarship. 1 His college diary 
indicates extensive readings and the examination of philosophical works. 



l The »ld Latin Lexicon used by Dr. Daggett while a student, and which became the property of 
Hon. John Daggett (the author of this book), was presented by him before his death to the Yale Col- 
lege Library. — Editor. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 455 

He was settled as minister at Smithtown, Long Island, and was ordained 
over the church there September 18, 1751, as is shown by a letter to his 
brother, Colonel John Daggett, dated November 18, 1751. During his resi- 
dence there, on December 19, 1753, he was married to Sarah Smith, daughter 
of the third Richard Smith, by Rev. Ebenezer Prime. She was born Sep- 
tember 16 (O. S.), 1728. and died at New Haven, March 25, 1772, aged forty- 
three years and six months. 

In his memorandum, which came into the possession of the author of this 
work, Mr. Daggett says that he was dismissed from his pastoral charge at 
Smithtown, November 6, 1755, for the purpose of removing to New Haven. 
In September, 1755, he had been elected the first Professor of Divinity in 
Yale College, the professorship being denominated the "Livingston Profes- 
sorship of Divinity." He accepted the appointment, removed to New Haven, 
and was inducted into office on the fourth of March following, 1756. 1 This 
office he held during the remainder of his life. 

The president of the college, Rev. Thomas Clap, resigned September 10, 
1766. The corporation made choice of Rev. James Lockwood as his succes- 
sor, but he declined to accept the office, and they " proceeded at once to elect 
the Professor of Divinity, Rev. Naphtali Daggett, i>.d.. President pro tem- 
pore, with the understanding, however, that he was to continue to discharge* 
the duties of his professorship." During his administration of eleven years, 
notwithstanding the disadvantages of the times — for they were the years of 
turbulence and political excitement preceding the Revolutionary War — the 
college was eminently prosperous and successful. The number of students 
was larger than before, especially during the later years of his administration, 
when it is said many young men were sent to college by their parents to avoid 
their being drafted into the army. The prosperity of the college at this time, 
however, was largely due to the fact " that the corporation were able to 
secure a succession of tutors of unusual ability." At that early date there 
were few professors and the instruction was given chiefly by " tutors as they 
were then for the most part called." Among these, under Dr. Daggett, were 
such men as the following: Hon. Stephen Mix Mitchell, subsequently Judge 
of the Superior Court; Rev. Dr. Wales. The successor of Dr. Daggett in the 
professorship of divinity; Hon. John Trumbull, author of " McFingal " ; 



1 The foundation of this professorship was laid in 1740, by a donation (rem the Hon. Philip Living, 
ston.of New York; and having received a considerable addilion by another donation, from Mr. Ger- 
shom Clark, of Lebanon, with some appropriations by the college, it afforded a sufficient salarv forthe 
support of such an office, which was accordingly established in ]7o5. A house for the use of the incum- 
bent was erected by subscription and finished in 1758. II was like the ordinary New England house 
of its day, nearly square, two stories high, with a garret above, the front door in the centre opening 
into a little entry and behind that the greatchimney occupying a large space in the middleof the house". 
Its outside looked very much like an old house, with the date of its erection over the door, still standing 
on the north side of New Haven Green on Elm Street. It had no L. It stood on the site of the preseiU 
Medical College and remained for fully a century, being finally demolished about 185!) to give space 
for the erection of a wing to the college building. It was given to Yale College by Dr. Daggett. 



450 A SKETCH OF THE 

Rev. Dr. Dwight, afterwards president of t he college; Rev. Dr. J. Buckmin- 
ster, of Portsmouth. N. II. ; Rev. Dr. Strong, of Hartford. Conn. ; and Hon. 
John Davenport, for eighteen or twenty years a member of Congress from 
Connecticut. There was a huge number of men connected with Yale College 
during those years while Dr. Daggett held office, who became very eminent in 
after years as professors, writers, jurists, foreign ministers, members of Con- 
gress, etc., and among these famous graduates, many of whom became tutors, 
may be mentioned Rev. Joseph Howe, Joel Barlow, another of the " Colnm- 
biad " : Oliver Wolcott, Governor of Connecticut ; Nathaniel Chipman, Chaun- 
cey Goodrich, David Humphrey. Abraham Baldwin, Noah Webster, the 
lexicographer, and James A. Hillhouse, who was tutor, treasurer of the college 
for fifty years, and the man to whom the city of New Haven is so largely 
indebted for one of its chiefest attractions, those noble trees which have gained 
for it the name of the " City of Elms." 

Dr. Daggett presided over the university about eleven years, and held the 
office of professor of divinity twenty-five years. Possessed of a strong, 
clear, and comprehensive mind, he applied himself with assiduity and success 
to the various branches of knowledge, particularly to the learned languages 
and divinity. Dr. Holmes, in his life of Dr. Stiles, says of him: "He was 
a good classical scholar, well versed in moral philosophy, and a learned 
divine." Clearness of understanding and accuracy of thought were charac- 
teristic of his mind. He received the honorary degree of D.D. from Yale 
College in 1771. that of S.T.I), from Harvard College, and in 1774 the same 
degree from Nassau College, Princeton, N. J. 

After the breaking out of hostilities the college suffered in various ways. 
Many of the students left their studies to take up the use of arms, and so 
troublous were the times in New Haven it became impossible to procure 
regular food for those who remained. In the spring of 1777 the classes were 
separated, the senior class dismissed without any public examination or 
exhibition, and the three lower classes were sent each to some interior town 
with its respective tutors, where they could pursue their studies. At this 
time. April 1. 1777. Dr. Daggett resigned his presidency, but as professor of 
divinity was " to visit the different classes as often as he could with conven- 
ience." 1 On his resignation the corporation "returned him thanks for all 
his painful and faithful services for the advantage of the College, wishing 
him a happy repose, future usefuluess in life, and an abundant reward in the 
world above." The learned Dr. Stiles was his successor. 

During the barbarous attack on New Haven by the British army in July. 
1779, he took an active part in the defence of the country, and was distin- 



i For some of the tacts in this sketch of President Daggett the Editor is indebted to a publication 
entitled a " Sketcb of the History of Yale College," edited by Mr. William King-ley, editor and i>ro- 
prietor of the " New Englander." The book had not been seen by the author. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 457 

guished for his resolution and intrepidity. He was taken prisoner and came 
near losing his life. He had made himself obnoxious by his open and active 
opposition to the British cause. He had often inculcated upon the students 
under his charge, in the pulpit and in the lecture-room, the duty of resistance 
to British oppression. He had therefore incurred the special displeasure of 
the invaders. He had openly preached and prayed against the success of 
their cause. He knew no difference between preaching and practising, and 
when the crisis came he carried his principles into action. He shouldered 
his musket and went into the field with the rest to repel the invaders, and 
when taken prisoner the enemy offered him every indignity in their power. 
His clerical character was in their eyes no reason for exemption from the 
most outrageous abuse. 

The following extracts are from an account of his actions during this attack 
on New Haven by the British, under General Tryon, given by Hon. Elizur 
Goodrich, ll.d., formerly professor of law in Yale College. It was fur- 
nished to the Attleborough Weekly Bulletin a number of years ago by Profes- 
sor Goodrich's son, Mr. Chauneey A. Goodrich. . Mr. Goodrich says : — 

" On the evening of the 4th of July, 1779, a force of twenty-five hundred 
men, which had previously sailed from New York, landed on the south part 
of West Haven, a parish of New Haven, about five miles from the center of 
the town. College was of course broken up, and the students, with many 
of the inhabitants, prepared to llee on the morrow into the neighboring 
country. To give more time for preparation, and especially for the removal 
of goods, a volunteer company of about a hundred young men was formed, 
not with the expectation of making any serious stand against such a force, 
but simply of retarding, or diverting its march. In common with others 
of the students, I was one of the number, and I well remember the sur- 
prise we felt the next morning, July 5th. as we were marching over West 
Bridge towards the enemy, to see Dr. Daggett riding furiously by us on his 
old black mare, with his long fowling-piece in his hand, ready for action. 
We knew the old gentleman had studied the matter thoroughly, and satisfied 
his own mind as to the right and propriety of fighting it out, but we were not 
quite prepared to see him come forth in so gallant a style to carry his princi- 
ples into practice. Giving him a hearty cheer as he passed, we turned down 
towards West Haven, while he ascended a little to the West, and took his 
station in a copse of wood, to reconnoiter, and bide his time." 

This company of young men met a small party of the enemy, fired upon 
and chased them, but, suddenly finding themselves almost surrounded by the 
full force of the enemy, were obliged to turn and run for their lives. Dr. 
Daggett, however, as the story goes, stood his ground manfully, and as the 
columns of the British passed the little hill where he stood under cover of the 
bushes he used his fowling-piece with excellent effect. Mr. Goodrich con- 
tinues : " A detachment was sent to look into the matter and the commandiuo- 



458 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

officer coming suddenly, to his great surprise, on a single individual in a 
black c<>:it blazing away in this style, cried out, 'What are von doing there, 
yon old fool, firing on his Majesty's troops?' ' Exercising the rights of war.' 
said the old gentleman. The very audacity of the reply, and the mixture of 
drollery it contained, seemed to amuse the officer. k If I let you go this time, 
von rascal,' said he, 'will you ever fire again on the troops of his Majesty?' 
' Nothing more likely.' said the old gentleman in his dry way. On the offi- 
cer asking their prisoner who he was, he replied, ' I am Naphtali Daggett, of 
Yale College. I demand of you to release me.' 'But we understand you 
have been in the habit of praying against our cause.' -Yes. and I never made 
more sincere prayers in my life.' Though greatly enraged the soldiers for- 
bore to put a bullet through him but dragged him to the head of their col- 
umn, and bade him lead the way into town. The West bridge had been taken 
down to prevent the entrance of the enemy by that road, and they were 
obliged to take a roundaboul course, a distance of at least five miles. Thus 
in the fierce heat of an unusually hot July day they drove their prisoner on, 
'pricking him forward with their bayonets when his strength failed, and 
when he was ready to sink to the ground from utter exhaustion.'" 

He was taken as far as the green, where he was recognized by a friend — 
though it is said he was at first left for dead on the ground. One account 
adds that he was conveyed to the house of a lady who knew him, and gave 
him shelter, although herself a loyalist, and he was saved by her intrepidity. 
After the British had retired, an officer and a file of soldiers were sent back 
to convey him a prisoner on hoard their transports. They came to the house 
and inquired for him, and were answered by the lady (who appeared at the 
door, and resolutely refused to admit them) that he was so badly wounded 
it would be impossible to convey him on board alive. "My orders." -aid 
the officer. " are positive to take him with me." "But you would not surely 
carry away a dying man ; he is now in the agonies of death." After 
repeated demands and refusals, the officer finally determined to return and 
report the case to his superior, and ask for further orders. But he never 
came back after his prisoner. 

For some time Dr. Daggett's life was in danger, but his health was at 
length partially restored, so that he was able to preach regularly in the chapel 
during the following year. He never, however, fully recovered from the 
effects of his brutal treatment, but survived only a little more than a year, 
and died in consequence of it and the wounds he had received, on Novem- 
ber 2.".. 1780, at the age of fifty-three. 1 



1 During the presidency of Dr. Daggett there were some marked changes in the college; the result 
doubtless of the thoroughly democratic tendencies of the time-, a result which may certainly he 
attributed in some measure to his life and teachings. During this time a new debating society was 
formed among the students, called "United Brothers." It adopted a democratic constitution and 
took the bold step of admitting to its ranks underclassmen. This at once brought it into favor, and 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 459 

Rev. Payson Williston says of him : " President Daggett was one of my 
father's intimate friends. His social qualities (altogether) were such as to 
render him more than ordinarily attractive. The college was eminently 
prosperous under his presidency." 

The following extract is from the communication of Hon. Elizur Goodrich , 
before quoted : "In person Dr. Daggett was of about the middle height, 
strong framed, inclining to be corpulent, slow in his gait, and somewhat 
clumsy in his movements. There was a story among the students which illus- 
trates a prominent characteristic of the clergy of that day — I mean a love 
of drollery and of keen retort. 'Good morning, Mr. President pro tempore,' 
said one of his clerical brethren on some public occasion, bowing very pro- 
foundly, and laying a marked emphasis on the closing words of his title. 
' Did you ever hear of a President pro ceternitate? ' said the old gentleman in 
reply, drawing himself up with an amused air of stateliness, and turning the 
laugh of the whole company on his assailant. 

••His religious system. I suppose, was the old New England Theology, 
unadulterated and unmodified. As a preacher he was not particularly ani- 
mated, but his sermons were full of well-digested, weighty thought, clearly 
expressed, and were always written out with great care. He was considered 
a very well read and able theologian; indeed that was sufficiently indicated by 
his occupying the chair of Theological Professor. He preached his entire 
system regularly, once in four years, with, I believe, scarcely any variation. 
I recollect to have heard the late Dr. Lyman, of Hartford, who sat under 
President Daggett's ministry during his college course, express a high esti- 
mate of him as a preacher ; and he remarks that he had a sermon on the text 
— 'Is thy servant a dog, that he should do this thing.' etc., and when the 
fourth year came round, he always said, 'And the dog did it.' There were a 
number of President Daggett's sermons published, and there are others 
remaining in manuscript, which show that he possessed much more than ordi- 
nary ability. He kept remarkably aloof from the religious controversies of 
his time, and contented himself to preach what he believed to be the truth, 
without combating what he regarded as the erroneous speculations of others." 
The number of his written sermons was about five hundred. Among those 
he published was one delivered at the ordination of Rev. Ebenezer Baldwin, 



it became for a time quite a successful rival of the older and more conservative society " Linouia." 
A progressive step was also taken by the corpot ation, u ho, at the request of the legislature, voted to 
change the printing of the college laws, etc., from Latin into Knglish. In 1768 the change was made 
to the present style of printing students' names in the catalogues in alphabetical order. Up to that 
time the custom had obtained of printing them according to the rank in society that their fathers 
were supposed to possess, and it was considered a very severe punishment for a name to be placed 
lower than the social rank demanded. Position would therefore be considered worthy of great emu- 
lation, and an amusing anecdote is told of one student whose father was a shoemaker, who, when he 
was questioned as to his father's position in life, replied that he " was <>n the hi rich," thereby gaining 
for himself a high place in the catalogue. 



460 A SKETCH OF THE 

1770, another at tbe ordination of Rev. J. Howe, 177:'.. and a funeral sermon 
on the death of Job Lane, a tutor in college, 1768. 

He published the " Funeral Sermon on the Death of Rev. Thomas Clap, 1 
President of Yale College." delivered in the college chapel, January 8, 1769, 
the day after his death. It is a discourse which is becoming rare, and will 
probably be soon lost, and an extract relating to the character and services 
of President Clap is made, as a specimen of the writing of that age, and the 
style of its author : — 

His genius was naturally turned for mathematical knowledge, in which he had made great 
proficiency, in the several branches of thai most entertaining and useful science. He had such 
a thorough knowledge of natural philosophy and astronomy that he was probably equal to 
almost any man upon the continent. He delighted to survey the heavens, and travel among 
the stars, and calculate their wonderfully regular motions, devoutly entertained with the won- 
derfully surprising displays of the power and wisdom of the great Creator appearing therein. 
He was a rare pattern of industry, and a perfect master in the art of redeeming time, any 
moment of which he thought too valuable to be lost. By this happy art, though he was not 
constitutionally of the most quick, and active make, he would really dispatch well, business 
sufficient for two or three men. It is almost incredible that he should be able to pay a proper 
attention to, and go through with such a multiplicity of different and arduous services at the 
same time. But it was a governing maxim with him, to mind his own business, and lose no time. 

These solid buildings arc witnesses of his faithful attention to the interests of the College, 
while hundreds now living, who had the happiness to be his pupils, are witnesses to his supe- 
rior talents, and uncommon faithfulness as an instructor. He never undertook any trust to 
which he was not eminently faithful; nor sustained any relation, whether of a husband, a 
parent, or a friend, but what he was conscientious and punctual in discharging the duties 
thereof. 

He was naturally steady in his temper; grave and judicious; deliberate and sure in plan- 
ning his schemes; unwearied and immovably resolute in the execution of them. He was 
remarkable for the entire command he had of his passions: patient under abuses; having 
learnt to bear reproach and reviling without reviling again; a perfect economist in his affairs; 
frugal without a mean parsimony, and liberal without profuseness; an enemy to all vain show 
and useless ceremonies, so that he could hardly descend to so much of this kind, as his public 
station might seem to require. His great soul was all intent upon the solid and useful. He 
was kind and benevolent, exhibiting the most substantial proofs of love, though without those 
tender overflowings of affection, which are common in persons of a more soft and volatile con- 
stitution. He thought, he acted, he lived, very uniformly and by rule. He led a life of strict, 
exemplary piety, not flighty in the emotions of his zeal, but uniformly serious, constantly and 
steadily devoted to God. Having been long favored with a close connection, and intimate 
acquaintance with him. I may be allowed to bear testimony to the deep, habitual sense of eter- 
nal thin--, which he appeared to maintain upon his mind, and the steady regard he paid to the 
great concerns of religion. And as he lived, so he died. He gave the natural symptoms of 
Strong bodily pain through the night preceding his dissolution, and soon after the natural sun 
had risen upon our hemisphere, this bright luminary of our church and Republic of Literature, 
who had much resembled the sun in the steadiness of his course, and in diffusing the light 
of knowledge around him, was extinguished by having his eyes closed in the slumbers of 
death. — and without a groan or struggle he fell asleep. 

Dr. Daggett closed with an address to the students : — 

My dear pupils, who are students in the college, I am sure your hearts cannot be unaffected 
with this providence. See. there lies a breathless corpse, that venerable person who but lately 



1 President Clap, as well as the preacher, was a native of the Old Colony. He was born in Scituate, 
June 20, 17(i3, and was the son of Mr. Stephen and Mrs. Temperance Clap, of that town. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 461 

took a parental care of you. His faithfulness and unwearied diligence in the discharge of his 
duty towards you, are well known to you all. I am witness to the deep concern for your wel- 
fare, which lay with pressing weight upon Ids mind, especially for the everlasting welfare of 
your immortal souls. View him, then, as your deceased father, with all those emotions of 
dutiful, filial respect, which become bereaved children. Remember how often, how faithfully, 
with what seriousness and solemnity, he very lately used to instruct, counsel, and admonish 
you as children, fervently praying with and for you in this very place. Let his death serve to 
revive and rivet them in your memory, and enforce them on your consciences, that they may 
be the means of making you wise to salvation. 

Although he is dead, he still speaks loudly to you. Pay, then, a practical regard to the 
good and serious counsels which he hath so often given you; devote yourselves to God. mind 
religion, and give all diligence to secure the salvation of your souls. Otherwise, that very per- 
son will rise up in the Day of Judgment, and testify against you that ye set at naught all the 
counsels of wisdom, " and would none of her reproofs." 

May we all. in this instance, mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, and see how 
his end is peace, and may we all be quickened by the consideration, to secure a due prepara- 
tion for death, by discharging faithfully the work and duty of life, that when the shadows of 
that long night, which is hastening towards us, shall be spread over us, we may quieth fall 
asleep with Jesus, and be remembered in the resurrection of the just. 

Dr. Daggett died, as before stated, November 25, 1780. "His funeral 
was attended November 27, 1780, with every demonstration of respect. 
President Stiles preached on the occasion, and a Latin funeral oration was 
delivered by Mr. John Barnett, a Junior Bachelor, and a resident graduate." 

It is a somewhat remarkable circumstance that Dr. Daggett and Dr. Stiles 
each delivered a funeral sermon on his immediate predecessor. Dr. Daggett 
is buried in the old cemetery at New Haven, though his remains have been 
removed, with those of others, from their first burial place, which was on the 
green on the site of Center Church. The following inscription is on his 
gravestone : — 

Rev. Naphtali Daggett, D.D. 

born at Attleborough, Mass. Sept. 8th, 1727. 

died at New Haven, Nov. 25th, 1780. 

Pastor of the church at Smithtown, L. I. 

1751 to 1755 

Professor of Divinity in Yale College. 1755 

to his death. 

President, 1706 to 1777. 

Dr. Daggett left several children. A daughter Mary married a Mr. Piatt 
and lived in Peru, Clinton County, New York. Another daughter, named 
Sally, was single at the time of his death, as is shown by a letter addressed 
to her at Wethersfield by President Ezra Stiles, announcing her father's 
death. 

One of his sons was Henry, who served as a captain in the Revolutionary 
War. He was born in New Haven, February 27, 1758, and graduated at 
Yale College in 1775. For many years after leaving the army he was a 
merchant in his native city. He died July 20, 1843, aged eighty-five. His 
wife was Anna, daughter of Deacon Stephen Ball. She died in 1844 at the 
age of eighty. They had at least four children — Mary, Ebenezer, Henry, 



462 A SKETCH OF THE 

Grace. Captain Henry Daggett was esteemed and beloved for his upright- 
ness and worth and died honored and lamented. 

Grace A. Daggett, the daughter of Captain Daggett, died in New Haven 
within a few years, having reached the remarkable age of ninety-two. From 
her age and associations she was "a connecting link, between the Revolu- 
tionary period and our own time." Miss Daggett was living at the time of 
the centennial celebration of that attack on New Haven in which her grand- 
father. \)v. Daggett, took such an active part, and notwithstanding her 
extreme age, took a great interest in the occasion. She was at the time the 
guest of '-Landlord Mosely of the New Haven House" and viewed the 
procession from its balcony. She was serenaded "by the Howe band*' 
and received much marked attention during the day. 

At the time of her death she had been a member of Center Church for 
sixty-nine years. It is said she •• was a woman of uncommon good sense, 
and strong force of character." 

Colonel John Daggett, an elder brother of the preceding, born Septem- 
ber 2, 1721, was one of the principal public characters and leading men of 
the town, especially during the trying period of the Revolution. He and 
Colonel May were the two on whom the town placed the utmost reliance. 
He was possessed of a strong and sound mind and was marked by a resolute 
and decided character. He was a Puritan in the plainness and simplicity of 
his manners and was a firm friend to the civil institutions and republican 
customs of New England. 

In 1768 he was chosen to represent the town at the General Court, and for 
a long succession of years — eight consecutively — he was reelected a mem- 
ber of the Legislature. He was commissioned one of his majesty's justices 
of the peace under the Provincial Government before the Revolution. He 
took an early and decided stand with many other patriotic citizens of this 
town in the commencement of those proceedings which produced the Revo- 
lution. He was a member of the Provincial Congress which assembled at 
Cambridge September 1, 177 ( J, for the purpose of forming a constitution, 
being one of the three men from this town who were members of that con- 
vention which formed the present Constitution of Massachusetts. In 1780 
he for the ninth time represented the town at the General Court. He was 
generally called to serve on the most important committees which were raised 
in town, meeting to consider the many difficult subjects which were then 
brought before the people during and subsequent to the Revolution. 

His first military commission was conferred upon him iu 1758, when he 
became ensign in the second militia company in Attleborough. and ten years 
later he became captain by promotion. This company then belonged to the 
Third Regiment, of Bristol County ; but about the time the War of the 
Revolution commenced the regiment was divided and the companies from 
the northern towns of the county were formed anew and constituted the 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 463 

Fourth Regiment, of which he was commissioned colonel. This was in 
February. 1776. It was about a year previous to this time that Colonel 
Daggett had undertaken the expedition to Assonet for the purpose of break- 
ing up a Royalist combination which had stored ammunition in that place. 
He and bis comrades thus had the honor of being the first actors in the first 
scene of the great Revolutionary drama. Colonel Daggett commanded the 
regiment from the county of Bristol both in Spencer's and Sullivan's expe- 
ditions on Rhode Island in 1777 and 177!>. 

At home he was extensively employed as a surveyor and was engaged in 
various other kinds of public business, such as the ordinary transactions of 
life require between citizens. His first wife was Mercy Shepard, daughter 
of John Shepard, the centenarian. They had nine children — John, Jr., 
Joab, Jesse, Bathsheba, Mercy, Ebeuezer, Levi. Hannah, and Huldah. She 
died February 1, 1783, and on August 5, 1784, Colonel Daggett married 
Mary Tucker, of Norton. He died, universally respected, January 20, 1803, 
at the age of seventy-nine. 

In the Providence Gazette bearing date February 5, 1803, is the following- 
notice of him: "He bore a long indisposition with Christian fortitude, and 
died in the hope of a blessed immortality. He was a very respectable citi- 
zen, and highly useful in society; he served his town for many years as a 
representative to the General Court ; he commanded a regiment of militia 
during the Revolutionary war, and sustained the office of a justice of the 
peace for many years to general satisfaction ; he supported an unblemished 
character through life, and has furnished an example worthy of imitation." 

Dr. Ebenezer Daggett, a third brother, was a respectable physician who 
settled in Walpole and later in Wrentham village, where he acquired an 
extensive practice. May 25, 1758, he married Susaunah Metcalf, daughter 
of Timothy Metcalf, Esq.. of Wrentham, by whom he had several children. 
The following is the inscription on his gravestone : — 

Doct. Ebenezer Daggett, 

who died Feb. 26th, 1782, 

in the 50th year of his age. 

In the cold mansions of the silent tomb 
How still the solitude! how deep the gloom! 
Here sleeps the dust unconscious, close confined; 
But far, far distant dwells the immortal mind. 

His son, Rev. Herman Daggett, graduated at Brown University in 1788 
and pursued his professional studies with Dr. Emmons, of Franklin. He 
was settled for some years in the ministry on Long Island and in several 
places. He preached also in New York State. He was also a teacher. 
He finally went to Connecticut, where he taught for some years and in 1818 
became the first principal of the Foreign Mission School established in 
Cornwall by the American Board. 



464 A SKETCH OF THE 

Some writer says : "Mr. Daggett was a man of sterling talents, respect- 
able acquirements, and peculiar excellence of character. To all his other 
acquirements as a scholar, he added singular neatness of person, and an exact, 
systematic arrangement of all his various duties. He was remarkably digni- 
fied in his manners, and circumspect in his deportment." He is several 
times mentioned by Dr. Lyman Beecher in his autobiography, once as fol- 
lows: "Then there was Herman Daggett, also, a mild, intellectual man, 
whose sermons were all fitted for the press every dot. He was cheerful, hut 
never known to smile, so it was said. It was also remarked of him, that he 
was just fit to preach to ministers." He died in L832. 

Hon. David Daggett was born in this town December 31, 1764, and was 
a great-grandson of John the first. His father was Thomas, the son of 
Thomas ; his mother was Sibulah Stanley, of this town. He fitted for college 
under Mr. William Williams, who had at that time a classical school or 
academy at Wreutham. He entered Yale before he was seventeen, in the 
junior class, two years in advance, and graduated with high honors in 178.">. 
Soon after leaving college he commenced his legal studies under Charles 
Chauncey, Esq., and at the same time supported himself by performing the 
duties of preceptor in the Hopkins Grammar School, in New Haven, and of 
butler in college. In January, 1786, he was admitted to the bar and settled 
in New Haven. A short time after this he was chosen a tutor in the college, 
but owing to his strong preference for the law he declined the appointment. 

His fellow-citizens, however, soon claimed him for civil service. In 1791 he 
was elected a representative to the General Assembly, from New Haven, and 
was reelected for six years successively, and then transferred to the Senate. 
While in the House he was one of the youngest members, and in 1794, three 
years after his first election, was chosen speaker, at the age of twenty-nine. 
He retained his seat in the Upper House for seven years, — from 1797 to 
1804, — when he resigned. He was in one branch or the other of the State 
Legislature till May, 1813, when he was elected to the United States Senate. 
In 1811 he had been appointed State Attorney for New Haven, and he con- 
tinued in the office until his election to Congress caused him to resign it. 
When his senatorial term expired he returned to New Haven and resumed 
bis extensive law practice there. 

In November, 1824, he was associated with Judge Hitchkock as an instructor 
in the Law School in New Haven, and in 1826 he was appointed Kent 
Professor of Law in Yale College. These positions he held until he had 
reached a very advanced age and his infirmities made it necessary for him to 
resign them. In 1826 Yale College conferred upon him the honorary degree 
of LL.D., and in May of the same year, at the age of sixty-two, he was 
chosen an associate judge of the Superior Court of Connecticut. It is 
worthy of note that this appointment was made by a legislature a ma-' 
jority of whose members were opposed to him " in political principles and 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 465 

preferences," and bears strong testimony not only to his eminent fitness for 
that high office, but " honorable testimony as well respecting his political 
opponents," who were willing to forget partisanship, and place in such a 
position the one best fitted to discharge its duties. In 1828 and 182'J he was 
mayor of the city of New Haven, and in May, 1832, he was made Chief 
Justice of the Supreme Court of Connecticut. This was a special testimony 
to his qualifications, as the usual custom of appointing the senior judge upon 
the bench to that high office was set aside in his case. He held this office of 
chief justice until December 31, 1834, when he had arrived at the age of con- 
stitutional disability. "Thus for forty-five years, from the beginning of his 
twenty-sixth to the close of his seventieth year, Mr. Daggett was almost 
continually engaged in public service." 

Soon after commencing his law practice, at the age of twenty-one, Judge 
Daggett married Wealthy Ann, daughter of ^Eueas Munson, of New Haven. 
a women well fitted by " her strong and marked intellectual and religious 
character" to be the companion of such a man. She died in July, 1839, at 
the age of seventy-two. In May, 1840, Judge Daggett married Mary, 
daughter of Major Lines, also of New Haven. By his first wife he had 
nineteen children, fourteen of whom lived for a considerable time. One of 
them, a daughter, married Dr. Sereno Dwight, president of Hamilton College, 
New York ; another, a son, an unusually promising young man, lived to grad- 
uate from college and then died. Three children only survived the father's 
death: Leonard A., Wealthy Ann, — who married a Mr. Jenkins, — and 
Oliver Ellsworth, all of whom are now dead. 

Judge Daggett died April 12, 1851, having entered and passed through a 
quarter part of his eighty-seventh year. The author was indebted to Mr. 
Leonard A. Daggett, his son, for a sketch of the father's life, as found in an 
address delivered by his pastor, Rev. Dr. Dutton, which, with reminiscences, 
etc., was published. From this publication some extracts, anecdotes, etc., 
are given : — 

" The eminence of Judge Daggett in bis profession, and among the public men of the State, 
is sufficiently attested, by the preceding account of the many positions of high responsibility 
and trust, in which lie was placed by the guardians of Yale College, and by the people of this 
town [New Haven], and thi- commonwealth ; especially when we remember that the political 
party to which he belonged, which was dominant in the State till he was past middle lift', and 
gave him the most of his honors, embraced, confessedly, many of the most powerful and bril- 
liant minds of the State; and if we remember also, that some (if the highest of these trusts 
were devolved upon him, when his political opponents had come into power, and his own party 
hail passed into a minority." 

He commenced his professional and public career, two years before the Federal Constitution 
was adopted, and joined the party called Federal, of which, it is said, he was not a partisan 
merely, but a wise ami consi>tent advocate and supporter, and that while Connecticut had many 
strong men in that party, there was none more so than he. " For many years, no man in the 
State had so much political influence, an influence amounting so nearly to a political control of 
the State, as he. And since the defeat and prostration of that party, and the formation of new 
parties upon new issues, he, certainly, has never been ashamed, or reluctant, to have it known. 



466 A SKETCH OF THE 

that lie belonged to the same school of politics with Washington and Hamilton, Jay and Pick- 
ering, Adam- and Anus. Ellsworth and Sherman. 

"The features of Judge Daggett's intellectual character, his quick and thorough insight. 
his well balanced judgement and strong common sense, his quick and ready perception of tit- 
ness, bis wit and humor, his power of varied and felicitous illustration, his ready memory, his 
energy of feeling, his concentration, his clear and nervous language, his practical knowledge 
of law,— these joined to his qualities of person and manner— his tall and commanding form. 
always dressed carefully, richly, and in perfect taste. 1 rising and dilating as he warmed with 
his subject, his large and piercing eye. his expressive brow, his strong featured Roman 
face, his powerful voice ranging through the whole scale, from a subdued yet distinct whisper. 
till it sounded like a trumpet-call, his utterance varying from solemn deliberation to the vehe- 
mence of a torrent, — these qualities of mind, person and manner, made him an advocate, who. 
in his best days. had. on the whole, no superior, if he had an equal, at the liar of Connecticut." 

" His punctuality was most extraordinary. The pointers of the town dock, the sun itself, 
hardly surpassed him in this respect. His punctuality was well understood by all who knew 
him. as may he learned from the following incident which he ha- been heard to relate. Com- 
ing into court one day during the reading of a declaration in a case in which he was concerned. 
he observed that his entrance excited some unusual sensation, and presently ascertained the 
reason. Upon the case being called in its turn just after the opening of the court, one of the 
counsel had suggested some delay, as an associate was not present. -What oiler counsel is 
employed:' - inquired the judge. ' Mr. Daggett.* was the answer. ' Proceed with theease then,' 
said the judge. ' for he will he here before you get through the declaration.' And the declara- 
tion wa- scarcely begun before he entered. This punctuality, united with thoroughness and 
integrity in business, gave him a high degree of self-reliance, and confidence of future support 
and success; which i- well illustrated by a fact which he ha- occasionally mentioned, that 
when he was married, he had hut two guineas in the world, and one of them he gave as a fee 
to the officiating minister." 

The thorough religious training which he received in his childhood and youth made him 
very familiar with the Bible, and his mind was abundantly stored with its expressions, and 
these he wa- accustomed to introduce into his charges, his arguments and appeals, with greal 
pertinence and power. 

•'The following instance of a very impressive application made by him of the language of 
the Bible, i- given by one who witnessed it. The case wa- one which excited great interest in 
Connecticut — a case in which a man was charged with libel. Mr. Daggett pleaded for the 
defendant. The man who brought the suit was quite notorious as a violent and vulgar infidel 
of Thomas Paine's school. This fact, as well as other unfavorable and corrupting features of 
hi- character, was fully and legitimately brought out in the testimony. Of this testimony, Mr. 
Daggett in his plea made full and fearful use. And when he had drawn in strong colors the 
plaintiff's odious infidelity and immorality, and had carried the excitement of the crowded 
assembly to the highest point of disgust and abhorrence, — he turned fully round upon him, as 
he -at within the bar. and thrice pealing out his name, and with look and voice wrought to the 
intensest expression, poured upon him the language of Paul to Elymas the sorcerer. ' Oh! full 
of all subtilty, and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteotisness, 
wilt tin i a n<4 cease to pervert the right way of the Lord.' " 

An incident occurred at one time when Judge Daggett was holding court in Litchfield, 

Conn., which illustrates his reputation among the lawyers for familiarity with the Scripture-. 

a- well a- his accurate knowledge of Shakspeare's work-, which he used to say were next to 

the Bible. It also illustrates the ignorance of the Bible, and the confounding of inspired with 

uninspired language common among some public men, and in no wise creditable to them. A 

distinguished lawyer, pleading before him, quoted, and made a slight mistake in quoting, the 

words of [ago : — 

" Trille> light as air. 

Are to the jealous, confirmations strong 

As proofs of holy writ." 



'Judge Daggett continued to use the Continental style of dress through his entire life. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUKH. 467 

Tbe judge immediately corrected the mistake. The lawyer courteously acknowledged the cor- 
rection, and was proceeding with his argument, when another lawyer who sat near him pulled 
his coat, and said in a loud whisper. " You must look out how you quote Scripture when 
Daggett is on the bench." 

He attached so much importance to familiarity with biblical language, that he was very anx- 
ious to have his children acquire it, and upon one occasion he offered the gift of a horse, to his 
youngest son. when he was a mere youth, " if he would commit to memory, the whole book of 
Job. The task was undertaken and accomplished. The horse accordingly was bought ami 
given, and was appropriately named Job." 

Judge Daggett from the very commencement of his active life was a liberal 
supporter of religious institutions. lie was always a regular attendant upon 
church services, and when past middle life he became connected with the 
North — now the United — Church of New Haven. 

He was an enthusiast in his profession, and felt he had not been wise to 
be so much in political life. In speaking of himself in this connection lie 
said : " Every hour away from his professional studies and pursuits has been 
away from his duty, and he has felt the evil in his purse if not otherwise." 
He was very much interested in young men and especially in those who were 
to follow his own profession. He not only gave them words of encouragement 
and counsel but proved his interest by many deeds of kindness and gener- 
osity. One instance among many is mentioned. He sent at one time for a 
young law student to call at his office. Greeting him very cordially, he said 
he knew what it was to be a young man dependent upon his own exertions ; 
asked if he did not want some money, adding that $100 or $200 would be 
loaned to him with pleasure. The young man was grateful, but disliked to 
borrow, lest he might never be able to pay, which would be the case if he 
should uot live or succeed in life. "Never mind that," said Mr. Daggett, 
" I have no concern about the payor your success — both are sure." The 
money was finally accepted, and in time repaid ; but the encouragement of 
the action aud the gratitude it called for were of far more value to the young 
man than the money. 

-i Judge Daggett was a true and accomplished gentleman. He was, in a 
very extraordinary degree, polished in his manners, gracefully and scrupu- 
lously observant of all civilities. His courtesy was remarkable. He was 
disposed, and his almost instinctive sense of propriety and his graceful and 
easy manners and language enabled him, to please all whom he met; and this 
made him a model of courtesy. In the performance of social civilities and 
duties, to relatives, neighbors, and friends, he was an example, such as is 
rarely if ever found in these days. His courtesy, his varied knowledge of 
men and things, his lively feelings accommodated readily to the old and the 
young, his cheerfulness, his wit and humor, his fund of anecdote, and his 
reminiscences of the past, made him the life of every social circle into which 
he entered. 

"The immediate occasion of Judge Daggett's death was simply a cold 
which came upon him about ten days before that event. It settled upon his 



468 A SKETCH OF THE 

lungs, and his strength was too much enfeebled to throw it off. It can 
hardly be said that he had disease upon him. Age had exhausted his vital 
power. Passing away thus at the age of fourscore and six years, he is 
appropriately described in these lines of Dryden : — 

•Of no distemper, of no blast he died, 
But fell like autumn fruit that mellowed long, 
Even wondered at, because he dropped no sooner. 
Fate seemed to wind him up tor fourscore years; 
Yet feebly ran be on six winters more, 
Till, like a cloek worn out with rating time, 
The wheels of weary life at last stood still.'" 

Leonard A. Daggett, one of the sons of Judge Daggett, resided all his life 
in New Haven, where he died in 1867. He was a merchant, and was a highly 
honored and respected man. A son and a grandson 1 are practising physi- 
cians in that city, both sustaining the high character and excellent reputation 
established by their distinguished ancestor. 

Oliver Ellsworth Daggett was the youngest son of Judge Daggett, and 
seemed to inherit a goodly portion of his father's eminent ability. He was 
born in New Haven, January 14, 1810, graduated from Yale College at the 
early age of eighteen, and pursued his theological studies in his native city. 
He was pastor of a church in Hartford, Conn., for six years, over the Con- 
gregational church in Cauandaigua, N. Y., for twenty-three years, resigning 
the latter position to become a professor of divinity in Yale, and college 
pastor. He remained in those positions for three years, and then accepted 
;i pastorate in New London. Conn. He died very suddenly in Hartford, 
September 1, 1880. He was considered a man of " great natural ability, an 
effective speaker, and an able writer," and k 'as a conversationalist he had 
scarce a peer." Some one in writing of him says : " Suffice it to say that he 
was a rare man. You do not often meet his like in a summer's clay." His 
wife was Elizabeth Watson, of Hartford. She, with three children, one son 
and two daughters, survives. [She and one daughter have since died.] 

John Foster, Esq., appears from the records to have been a useful public 
man in his day, though but few facts of his life are known to the author. 
He was chosen moderator of town meetings for a long succession of years, 
was a surveyor of lands, an active justice of the peace, and for several 
years a representative of the town, etc. 

Dr. Bkzaleel Mann, a well-known and worthy physician of this town, 
deserves a notice in these sketches. He was a descendant, a grandson, of 
Rev. Samuel Mann, the first minister of Wrentham.- He was the son of 



> Dr. David L. Daggett, and his son, Dr. William G. Daggett. 

2 Horace Mann, the distinguished advocate of popular education, was descended from Rev. Samuel 
Mann. He was horn in that part of Wrentham which became Franklin in 179i3. He graduated at 
Brown University, and became a tutor there for a time. He was a member of the Legislature, and 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 4G9 

Lieutenant Samuel and Zipporah Mann, and was born in Wrentham, June 15, 
1722. He had two brothers who were born and lived and died in that town. 
Rufus left descendants ; Ebenezer died without children. They lived in the 
Cowell neighborhood. Dr. Mann studied his profession with Dr. Hewes, of 
Foxborough, and commenced the practice of it in this town some time pre- 
vious to 1750. He had the reputation of being a skilful physician, and had 
acquired an extensive circle of practice. He was a man of influence and 
ability, as his public services sufficiently attest. During the Revolutionary 
period he was chosen to positions of trust and responsibility, which in those 
days were filled only by men in whose honor and integrity the people placed 
entire confidence. He was a man of letters, as well as an expert physician, 
and some of his writings are. it is said, preserved in the New England Gene- 
alogical and Historical Society in Boston. 

His character is justly portrayed in his epitaph : — 

Bezaleel Mann, niort. die Octo. tert. 1790, an. setat. 74. Early imbued with the principles 
■of moral rectitude, he sustained through the diversified concerns of a long and active life, the 
character of an honest man. As a physician, he commanded, during the period of nearly 50 
years, that unlimited confidence and respect, which talents alone can inspire. The features of 
lii- mind were sketched by the glowing pencil of nature, tilled up with the qualities that adorn 
humanity, and shaded with few infirmities the frequent attendants on mental excellence. 

His wife was Bebe, daughter of Mr. Ezekiel Carpenter, of this town. She 
lies buried by the side of her husband in the family burying-ground at West 
Attleborough and her epitaph tells the story of her life and character : — 

Bebe Mann, his wife. mort. die Octo. tert. 1793. aetat. 01. She was a person of bright 
genius, of few words, and much reserved in mind. From early youth she marked all her 
paths with virtue, ami timely took the advice Christ gave to his disciples, and made to herself 
a friend of the mammon of unrighteousness, and when she failed, could, with Christian con- 
fidence, say, that her witness was in heaven and her reward on high. 

This stone is erected by the grateful hand of filial piety to protect the awful dust of revered 
parents. 

These inscriptions may be found in Alden's valuable Collection of Epitaphs. 
Dr. Mann had several sons who entered the profession. 

Preston Mann was the first graduate from this town at Brown University, 
1776. He became a physician and settled at Newport, R. 1., where he was for 
years a leader in social circles. He acquired wealth and owned a handsome 
and extensive place, and long after his fortune rendered the practice of his 
profession unnecessary he was frequently summoned to consultations. He 
was a noble and upright man, one of culture and refinement, of courtly and 
polished manners. His acquaintance embraced the most distinguished persons 



President of the Senate; Secretary- of the Board of Education of Massachusetts; Projector of the 
State Lunatic Hospital at Worcester; a member of Congress; ami President of Antioch College at 
Yellow Springs, Greene County, Ohio, where he labored witli great faithfulness and self-denial in the 
interests of that then struggling institution, and where he died in 1859. His statue stands in front of 
the State House at Boston by the side of that of Daniel Webster. 



47<> 1 SKETCH OF THE 

of the time and his elegant mansion was the centre of a charming and liberal 
hospitality widely extended among the people of the highest social position 
in the land. This mansion remained in the family until a few years ago and 
is still, it is said, a tine-looking residence. 

John Milton Manx, another son, was also a graduate of Brown University 
— 17*7 — and became a physician. He removed to Hudson, N. Y., in 1800, 
where he was drowned in attempting to cross the river. It was in the night — 
he had been called to the bedside of a patient — and he " met his death while 
in the performance of his duty.*' This occurred August 24, 1800. A mon- 
ument was erected to his memory by the citizens of Hudson, upon which was 
placed the following inscription : ' 

Doctor Mann was born in Attleborough. Massachusetts; be was educated at Brown Uni- 
versity in Providence, Rhode Island, and came to reside in Hudson, a.D. 1800. Tins city is 
indebted to him tor the introduction of vaccine inoculation, though here as elsewhere, the 
philanthropic enterprise was obliged to contend against prejudice and misrepresentation. The 
common council of Hudson, of which lie was a member, voted that they would attend bis 
funeral and wear crape on the left arm thirty days on account of their respect for bis character 
and their regret for his l<»s. Here are laid the remains of one whom society respected and 
bis kindred loved. He was a wise scholar, a skillful physician, a kind husband and father, 
and a sincere Christian. Deeply is be bewailed. Few men of bis time possessed a mind more 
happily turned to the acquisition of science, or exhibited more perspicuously patience and 
vigor than Doctor Mann. Alas! just as bis faculties bad become mature and society bad 
learned their value, just when in the time of bodily, and mental manhood, with his honors 
thickening upon him, death struck him down. But let not infidel grief regard his mind as 
having been cultivated or bis knowledge accumulated in vain: for so be was enabled to enter 
the future life witb enlarged capacities of enjoyment, with more worthy views of his own 
nature and destiny, witb clearer apprehension of bis Heavenly Father's will, and with added 
incitement to constant obedience. 

Herbert Manx, still another son, and said to be the brightest of them all, 
was educated a physician and entered as surgeon on the privateer General 
Arnold, Captain Magee, and was lost in that terrible storm which occurred in 
Plymouth Harbor, December 26, 1 778. The stone which is here erected to his 
memory contains the following epitaph : •• In memory of Doctor Herbert 
Mann, who with 119 sailors, with Capt. James Magee, master, went on board 
the brig General Arnold, in Boston Harbor. 25th. Dec. 1778, hoisted sail, 
made for sea, and were immediately overtaken by the most tremendous snow 
storm with cold, that was ever known in the memory of man. and, unhappily, 
parted their cable in Plymouth harbor, in a place called the Cow-yards, and 
he, with about 100 others, was frozen to death : sixty-six of whom were buried 
in one grave- He was in the 21st year of his age. — And now Lord God 
Almighty, just and true are all thy ways, but who can stand before thy cold." 

In Dr. Thacher's "History of Plymouth" is found a graphic description of 
this most terrific storm and awftd wreck known in history, which seems almost 
unparalleled in human suffering: — 



1 See Newport Mt rcury for October 13, is:;. - In the town of Plymouth. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 471 

In 1TTS, December 26 th , 27 th , the inhabitants of this town were called to witness a catas- 
trophe truly appalling to humanity. The brig ' General Arnold,' mounting twenty guns, 
having a crew of one hundred an<l live men and boys, commanded by Capt. James Magee, of 
Uostc.n. sailed from that port on Thursday, 24 th of December, bound on a cruise. On Friday 
anchored off Plymouth Harbor, being destitute of a pilot. In the night, a heavy gale, drove 
on the White Flat. She soon tilled with water, and it became necessary to cut away the masts. 
Unfortunately a great disturbance was occasioned by intoxication among some of the seamen 
in the steerage, which was with difficulty quelled by the officers. A tremendous storm of 
wind and snow came on, and a considerable number of men died on Saturday afternoon, and in 
the night. Three men. not of the crew, being on board, took the yawl and passed eight or ten 
rods to the ice. and were taken on board a schooner that was frozen in. Had the boat been 
returned as promised, many lives would have been saved. 

Sunday morning the vessel was seen in a most distressful situation, enveloped in ice and 
snow, and the whole shore was frozen to a solid body of ire, the winds and waves raging with 
such dreadful violence that no possible relief could be afforded to the miserable sufferers. The 
inhabitants made every effort to reach the wreck in boats, but were obliged to put back. 
although aware that the seamen were in the arms Of death, and when the miserable victims on 
board saw the boats returning, leaving them in a condition of utter hopelessness, their spirits 
were appalled, and numbers were seen to fall dead on the deck. 

On Monday the inhabitants passed over the ice to the wreck. Here was presented a scene 
unutterably awful and distressing. It is scarcely possible for the human mind to conceive of a 
more appalling spectacle. The ship was sunk ten feet in the sand: the waves had been for 
about thirty-six hours sweeping the main deck; the men had crowded to the quarter-deck, and 
even here they were obliged to pile together dead bodies to make room for the living. Seventy 
dead bodies, frozen into all imaginable postures, were strewn over the deck or attached to the 
shrouds and spars; about thirty exhibited signs of life, but were unconscious whether in life or 
death. The bodies remained in the postures in which they died, the features dreadfully dis- 
torted; some were erect, some bending forward, some sitting with the head resting on the 
knees, and some with both arms extended, clinging t i spars or >ome parts of the vessel. The 
few survivors, and the dead bodies were brought over the ice on sleds and boards, and the dead 
were piled on the floor of the courthouse, exhibiting a scene calculated to impress even the 
most callous heart with deep humility and sorrow. It has been said that the Rev. Mr. Robbins 
fainted when called to perform the funeral ceremonies. Those bodies that were to be deposited 
in coffins were first put into the town book: a considerable number were seen floating on the 
water fastened by ropes, that their form might be made to conform to the coffins, but about 
sixty were thrown into a large pit as they were taken from the vessel. This pit is in a hollow 
on the south-west side of the burial-ground, and remains without a stone. The greater part of 
those who were found alive expired soon after. Capt. Magee survived, and performed several 
profitable voyages afterwards. He abstained entirely from drinking ardent spirits, but was of 
opinion that he was greatly benefited by putting rum into his boots. Those who drank rum 
were the more immediate victims, several being found dead in the very spot where they 
drank it. 

The following letter from Captain Magee is deemed sufficiently interesting 
to present here : l 

As I am informed a report has circulated through the country that myself and people did 
not receive that relief and assistance to which the distressed and unfortunate are ever entitled, 
justice to the inhabitants of the town of Plymouth, in which harbor I was unhappily ship- 
wrecked, indispensably requires of me to contradict so groundless a report, and state the 
circumstances. 

Agreeable to the account before published, in the morning of the 26 th ultimo, in the severest 



1 It was printed in the Bos/on Evening Post of January 23, 1779, and with some facts following 
was taken from an account of this calamity by William S. Russell, Esq., printed in the Old Colony 
Memorial (Plymouth), December 13, 1862. 



472 A SKETCH OF THE 

of all storms, the brigantine I commanded (called the General Arnold) dragged her anchors, 
and struck on a white flat, notwithstanding even effort and precaution to prevent it: in aboul 
twelve hours after she bilged. The quarter deck was the only place that could afford the most 
distant prospect of safety, and a few hours presented ;i scene there thai to mention the particu- 
lars would shock the least delicate humanity. Sonic of my people were stifled to death in the 
snow; other- perished with extremity of the cold, and a tew were washed oft' the deck and 
drowned. The morning of the 28 th , so ardently wished for, discovered a spectacle the mosl 
dreadful; forty or fifty men. who the day before were strong and healthy, lying dead upon the 
deck in all manner of attitudes. The survivors, finding themselves within a mile of the shore, 
entertained the most sanguine hopes of being taken off the wreck, and rescued from the frozeu 
ami premature fate that awaited them; hut. though constant ami repeated attempts were made 
fortius purpose bj tin- good people of Plymouth during the whole day, we were so situated, 
that all human endeavor- to relieve us were exerted in vain. Several of my men. imagining 
from this circumstance that death was inevitable, gave way to despair, and instantly yielded 
[up] the u r ho>t. We continued in this deplorable and suffering condition until Monday the 
29 th , at twelve of the clock, when the inhabitants of Plymouth were enabled \., bring u- off the 
wreck and receive us to their homo, and administered everything to us that was necessary, 
and comfortable, with that tenderness and social sympathy which do honor to human nature. 
The dead, amounting in the whole to seventy-two men, were carried on shore and decently 
buried a- soon as possible; some, indeed, who were alive were saved only to drag out a few 
miserable days in the extreme of pain and then expire. An universal disposition was shown 
to secure everything belonging to the owners and people, and the minutest article, wheresoever 
found, was sacredly taken care of, of which I shall always retain a grateful remembrance as 
well a- of that kind Providence which preserved my life. 

The total number who outlived those terrible experiences was thirty-four, 
including Captain Magee. *• Among those who perished were Dr. Mann of 
Attleborough, Dr. Sears. Capt. John Russell of Barnstable, commander of 
the marines, and Lieut. Daniel Hall. The last two were buried in one grave 
on the south side of the burial hill." ' 

Newton Mann, the fourth and last of the brothers, removed to the State of 
New York and settled in Whitesborough. He started the village of Mannville, 
where he became an extensive cotton manufacturer and a man of wealth, rival- 
iuo-, it is said, in his style of living the elegance of his brother in Newport. 
His wife was Abigail Maxcy, whom he married March 22, 1792. 



1 It should be observed that when persons are exposed to intense cold, there is always a propensity 
to sleep, bill the moment it is indulged it becomes the sleep of death.— Dr. Thacher's Plymouth, p. 21H. 
Probably numbers lost their lives in tins manner. The dead were frozen in all shapes and some collins 
contained two bodies, for men and boys were found locked in each others' arms. As the deck of the 
vessel was being examined to separate the living from the dead one man was seen to merely raise his 
eyelids, being unable to make any other sign of life. He was taken on shore and put into cold water, 
remaining for several hours, and by that means "he was resuscitated, but with the most exquisite 
pain." He said that while the examination on the deck was in progress lie heard distinctly what was 
said and became extremely anxious lest he should lie passed by as dead and so exerted all his remaining 
strength to convince those he heard talking that he was still alive. He lost both of his feet but lived 
for fully forty years after this event. His name was Barnabas Downs, and he was from Barnstable. 
Another survivor was Cornelius Marchant, whose feet were crippled, but he lived lor over fifty years. 
He wrote a statement of the occurrences of this terrible time, in which lie testified to the courage and 
good mauagementof the officers and especially to the watchful care over others manifested by the 
captain, lie was particularly kind to a little boy placed in his care, whom he carried in his arms until 
« extreme necessity obliged him to put the child down, and let him take his chance for life." This 
man Marchant died in is. is, aged seventy live, the last survivor of the shipwreck. 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 473 

Dr. Bezaleel Mann had also several daughters. One of them, Marv, mar- 
ried Mr. Josiah Draper, a prominent man of this town. She died May 2 
1808, in the fifty-fourth year of her age, and is buried in the family burying- 
ground in Oldtown. The following inscription is upon her headstone : 

"She conducted her household and her affairs with discretion. She 
tempered her authority with a happy mixture of tender affection. She met 
Death with the resignation and hope of a Christian." 

Another daughter married a Mr. Richmond and settled in Providence. 

Still another, Eunice, on September 0, 17'JO, married Dr. Seth Capron, of 
this town, one of her father's students. They removed with her brother 
Newton to New York. 

General Horace Capron was their son, and was born in this town August 
4, 1804. As his parents had settled in New York State, doubtless his child- 
hood was passed there. When a young man he went to the manufacturing 
town of Laurel, Md., and became largely interested in factories there. He 
also became interested in agricultural pursuits — purchased a farm in the 
vicinity of the town, which he made quite famous by the excellent manner 
in which he cultivated it. He was commander of the militia company of 
Laurel, and with his company participated in the ceremonies at the laying 
of the cornerstone of the Washington Monument. He removed from Mary- 
land to Illinois and entered the army from that State. 

In January, 1863, he received a commission as Lieutenant-Colonel of the 
Fourteenth Illinois Cavalry, and in a very short time was promoted to the 
colonelcy. He was constantly in active service while in the army and was 
frequently selected by his commanding officers to fill positions requiring great 
skill and courage. He was in action in almost every battle during the cam- 
paign of East Tennessee. He was with the army of General Sherman in 
that unique and most memorable campaign, his " March to the Sea " ; he 
participated in all of its battles, and when Atlanta was taken Colonel Capron 
with men from his old regiment formed the advance guard of the Twentieth 
Corps, which drove the enemy's cavalry through the city. He was with 
General Stoneman when that officer was captured, but he, with three hundred 
brave men, cut their way through the enemy's lines, and after six days of 
fighting succeeded in reaching the lines of the Union army. Later he was 
with General Thomas and " rendered good service in the campaigu against 
Gen. Hood." Still later, " after the relief of Nashville," he was °oblig°ed to 
offer his resignation because of disability. 

He was in Washington for the purpose of attending the ceremonies of the 
dedication of the Washington Monument, when he took a severe cold. A 
very brief illness followed which terminated fatally, and he died at the 
"Portland," in that city February 22, 1885. See The National Tribune for 
February 26, 1885. 



474 A SKETCH OF THE 

There are but few survivors of the Manu family. The last in this town of 
the second generation was Mrs. Ira Richards, daughter of Mr. Josiab and 
Mary Mann Draper and granddaughter of Dr. Bezaleel Mann. She died at 
North Attleborough not many years since at a very advanced age. Some of 
the above facts relating to her family were furnished by her to the Chronicle, 
a> may be seen in its issue of November 15, 1873, and some of the others 
were found in the Newport Mercury for October 13, 1877. 

Rev. Jonathan Maxcy, s.t.d., President of Rhode Island, Union, and 
Columbia (S. C.) colleges, was one of the most eminent pulpit orators of 
this country. He was born in this town September 2, 1768. He prepared 
for college in the school of Rev. William Williams, of Wrentham, which was 
then the most celebrated institution in the vicinity and the resort of a great 
many young men for the pursuit of classical studies and preparation for 
college. 1 He graduated at Brown University in 17N7 and was immediately 
appointed a tutor. He was ordained pastor of the First Baptist Church in 
Providence, September 8, 1791, and at the same time was appointed the first 
Professor of Divinity in that college.- After the death of President Man- 
ning he was unanimously elected president, a.d. 1792, at the early age of 
twenty-four. He presided over this university for eleven years with distin- 
guished success and with a splendid reputation for eloquence and learning. 
His administration was marked by mildness, urbanity, and dignity. Under 
his guardianship the university acquired a distinguished name for oratory. 
Guided by his fostering genius it sent forth a constellation of eloquent and 
accomplished speakers who have shone in various departments of public life, 
and whose eloquence has been felt in the pulpit, at the bar, and in the halls 
of legislation, many of whom have acquired a national renown. He was 
peculiarly fitted to stamp impressions of his own character on the minds of 
those around him and to infuse his own spirit into theirs. He acquired a 
salutary infiuence over the youth committed to his charge. He imbued their 
hearts with a taste for literature and with a love of truth and moral beauty, 
and excited in their bosoms the most ardent aspirations after excellence. 
He knew well how to kindle and fan the flame of genius. His memory was 
cherished by all his pupils with peculiar affection and gratitude. In speaking 
of the university it has been truly said that he was one " wdiose name and 
fame are identified with its reputation, and whose mingled mildness, dignity, 
and goodness, equalled only by his genius, learning and eloquence, subdued 
all envy, made all admirers friends, and gave him an irresistible sway over 
the minds of those placed under his care." 3 

Though accomplished in every department of learning, he was distinguished 



^ee " Guild's Manning and Brown University," p. 4ul, note. 

'-' He was the first and only Professor of Divinity over appointed in Brown University. 
Hun. Virgil Maxcy's Discourse before the Phi Beta Kappa of Brown University, September 4, 1833. 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 475 

more particularly as a belles-lettres scholar. His oratory was in some respects 
peculiar. There was nothing in it like rant or affectation — no appearance 
of that popular declamation which is so often employed to captivate the 
multitude. There was apparently no attempt in it to produce effect — no 
labored display, but everything appeared easy, natural, and unstudied. It 
was deep, impassioned, but not declamatory. His voice was not naturally 
powerful, but he had it perfectly under his control through all its intonations. 
He usually commenced in a calm and moderate manner but grew warmer and 
more animated as he advanced in his discourse, and gradually and impercep- 
tibly gained upon the attention and feelings of his hearers until every one 
present was wholly engrossed upon the subject of the speaker. Indeed, he 
himself seemed completely absorbed in his own subject, and by the influence 
of sympathy carried his audience with him. 

His delivery was remarkably expressive. Every sentiment he uttered came 
from the heart and vibrated through his whole frame. Every cord and muscle 
was an echo to his soul. His elocution was full of grace, yet his power was 
not in this ; it was in the life — the soul, which he infused into his voice, his 
gestures, and his countenance — all expressive and harmonious. His elo- 
quence was at once graceful and forcible. In a word, he had in perfection 
what Demosthenes called action. 

He did not neglect to cultivate the minor graces of elocution. He never 
made a prayer or delivered anything in public extempore, even on the most 
ordinary occasions, in which every sentence and every word were not accu- 
rately arranged and in their right place. Though his voice was naturally 
feeble it was able to occupy a large compass, and every word and every 
syllable he uttered in the largest audience fell distinctly on the ear of the 
most distant auditor. 

The following extract will show the estimation in which he was held at the 
South. It was written but a short time previous to his death and contains a 
brief but lively description of the impressive effects of his eloquence, even 
when his powers were impaired by advancing age and feeble health : — 

From the Charleston City Gazette. Extract of a letter from a gentleman residing in 
Columbia to his friend in Charleston. 

Columbia, 6th. July. 1819. 

Last Sunday we went to hear Dr. Maxcy. It being the 4th of July, it was a discourse 
appropriate to that eventful period. I had always been led to believe the Doctor an eloquent 
and impressive preacher; but had no idea, till now. that he possessed such transcendent 
powers. 1 never heard such a stream of eloquence. —It flowed from his lips, even like the oil 
from Aaron's head. Every ear was delighted, every heart was elated, every bosom throbbed 
with gratitude. Such appropriate metaphor! such grand, such sublime descriptions! such 
exalted ideas of Deity! and delivered with all the grace, the force, the elegance of a youthful 
orator! I was sometimes in pain, lest this good old man should outdo himself, and become 
exhausted, but as he advanced in his discourse, he rose in animation, till at length he reached 
heights the most sublime, and again descended with the same facility with which he soared. 
So far as I can judge, (and your partiality. I know, will allow me to be no mean critic) there 
was not heard the slightest deviation from the most correct enunciation and grammatical 



476 A SKETCH OF THE 

arrangement; all the powers of art seemed subservient to his absolute control. In short. I 
never beard anything to compare to Dr. Maxcy's sermon, in all the course of my life, and, old 
as I am, I would now walk even twenty miles through tie' hottest sands, to listen to such 
another discourse. 1 am persuaded 1 -hall never hear such another in this life. 

Dr. Maxcy's most celebrated performance while be presided over Brown 
University, regarded as n specimen of pulpit oratory, was his sermon on the 
Existence and Attributes of God, delivered at Providence in 1795, which was 
frequently spoken of at the end of nearly a half-century, and produced at 
the time the most lively and striking effect on the audience. Those who 
heard it never forgot it. The impression it produced was the result in a great 
degree of the manner of its delivery. Such a brilliant effort of eloquence 
has seldom been witnessed in any house of public worship. This discourse. 
though enlivened by a bold, luxuriant, and brilliant imagination, and a lofti- 
ness of conception, is yet characterized by his usual neatness and simplicity 
of language. Indeed, in his highest nights his style of writing was always 
remarkable for a pure English idiom and a classical simplicity of language. 

In fine, he was an eloquent orator and a learned scholar. 

In 1801 he was honored with the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Har- 
vard University. 

In 1802 he resigned the presidency of Brown University and accepted that 
of Union College, Schenectady. X. Y.. where he remained till the establish- 
ment of the new college in Columbia. S. C.. in 1804. of which he was 
appointed the first president, and immediately removed to that place, where 
he continued till the day of his death, June 4, 1820, at the age of fifty-two. 
He was appointed to the office of president the youngest, and presided the 
longest in proportion to his years, of any person in this country. He was 
connected with some college, either as student or officer, nearly thirty-seven 
out of the fifty-two years of his life. 

The following story of a college freak is told of Dr. Maxcy while he was 
in South Carolina : — 

(in one occasion several of the students resolved to drag the doctor's carriage into the 
\\ mills, mill fixed upon a night for the performance of the exploit. One of their number, how- 
ever, was troubled with some compunctious visitings, and managed to convey to the worthy 
President a hint that it would he well for him to secure the door of the carriage-house. 
Instead of paying any heed to this suggestion, tin doctor proceeded on the appointed uight to 
the carriage-house and ensconced hi- portly person inside the vehicle. In less than an hoursome 
half dozen young gentlemen came to his retreat and cautiously withdrew the carriage into the 
road. When they were fairly out of the college precinct- they began to joke freely with each 
other by name. 

One of them complained of the weight of the carriage, and another replied by swearing it 
was heavj enough to have the old fellow himself inside. For nearly a mile they proceeded 
along the highway, and then struck into the woods to a cover which they concluded would 
effectually conceal the vehicle. Making themselves infinitely merry at the doctor's expense, and 
conjecturing how and when he would find his carriage, they at length reached the spot where 
they had resolved to leave it. Just as they were about to depart — having once more agreed that 
"the carriage was heavy enough to have the old doctor and all his tribe in it" — they were 
-tallied by the sudden dropping of one of the -lass panels, and the well-known voice of the 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 477 

doctor himself thus addressing them : " So, so, young gentlemen, you are g »ing to leave me in 
the woods, are y >u? Surely, as you have bi'ought me hither for your »wn gratification, you will 

not refuse to take me back for mine. Come, Mr. -and and , buckle to and let 

us return; it *s getting late." There was no appeal : for the window was raised, and the doctor 
resumed his seat. Almost without a word the discomfited young gentlemen took their places at 
the pole and the hark of the vehicle, and quite as expeditiously, if with less voice, did they 
retrace their steps. In silence they dragged the carriage into its wonted place, and then 
retreated precipitately to their room-, to dream of the account they must render on the morrow. 
When they had retired, the doctor quietly vacated the carriage and went to his house, where 
he related the story to his family with much dee. He never called the heroes of that nocturnal 
expedition to an account, nor was the carriage ever afterward dragged at night into the 
woods. 1 

Dr. Maxcy was the second president of Brown University, that ancient 
institution, one who reflected the highest lustre on the university at which he 
graduated and over which he presided while a mere youth. He was one of 
the most cherished ornaments of the religious denomination to which he 
belonged, and one of the most impressive, brilliant, and eloquent pulpit 
orators of the age in which he lived. No one has enjoyed a greater popular- 
ity ; no one was ever more idolized by his contemporaries than he. As a 
teacher of the highest branches of moral philosophy he had no superior, and 
he produced a profound impression and influence on the pupils successively 
under his charge. His whole career was an honor to American scholarship. 

His wife was Susan Hopkins, a daughter of Commodore Eseck Hopkins, 
of Providence, by whom he had several daughters and four sons, all of 
whom were liberally educated. Several of the sons survived him and con- 
tinued for many years in the profession of the law. His widow continued 
to live for some time after his death, in Columbia, S. C. 

He published kt A Discourse on the Death of President Manning," 1792; 
"A Sermon on the Existence of God, Demonstrated from the Works of 
Creation," 1795; "An Oration before the Providence Association of 
Mechanics and Manufacturers." 1795; ''A Fourth of July Oration," 17!i."> 
and 1799 ; " A Discourse on the Atonement," in two parts, 1796 ; " A Dedi- 
cation Sermon at Cumberland, R. L," 1796 ; "A Sermon before the Warren 
Association," at Boston, 1797; "A Funeral Sermon before the Legislature 
of South Carolina," 1818; and numerous addresses, 1797, 1801, etc., to the 
graduating classes of Brown University. His discourses and addresses were 
collected and published in 1844 with a brief memoir of his life by Rev. 
Romeo Elton, late professor in Brown University. 2 

It requires an abler pen than mine to portray the amiable and brilliant 
character of Maxcy, and to do justice to his splendid talents as an orator. 
Those only who knew him in the meridian of life, and who had seen and felt 



1 From Taunton Bail;/ Gazette for April 22, 1S7S. 

- Dr. Elton resided in England for a number of years, having married there. While in that country 
he published an edition of "Selections from Dr. Maxcy" which had an extensive circulation there. 
He presented a copy to Queen Victoria, who highly appreciated it, and, it is said, read one or two of 
the sermons to her children. 



478 A SKETCH OF THE 

the power of his eloquence, could have given an adequate description. His 
memory demanded a tribute of filial affection from some one of his many 

distinguished pupils who were so deeply indebted to his example and instruc- 
tions for the eminence which they enjoyed in public life. 1 

Dr. Maxcy was in many respects the most remarkable man born in this 
town : one who strongly impressed the age in which he lived, and attracted all 
who came within the sphere of his influence, and all who knew him or heard 
him. 

From an admirable communication of Rev. Gardner B. Perry,'-' a native of 
Norton, near the residence of the Maxcys in Attleborough, and who was a 
pupil of Dr. Maxcy's both in Brown University and at Union College, and 
who was familiar with him socially as well as in his capacity as a teacher, I 
make some extracts, describing the man and his personal appearance and 
habits and his manner of teaching and disciplining his pupils: — 

Says Dr. Perry: "From curly life I had some knowledge of his history, and the estimation 
in which he was held by the literary and religious world. My own personal acquaintance with 
bim commenced when I became a member of Brown University in 1800, and ii became more 
intimate, perhaps r should say, familiar, when he removed to Union College. I was put under 
his special care, and became virtually a member of his family. 

" In person he was below the middle size, and rather thin in flesh. Bui his face was lighted 
up \\ ith a fine intellectual expression which chiefly occupied the eye. and engrossed the attention 
oi those about him. The mind emphatically made the man. The principle involved in that 
expression, so far as it concerned the outward person, was with the expression of the late Aaron 
Burr, more fully illustrated in him, than in any other individual whom I ever met. He was well 
proportioned in his form, dignified in his appearance, and impressive in his manners. A 
remarkable harm my prevailed between the movements of hi- person and the workings of his 
mind and heart. Every emotion without, seemed but an expression of what was working 
within. He wore a three cornered cocked hat, and on all public occasions appeared in silk- 
cassock and bands. His complexion was light and somewhat sallow; though a slight freshness 
never failed to diffuse itself over hi- cheek when he was moved by any of the gentler feelings. 
Hi- forehead was high and open; his eye a mellow, pleasant blue; ami the whole contour of his 
head and face though not altogether filling up the idea of physical beauty, certainly afforded a 
striking image of mental power ami high moral feeling. 

" Dr. Maxcy was rather uncommonly domestic in his feelings, and no man took livelier inter- 
est than he in whatever concerned the welfare of his family. His children at the time 1 was 
inosl with him, were young, the oldest probablj not exceeding ten or twelve years. These he 
encouraged to visil him morning and evening in hi- study, when he cultivated the most delight- 
ful familiarity with them, and expressed the deepest interest in every indication of intellectual 
or moral improvement. L noticed that in conversing with them, he ordinarily used the same 
form of expression as when speaking with persons of mature age, and his reason for doing so 
was that he supposed that by this means they would sooner become acquainted with the 
language of books, and thus be enabled to advance more rapidly in their studies. 

•• Dr. Maxcj was exclusively devoted to the duties of his office, and to his studies. He was 
never, so far a- I know, involved in any secular business beyond the common concerns of bis 
family. He was remarkable for diligent and persevering labor. Few departments of kn iwl- 

i A demand partially at least met by Dr. Elton's work.— EDITOR. 

2 He was born in Norton, August 9, 1783, son of Nathan ami Phebe (Braman Perry. He entered 
Brown University under the presidency of Dr. Maxcy, and removed with him to Union College and 
graduated there in 1S04. He became a tutor in that college for several years. Dr. Perry himself 
became a distinguished teacher, and was for some years pastor of the church in East Bradford, 
Mass., where he continued till his death. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. J 79 

edge could be named into which he did not extend his inquiries, and with which he had not 
become so familiar as to enable him to hold an instructive conversation. 

'•Two distinguished lawyers of one of the middle States, after having incidentally held a 
protracted discussion with him on the law of entail (he beiug entirely unknown to them), came 
to the conclusion that he was probably a Judge in one of the higher Courts of the United States. 

"Dr. Maxcy supposed that with a proper training of the mind, most books might be gone 
through in a much shorter time than is usually devoted to them, and so a much greater amount 
of knowledge be obtained in a given period. 

k> His sermons were, composed with the utmost rapidity, and yet when composed, they seemed 
In be -raven on the tablet of his memory, as with a pen of iron and the point of a diamond. 
If he had occasion, as he sometimes had, to write out a discourse after he had delivered it. there 
would be found not only the same arrangement and the same genera! train of thought, but 
nearly all the same language. 

" While Dr. Maxcy was an excellent general scholar, he had made himself specially familiar 
with the branches which he was accustomed to teach. The manner in which the classes 
regarded his attainments in history ma\ be illustrated by a remark which was made by one of 
the students incoming from the lecture-room. — namely, that he believed the doctrine of metemp- 
sychosis must be true, for, unless the President had himself, in some form, lived in Athens, 
when the events recorded in our lesson occurred, he never could have been so intimately 
acquainted with the characters and lives of the men, nor with the general tempers of the people 
he had been describing to us. This thorough knowledge of the various branches in his depart- 
ment, in connection with a remarkable facility of communication, rendered him an uncommonly 
interesting teacher. 

" His questions were shaped in such a manner, as to save the student who had the least know 1- 
edge of the lesson, from the embarrassment consequent on an entire inability to answer, and at 
the same time, to leave the best informed with the conviction that there were other things con- 
nected with the subject, which it would be useful for them to learn. His mode of teaching was 
eminently adapted to promote the spirit of inquiry, and the students left the lecture-room, talk- 
ing over the subject of the recitation, and, after reaching their rooms, often studied lesson- more 
thoroughly than they had before they left them. A system of questions drawn up after his 
manner, would be an invaluable help to the youth of the present day, and. perhaps, not more 
valuable to the youth, than helpful to the great body of instructors. 

"Dr. Maxcy manifested much of a devotional spirit. His mind was eminently fruitful in 
serious and devout reflection. It was true of him in a spiritual sense, that, • the cloud returned 
after the rain.' In his prayers there was always an emotion and impressiveness that left you 
without any doubt that the spirit was helping him. His manner in the pulpit was characterized 
by great simplicity, ease, and earnestness. His style of preaching alto-ether was eminently 
fitted to produce solemn reflection and deep self-communion, and thus lead to the be>t practical 
results. There was nothing, however, in his public performances, that was of a particularly 
exciting or agitating character. Everything was serene, symmetrical, impressive. He attempted 
to imitate no one, and caught no one's peculiarities. Destitute of all pretension, he was evi- 
dently just what his Creator intended he should be; ami every one felt in listening to him, that 
if he were anything else than what he was, it would be at the expense of disobeying the 
impulses of his own nature. 

" I cannot close this communication without saving that I have ever entertained a deep sense 
of my obligation to Dr. Maxcy, — not only for the important instruction which I received from 
him, but for his watchful care over me at a period when ' dangers stand thick around us.' " 

The following is from the pen of Tristam Burgess, 1 who was one of his 

pupils and associates : — 

It is not possible for me to produce a portrait of Jonathan Maxcy, which shall do justice to 
the great original. I saw him as an instructor presiding over a scientific and literary institu- 



1 He graduated under President Maxcy; was afterwards professor of oratory in Brown University, 
a member of Congress, and himself a distinguished orator. From these two prominent men we have 
the recollections of those who had personal knowledge of Dr. Maxcy and sustained intimate rela- 
tions with him. 



480 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

tion, and as a minister, proclaim the glorious truths of the Gospel; but 1 was then a pupil, 
who but a little before had exchanged the use of the plough and the sickle, for books, and knew 
little of what the high offices which Dr. Maxcj held, required of him. 

ir i could remember so as to tell how his administration of those offices affected me, I 
should draw a picture that would be characterized by surpassing beauty and power; but it is 
so long since I sat under his instruction, that the bright vision which then astonished and 
delighted me, has in a great degree faded from my recollection. Nevertheless, I well remember 
thai uo man could have been more popular in tin; college than President Maxcy. I never heard 
so much as a whisper against him. He was universally loved as a parent, and admired and 
revered as a great and good man. Though he was less than the medium stature, there was in 
hi- countenance and manners a dignity that seemed to raise him above the ordinary level ; and 
withal he had so much benignity and affability as well as intelligence, as to captivate every 
person with whom he conversed. 

He was horn an orator, as Burns was horn a poet. When this great man appeared as the 
Fourth of .July orator at Providence, as he did on one occasion, he attracted a degree of atten- 
tion almost unprecedented. His theme was the " Principles and Events of the American Revo- 
lution," and his audience consisted chiefly of those who had passed through that long and terrible 
conflict, which gave to our nation its independence. Not to mention any other part of his 
oration, all of which was admirable, I will recall one out of many brilliant coruscations, con- 
taining the divine tire, the heaven horn electricity, of pure eloquence. When, with a glow of 
patriotism, the orator exclaimed, — '' Should our enemy again return to our shores, he will find 
every plain a Marathon, every defile a Thermopylae," it was then that I felt, as [ doubt not all 
felt, the cold shudder, the electric shock, which always reaches one, when the orator strikes out 
the true, the di\ inc Hash of eloquence. 

Enough, however, and perhaps too much of this, for it was of his sacred eloquence that I 
intended to say a few words. He wrote his sermon-, and laid his notes before him on the 
desk, hut, in the delivery, he seemed never to use them. He appeared perfectly at home in the 
pulpit, as if born only to preach the gospel. His voice was neither loud nor high, yet his utter- 
ance was so perfectly distinct, that every word reached every ear with its melody, and he melted 
every heart with his fervid and overpowering pathos. His preaching was not like the tire, nor 
like the earthquake, nor like the mighty wind, exhibited to the vision of Elijah on the summit 
of the mount, hut it was indeed the still small voice, heard from th ■ Lord by tin- prophet. 
while sitting at its base. He seemed to be, as he truly was, a messenger sent by his Divine 
Master, with glad tidings of great joy. 

Every one who hears of a distinguished man, wishes to know something of his personal 
appearance. I have never seen a portrait of Dr. Maxcy. and it is many years since I looked 
upon him, and yet so deeply are his features ami expression engraven on my memory, that 1 am 
confident I could distinguish his face among thousands. His countenance was grave and digni- 
fied, hut so tempered with benignity, that those who only casually saw him, were constrained 
to regard him as a model of benevolence and goodness. I believe, he seldom, if ever, laughed, 
hut he often smiled, and his smile was delightful. All who saw him wished to hear him, 
and those who heard him once, were sure to wish to hear him again. It was impossible to 
behold hi- face withoul feeling assured that a highly gifted and finely regulated soul looked ou1 
upon the beholders from those interesting features. 

I have thought, and now fully believe, thai if Dr. Maxcy had lived in the age and country 
of 'he great Italian School of artists, when the exigencies of the art required some one to si' as 
a model before the painters, they would have selected him as the model for their consecrated 
portraits of Him, who. when on earth "spake as no man ever -pake." and Raphael, or Michael 
Angelo, would have placed on the canvas the living lineament- of a minister of Christ, whose 
countenance it always seei I to me was no unapt representation of his Divine .Master. 

Dr. Maxcy's first address ' to a graduating class after he became president 
of Brown University is here given. It will of itself interest many readers, 



1 It is taken from the Watchman ami Reflector for June 24, 1869. Jt was there reproduced from the 
Baptist Register, published in England. It was not mentioned in Dr. Elton's work, or in Guild's 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 481 

and others, more especially because it is the production of a young man of 
twenty-five, who, from the dignified position of head of a collegiate institu- 
tion of learning, addresses as counselor and adviser a body of men scarcely 
younger than himself : — 

Charge delivered by President Maxcy to the graduates of the College, Rhode, Island, 
September 4, 1793. — 2 Baptist Register, 557-560. 

Advice from the young appears like an intrusion on the rights of age and experience. It 
is not, therefore, without the most anxious concern that I rise to address you; especially when 
I consider the splendid abilities of those great men who, on similar occasions, have stood in 
this place. They needed not for an apology the admonition of Paul. " Let no man despise thy 
youth." 

The attachment to which your conduct has given birth forbids me to let you depart without 
expressing my solicitude for your welfare. This day presents to you a new scene of things. 
It brings you from the retreats of science, and places you on the theatre of action. It com- 
mences your public existence. As the first impressions which your abilities and conduct will 
make on the minds of men will be lasting, it will be for your interest to be careful that they 
be favorable. Errors in conduct, when you are first thrown on the public eye, will be critically 
noted, and, of consequence, will create prejudices which, in any subsequent period of life, a 
knowledge of your abilities would prevent. Heuce you cannot be too solicitous after the 
advice of aged, experienced men. You cannot be too anxious to know your duty, nor too 
active to perform it. A fear to do wrong and a desire to do right are brilliant traits in the 
character of the young. In the first part of life, when our passions are winged with fire, we 
are too apt to despise counsel, and to follow our own rash resolutions. Hence we unavoidably 
run into errors, because destitute of that knowledge which nothing but experience can give, 
and careless of those rules of life which nothing but the wisdom of age can form, and nothing 
but the rashness of youth would regret. 

When you engage in the businesses of life you will have to deal with men. The ideas you 
have formed in retirement, of the manners of the world and the principles of human action, 
it is probable are very erroneous. Time ami experience only can correct them. What is com- 
monly called the knowledge of the world, of which so many boast, is nothing more than the 
acquirement of its deceitful manners and the practice of its polite vices. To travel many 
countries, to see many people, these are highly desirable; but these, without reflection, with- 
out deep study and accurate observation, instead of making a man of merit, will only make a 
splendid fop. You must learn to read men as well as books, but read books first. Human 
nature is a regular, though complicated machine. It can be learned by its operations only. 
Unless you know the springs by which it is moved, you can never manage it to advantage. 
He will gain his point most effectually and govern men best, who possesses such a ductility of 
disposition as will enable him to enter into the circumstances, to survey in a true light the 
interests, and to realize the feelings of others. In society you will be connected with men of 
different characters, dispositions and pursuits. You will find many ignorant and unreasonable, 
many who are well informed, and a few religious; but none who are not fond of applause and 
desirous of superiority. If you can get into your hand the hopes and fears of men, you can do 
as you please. 

Perhaps the splendid abilities and extensive acquirements of some may, on particular 
occasions, create a temporary discouragement, and deter you from that proficiency which could 
render you useful, though it might not gratify your ambition. But you will do well to remem- 
ber that true greatness and real excellency consist neither in the excessive splendor, nor in the 
occasional displays of genius. Men whose souls are winged with lightning are ever soaring 
above the sphere of useful employment. The fierce ardor of their spirit disdains attention to 



" Life of Manning," etc., and it was not known to have been ever before published in this country. 
It was presented to the journal for publication by " T. M.," a leading jurist, at that time one of the 
oldest living pupils of President Maxcy— a great admirer — and among the oldest living graduates 
of '• Brown." 



482 A SKETCH OF THE 

the ordinary duties and businesses of life, from which human prosperity and happiness 
principally result. They appear to be formed and designed for nothing but extraordinary 
occasions. The untamable wildness of their minds tits them to dwell in the tempest and whirl- 
wind. Than envy these, rather env3 the virtuous, good, honest man. Men who possess talents 

a little above 1 liocrity generally make the greatesl proficiency in learning, and render it the 

most useful. 

These benefits accruing from education are not confined to the present world. .\> they 
belong to the soul, the) respect immortality. Since the capacity of the mind may he enlarged 
and its powers rendered more rigorous hyexercise.it appears susceptible of an endless pro- 
gression in improvement. Much is left to your own exertion. God has given you talents, hut 
He lias given them, as He lias everything else, to be improved. Consider nothing as giving you 
a respectable superiority, but real learning and piety. Remember that all kinds of superiority 
not originating in these, are vain, transitory, uncertain: and that, if the causes which produce 
do not destroy them, death certainly will. Bui as learning and piety belong to the soul, they 
give a superiority that will afford permanent satisfaction, and increase as the soul progresses in 
existence. In your farther acquirements, therefore, in literature, consider yourselves as enno- 
bling your natures, and already treading on the ground of immortality. That vain superiority 
which arises from false notions of honor, from nobility of birth or the possession of wealth, 
is truly contemptible; but that which arises from personal merit, from real excellency of char- 
acter, is truly laudable and worthy the most exalted ambition. 

Seek the greatest attainable things in this world, but always seek greater in the next. 
Should your situation ever he exalted, you will lie the more exposed; you must therefore he 
the more humble and prudent. The road which leads to the temple of honor is steep and 
slippery. Would you enter there, be careful how you walk. The higher you ascend, the 
greater will lie your disgrace and ruin, if you fall. 

Never seek after fame, for if you deserve it it will follow you. Be your merit ever so 
great, yet you cannot expect true fame while envy can hope to injure you. "The sun of glory 
ne\ er shines hut on the tomhs of the great." 

Never sutler yourselves to form a judgment either of men or things, while you are under 
the influence either of prejudice or passion. These put out the eyes of reason. Give due 
praise to merit, whether in your friends or enemies. 

You come forward into life in an era full of events which will astonish and rejoice posterity. 
Man is rapidly ascending to that dignified station for which he was designed by the God of 
nature. The sun of liberty shines bright. His beams flame through imprisoned kingdoms, to 
enlighten the eyes and cheer the hearts of enslaved millions. That bright era begins to dawn, 
when peace shall diffuse her mild influence through every heart, subjecting every hostile pas- 
sion, and cementing all nations in one great family of brothers. Then the heart of the soldier 
will not leap at the sound of war. nor the eye of the orphan float in tears for the loss of a 
father aud kin in battle. Liberty will then be unconfined as air, and glorious as that heaven 
to which she tends. That fair goddess will descend in all her charms, and in one fostering 
grasp embrace every son of Adam. Perhaps you may live to see the glories of a kingdom 
whose duration will he that of eternity. 

Here let me caution you against infidelity. Be not deceived merely because some great men 
have been. But if infidelity can boast great names, Christianity much greater. Amidst the 
blaze of evidence in favor of revelation it requires more faith to he an infidel than would make 
a complete Christian. 

Be careful not to choose your particular mode of religion in too much haste. Bigots are 
a- often made by a sudden adoption of particular sentiments as by superstition. Neither is 
worthy a wise man, and both are disgraceful to a Christian. The more you examine, the more 
reasons you will find for deferring an absolute decision respecting particular systems of 
religion; the more room you will rind for charity, and consequently for true religion. 

A- soon as men fancy themselves infallible, imagining that God smiles ou them and frowns 
on their neighbors, they exclude charity, and commonly, good manners. You will, too. 
remember that men's characters are not ascertained, in the sight of God, by the particular 
sentiments they adopt: formally men who have very had heads have very good hearts. 

Be strictly just in all your dealings with man. God has planted a sense of justice in your 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 483 

natures. This you cannot violate without an essential injury to yourselves. No man can hurt 
another without hurting himself at the same time. 

Do good to all, tor by so doing you will do the greatest good to yourselves. Pursue a 
uniform course of virtuous conduct. This will unavoidably lead you to eminence. In such a 
country as this true merit cannot fail to distinguish you : for. like the sun, it will always carry 
its own light with it. 

Time now requites me to part with you. I sincerely wish you much happiness, and shall 
rejoice to find that you are useful and ornamental to your country. 

Virgil Maxcy was a younger brother of Dr. Maxcy, and was born in tins 
town. He graduated at Brown University in September, 1804, and was for 
a while tutor in a private family at the South. He studied law in Baltimore, 
and settled in Anne Arundel County, near there, and became distinguished in 
his profession as an advocate. He was appointed Charge d'Affaires to Belgium 
in 1835, which position he held for a number of years. After his return 
home he was appointed Solicitor of the United States Treasury. While 
attending the excursion on board the United States steamship Princeton, 
February 28, 1*44, with President Tyler, Judge Upshur, and other members 
of the Cabinet, he was instantly killed by the terrible explosion of the guns 
which occurred at that time. 

He was a brilliant speaker and an able jurist. He left two daughters, 
married, in Washington. He delivered an eloquent address before the Phi 
Beta Kappa Society of Brown University, September 4, 1833, which was 
published. 

Hon. Elisha May was a distinguished citizen of this town who was often 
employed in public office, and whose name was always held in reverence by 
those who knew or remembered him. The records of the May family extend 
back to 1590, in which year one John May was born in Meyfield, England. 
About the year 1631 he came to this country, bringing with him two sons, 
John and Samuel, and they settled in Roxbury and Dorchester. The elder 
son, John, had eight children, of whom the seventh was named Elisha, and 
was born in 1669. This Elisha May left the family at Dorchester and went 
to Swansea with a brother. His son lived in that place and finally came 
from there to this town, bringing with him his son Elisha, the subject of this 
sketch, who was born in 1729. 

Courteous and gentlemanly in his manners, and honorable and upright in 
his principles, he was universally esteemed. Intelligent and active in busi- 
ness, he was well qualified to fulfill the various offices to which he was elected. 
He discharged the various duties which devolved upon him with ability, and 
entire satisfaction to his constituents. He was elected to the Legislature 
over twenty times between 1778 and 1803, during the last thirteen years, 
consecutively, being a member of the Upper House. He was also several 
times chosen a member of the Provincial Congress at Watertown, and was at 
one time chosen a presidential elector. He was, in fine, one of the most 
valuable citizens of this town. He died November 15, 1811, in the eighty- 



484 A SKETCH OF THE 

third year of his age. His wife was Ruth Metcalf, of Cumberland. His 
character is justly though briefly described by one who was personally 

acquainted with him. The following extract is from a discourse delivered 
at his interment by the Rev. John Wilder, then the pastor of the First 
Congregational Church in this town: — 

••His memory will long be precious, not only to his near relatives and 
friends, but likewise to his intimate acquaintance, to his neighbors, to the 
religious society in this place, and to the inhabitants of the town. For he 
is the man whom his fellow-citizens have delighted to honor ; nor was he 
unworthy their respect and confidence. For blessed with a sound mind, a 
retentive memory, a quick discernment of men and tilings, a polite address. 
an honest heart, and an education considerably above mediocrity, he was 
singularly qualified for public employment of various kinds. And his worth 
was early discovered ; for at the time of the Revolutionary War he was an 
active and useful member both in the military and civil departments. Since 
that period he was employed, without opposition, as a legislator, or a coun- 
sellor, until he chose to retire. For about twenty-seven years in succession, 
one excepted, he was called to a seat in the Legislature, and chiefly in the 
upper house. For almost forty years together he has been moderator of 
the town meetings in this place ; in which office he was equaled by few. and 
exceeded by none. He had the honor of being an elector of the President 
of the United States. As a magistrate throughout the Commonwealth, he 
did much business, and to very general satisfaction. He was justly cele- 
brated both at home and abroad, for his wisdom in adjusting and settling 
differences between contending parties. As a politician he was a friend and 
disciple of Washington. As a man he was prepossessing aud engaging. 
As a friend he was faithful and constant. As a neighbor he was kind and 
obliging. As a husband he was attentive and tender. As a parent he was 
pleasant and affectionate. As to his religion, he was a firm believer in the 
Christian system, and a very constant, attentive, and apparently devout 
attender on public worship all his life." 

John Wilder May was born in this town. January 29, 1819. He was 
the son of Hon. Lemuel May and Esther Wilder May, daughter of Rev. John 
Wilder, pastor of the First Church here, and grandson of Hon. Elisha May. 
His father was a prominent public man. having held the various town offices, 
and he was for several years a representative in the Legislature, a member 
of the Senate and of the Governor's Council. 

John Wilder May was educated for college at Andover and graduated at 
the University of Vermont, in Burlington. He and a classmate, after leaving 
college, undertook farming for a year or two as an experiment, but they soon 
abandoned the pursuit to prepare for a professional life. Mr. May kept 
school for two or three seasons in his native village and then commenced the 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 485 

study of the law with Francis Hilliard, Esq., of Roxbury, which was at that 
time a part of Norfolk County. At Roxbury he later entered into partner- 
ship with a lawyer, continuing for several years, until he was elected 
" District Attorney for Suffolk County." This office he held for six years, 
discharging its duties with fidelity and vigor. On the resignation of Judge 
Chamberlain he was appointed " Chief Justice of the Municipal Court of 
Boston." He discharged the official duties of this laborious position with 
unquestioned integrity, impartiality, and good judgment. This office he 
held at the time of his death. 

No man can put his hand upon any official act of Judge May's which can 
in any way impeach or sully his judicial purity. At the memorial serviet's 
held after his death his memory was highly honored and his character duly 
appreciated by the Suffolk County Bar. His character and life present an 
example for the imitation of the young and aspiring. 

While in practice at Roxbury he was appointed solicitor for that city and 
held the office for several years. He represented that city in the Legislature 
in 1867. After the annexation of Roxbury to Boston he formed a law 
partnership with Charles W. Story, Esq.. which was dissolved in 1869, when 
Mr. May was elected kt District Attorney for Suffolk." He died January 11, 
1883, sixty-four years of age. 1 

"Judge May was a man of learning, ability, and the highest integrity and 
honor. He was laborious in the discharge of his duties, and died with the 
respect of the public for the sincerity and purity of his life and official 
character." 

He married Elizabeth Thurston Farnham, of Bangor, Maine, by whom he 
had four children : Henry Farnham May, now a lawyer in Boston ; Harriet 
Wilder May, who is associate treasurer of the Woman's Board of Missions 
in that city; John Lemuel and Elizabeth Farnham May, who all survive 
their parents. 

I quote the 4t Resolution of the Suffolk Bar " at their memorial services on 
his death, which was offered by his former partner, Mr. Story, and unani- 
mously adopted and which, from my personal knowledge of Judge May, 
I endorse, as embodying his professional character : — 

Besolved, That in the death of John Wilder May, we recognize a serious loss to the com- 
munity of which he was a most useful and valued servant, and to the Bar so long an honored 
member. He was a genuine man, of a high and noble nature, frank, upright, independent, 
simple, pure, cheerful, benevolent. His conversation was racy, instructive, and from the clear- 
ness and vigor of his conceptions most epigrammatic. His written works displayed not only 
mastery of language, hut thoroughness of research, and remarkable power of statement. In 
the Councils of the Commonwealth, and of the city, he was conspicuous for solidity of under- 
standing, strength in argument, and readiness in debate. Professionally, he was learned, able. 
and faithful, not aggressive, but in resisting aggression prompt and determined. In his capacity 



1 He had one brother, who died some years before his death, and an uncle, Seth May, who was a 
judge of the Superior Court of Maine many years. 



486 A SKETCH OF THE 

as prosecuting officer, he was energetic, eloquent, discreet, and efficient, and as a magistrate 
charged with onerous, important, and exacting duties, he was eminently wise, diligent, impar- 
tial and considerate. Be has left to us an example of which we may well be emulous, and for 
w hich we honor his memorj . 

lie exhibited great zeal for his clients and, in a l> manly, straightforward 
way," fought out every issue to its end. He was above tricks or meanness 
in striving for victory, deeming such things a disgrace to himself and his 
profession. He was especially kind to young men entering the profession of 
law, and merciful to young men whom lie must judge for their first criminal 
offence. One said of him that u for thirty years he had known and realized 
that Judge May's character was such as to impress itself upon the community, 
so that men who never saw him had a positive conviction that he was an 
upright, fearless and honest man who could well till any position to which 
he might be called." Another, after words of high praise, said an appro- 
priate maxim for his tombstone would be: "A sound lawyer, a frank and 
a true man without cant or hypocrisy, a pure, conscientious, upright and 
incorruptible Judge." 

Samuel Baktlett Parris was among the former physicians of this town, 
a young man who settled here in 1825. He was a son of Rev. Martin Parris, 
of Marshfield, Plymouth County, and Julia Drew, of Kingston, an adjoining 
town, and was born in the former place, January 30, 1806. He graduated 
at Brown University in 1821, at which institution his father had also 
graduated. He was a well-read and accomplished scholar and a young man 
of great promise. He studied medicine under the tuition of Dr. Paul L. 
^Nichols, of Kingston, with whom he remained one year, and afterwards 
he spent about two years under the instruction of Dr. Samuel Bugbee, 
a distinguished and skilful physician of Wrentham. He then finished his 
professional education at the Harvard .Medical School, where he received 
his degree on August 31, 1825, at the age of nineteen. 

He soon settled in this town, at the Falls, and at the residence of Dr. 
Thomas Stanley, then deceased. There he died, September 21, 1827, aged 
twentv-one years, seven months, and twenty-two days, and thus all his 
attainments in literature, poetry, and professional science, with all the 
brilliant prospects of his life, were buried in an untimely grave. He was 
buried in the old cemetery on the site of the Central Church, but his remains 
were afterwards removed, by direction of his father, to Kingston. Abundant 
eulogies upon his character were tendered to his father after his death by 
those who knew him best. Dr. Bugbee. in whose family he remained so long 
as a student, said of him : k ' In our family he was profoundly loved by all. 
The immense stores of intellectual treasure which he had accumulated, and 
assorted for use, distanced, in my estimation, from all his equals in age, 
with whom 1 have ever had the fortune to be acquainted." 

I conclude this sketch by applying to himself his closing remarks in his 




1. Residenceof LouU J. Lamb. 2. Residence of Charles T. Guild, Town Clerk, Nortl. 

Attleborougb. <i. Residence of Clarence L. Watson. 4. Residence of John 

T. Bates, Town Clerk, Attleborough. 5. Residence of Edwin A. 

Robinson. 6. Residence of Charles A. Marsh. 7. Residence 

of Alfred R. Crosby. 



HISTORY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. 487 

essay on the "Remains of Henry Kirke White." He says: "His feelings 
appear to have been occasionally subjected to higher degrees of excitement, 
than human nature could endure with impunity. He lived much in a short 
time, and hence perhaps one reason why the resources of life were so soon 
exhausted. In him were united genius and application. Both contributed 
to give him an early niche in the temple of fame ; both contributed to give 
him an early shroud in the mansions of the tomb." 

Dr. Parris' " Remains," including selections from his poems and essays, 
were published after his death, by the author of this work, for circulation 
among his friends. 

In Kettell's "Specimens of American Poets" the compiler has given a 
poem of Dr. Parris on a " Sprig of Juniper from the Tomb of Washington." 
I will give here a humorous one on the fall of a woodpile : — 

LINES COMMEMORATIVE OF THE DOWNFALL OK MY WOODPILE. 1 

r was piling a great heap of wood, 

And 1 nearly had finished ray labours, 
And it .stood up. all handsome and good, 

A source of surprise to the neighbours. 

With joy I looked on it— (poor dunce!) 

When l>ut a few armfuls were lacking, 
When, alas! the whole pile all at once 

Came down with a terrible cracking. 

My armful I dropped on the ground, 

And gazed on the ruins astonished — 
When, lo! a most wonderful sound. 
My glaring imprudence admonished. 

My genius, who stands at the helm, 

And guides me with counsels sagacious, 
Spoke out from the top of the elm, 

With a count'nance smiling and gracious. 

"My friend," she exclaimed with a smile, 
" While to work you so ardently press on, 
The sad overthrow of your pile 
May teach you a very good les-ou. 

lteflect on your blunders with care — 

And if these admonitions should reach you, 
You will find it is better by far. 

Than for fatal experience to teach you. 
Remember, as lou-- as you live. 

That to ardent and high expectation. 
You should not much confidence give. 

When it rests on a slender foundation. 

If such hope you should build up too high, 

No matter how much you may prize it, 
The very first gust, that comes by, 

Will always lie sure to capsize it. 



'Written in December, 1826, at the age of twenty. 



488 A SKETCH OF THE 

Ami listen, I pray you," said she; 

•■ If you \\i>h tn escape tribulation, 
You must faithfully hearken to me. 

Ami build mi a broader foundation. 

When winter is roaring around, 

This wood on your tire will he blazing, 
And you "11 not rare a tiu for the sound 

That the storm ami the tempest are raising. 

Thus Hope shall be glowing' within, 

And its warmth and its light shall not tail you. 

When the sound of the storm shall begin. 
And adversity's blast shall assail you. 

Mourn not o'er the loss of your pains. 

And do not be sullen and fretful — 
It might have endangered your brains — 

Of your good luck then be nut forgetful. 

Go on ; muster up all your powers — 

And build up two tiers all so clever — 
In the course of a couple of hours 

The work will be firmer than ever." 

I did so, and found very soon. 

That whenever such accidents happen, 
It keepeth one's temper in turn 

These sage cogitations to clap in. 

So now I have made a good fire, 

And taken my pen, ink, and paper, 
To gratify this my desire 

And give an account of the caper. 

If there is a rhymster in town. 

It is ni\ desire he should know it, 
That whenever a woodpile falls down, 

It makes a good theme for a poet ! 

Samuel Robinson, m.d., the sou of Ezekiel and Hannah Hutchins Robin- 
son, was born in this town March 19, 1783, and lived here until about 1803. 
At that time he went to Hanover, N. H., to study his profession under the 
instruction of the celebrated Dr. Nathan Smith, a professor in Dartmouth 
College, and remained for two years. He commenced practice in Berkeley, 
which is near Taunton, but remained there only one year, and then removed 
to Indian Town, N. C, a place not far from Elizabeth City. He resided 
there for twenty years and became a distinguished physician and surgeon 
and acquired an extensive and lucrative practice. 

An anecdote is related of him which shows him to have been a thoroughly 
kind-hearted and benevolent man, though the story had an amusing ending. 
It came to his knowledge at one time that the leg of a certain man needed to 
be amputated, and that no one could be found to attend to the case because 
the man was poor and could not pay the required fee for such a service. 
On learniug the fact Dr. Robinson traveled a distance of fifty miles, per- 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. ' 489 

formed the operation, and declined to receive any compensation whatever. 
Upon the advent of twin boys into this family some time later the grateful 
wife and mother bestowed the name of Samuel upon one of the infants and 
Robinson upon the other in honor of the benefactor. 

While in North Carolina Dr. Robinson's health failed, and he tried con- 
stant and continued change of air and scene in the hope of benefiting it. 
He traveled quite extensively through the Carolinas, Virginia, the Middle and 
New England States. He finally came to Pawtucket and Providence, in the 
vicinity of which places he for a time took up his residence. His health 
continuing brokeu, he was not able to follow his profession, and he devoted 
much time to the study of geology and mineralogy. 

He made a collection of minerals, many of them being quite valuable and 
in 1825 he published a work entitled tk A Catalogue of American Minerals." 
This was an octavo volume of three hundred and sixteen pao-es. It con- 
tained a full list of all the minerals then known in the United States and 
British Provinces. With each one the county, town, and neighborhood 
where it was found to exist were distinctly marked, and the book was thus 
an excellent guide to any practical geologist. 

Dr. Robinson resided in various places in this vicinity, as has been stated 
though his home was with his brother, Mr. Dan Robinson, in this town. At 
the end of some two or three years after his return to the North, on the 
approach of cold weather, he found it necessary to go to a warmer climate. 
He went therefore to St. Augustine, Fla., where he died after a few months' 
residence, February 17, 1827, iu the forty -fourth year of his age. 1 

It is proper that some notice should be taken of two natives of the town, 
who distinguished themselves in a former generation as singers, teachers, 
and composers of music, and compilers of musical works, and who were well 
known in their day. They were sons of Daniel and Mary Read, and were 
descended from a family long settled here in the south part of the town, that 
part still known as " the Read and Ide neighborhood." 

Joel Read was born August 16, 1753. He was well educated for that 
age, well informed on general subjects, and well known to his townspeople of 
the age which has recently passed away. He was for a long time in public 
life, taking an active part in the affairs of the town. His services were 
often secured in the offices of selectman, assessor, treasurer, etc., and his 
handwriting may be found on many pages of the public records. He lived 
on a farm — the old homestead of his family — as an agriculturist, but much 
of his time was occupied iu other pursuits. He was a surveyor and convey- 
ancer, and acted as a magistrate for a long period. He also represented the 
town in the Legislature for some years, from 1806 to 1813 inclusive, with the 



i His gravestone there has recently been seen by a resident of Attleborough. " The Inscription 
includes a tribute to him as a man and Christian and physician." — Attleboro Advocate. 



490 A SKETCH OF THE 

exception of 1807. He served for a time in the Revolutionary War, and was 
wounded in one of the battles near New York. 

He removed from this town towards the close of his life, and resided in 
Pawtucket for a number of years. He finally returned to his native place, 
where he died January 27, 1837, upwards of eighty-four years of age. He 
was twice married. His first wife was Chloe, daughter of Deacon Jonathan 
Stanley, of this town, by whom he had nine children, five daughters and 
four sons, most of whom lived to maturity. In his father's family there 
were eleven children, all of whom lived to adult years. 

But Joel Read was best known as a musician. He took the lead of the 
choir in the church at West Attleborough from early life till age disqualified 
him for the duties. In his intercourse with the public he was pleasant and 
agreeable in his manners — intelligent and social. L am told by those who 
knew him that as a singer he had a fine and well-trained voice. He was an 
enthusiast on the subject of music. In the winter season during the active 
part of his life he was engaged in teaching common schools during the day 
ami singing schools in the evening, not only in this, but in the neighboring 
towns — in the western part of this State, and in various towns also in the 
State of New York. While introducing his works to the public he often 
extended his excursions to the remote settlements of that State. 

He was a composer of music — the author of several popular tunes which 
were published. In 1806 he published a collection of sacred music for the 
use of churches and schools, under the title of " The American Singing 
Book ; or, a New and Easy Guide to Psalmody." The work passed through 
at least two editions — and probably several more — during the lifetime of 
the compiler, and was extensively circulated, and used by singing schools 
and church choirs in this vicinity. In fact, it was the only work of the kind 
known here for many years, and educated a whole generation of singers. It 
contained many tunes composed by his brother Daniel, and he himself was 
the author of several of them, which were well known at the time and highly 
popular. Among them were Consolation and others. 

The first edition, as stated, was published in 180G, the second in 1812. In 
the second edition he changed the title and called it " The New England 
Selection ; or, Plain Psalmodist." It was printed in Boston by Manning & 
Loring. In the preface he says: "• The first edition met with a rapid sale 
and encourages him to publish the second, which he trusts is not inferior in 
point of merit, and hopes it will meet the general approbation of the public." 
This work was used almost exclusively for more than thirty years in this 
vicinity, in Worcester County, in the more western part of this State, in 
various parts of New Y^ork, and doubtless in many other places. 

Daniel Read, a younger brother of Joel Read, was born here November 
16, 1757. He was in Sullivan's Expedition in Rhode Island in 1778 during 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 491 

the Revolution, in the ranks of the regiment from the northern part of this 
county. Before the close of the Revolutionary War he removed to New 
Haven, Conn., where he settled for life. Here he formed a partnership with 
Amos Doolittle, an engraver, under the firm name of Doolittle & Read, and 
engaged in trade, principally a bookselling and publishing business. 

Among other works published by them was a Musical Magazine, a periodi- 
cal which appeared monthly. The typographical execution of the work was, 
for that age, highly creditable to the publishers and its appearance was even 
beautiful. This was probably the first periodical on music published in the 
country, at least the first known to the author. A great number of the musi- 
cal compositions were originally composed by Read himself. Many of the most 
approved tunes were afterwards collected and published in a single volume 
called The American Singing Book, the fourth edition of which was issued 
January 24, 1792. It acquired a good reputation and secured an extensive 
circulation in the New England States. It included forty-seven original 
tunes by Mr. Read, with a supplement containing five more. In 1793 he 
published the Columbian Harmonist in three parts. 

The musical compositions of Daniel Read were far more numerous than 
those of Joel and of an earlier date. In the Federal Harmony (Second 
Part), published in 1792, are six pieces by Read; the Worcester Collection 
of Sacred Harmony, 1788, contained sixteen pieces; the Village Harmony, 
published in Exeter, N. H., has nineteen ; and in Lowell Mason's Collection 
may be found several tunes by him. A third In-other, William, was also a 
teacher of psalmody in both Attleborough and Pawtucket and a composer of 
music, but not to such an extent as the others. 

The best evidence of the merit of the compositions of the Read Brothers 
is in the fact that so many of them were selected and republished in subse- 
quent collections of music for church choirs. Many of these tunes are in use 
at the present day. The names of Lisbon and Sherburne and Calvary, 
of Greenwich and Judgment, of Exaltation and Victory, of Winter and 
Windham are familiar as household words to our own generation of church 
singers, and some at least of these tunes are found in almost every collection 
of sacred music. 

Daniel Read married, in New Haven. Mary Sherman, one of that family so 
distinguished in Connecticut. Their four children were George Frederic ; 
Handel, who lived to quite an advanced age ; Nathan Sherman Read, who 
became a clergyman ; and one daughter, Mary White Read, who married Jon- 
athan Nicholson. A son of the youngest brother, William, above mentioned, 
went also to New Haven, and descendants of the families are residing in that 
city at the present time. Daniel Read died in 1836, in the eightieth year of 
his age. Many descendants of these Reads are also living in this town. 

William Stillman Stanley, m.d., was born in this town, January 17, 
1803. His father was Dr. Thomas Stanley, of the Falls village ; his mother, 






492 - 1 SKETCH OF THE 

Mary Norton, also of this town, and they were married by Rev. Dr. Gano. 
His grandfather was William Stanley, who married Zilpah, daughter of Cap- 
tain Mavhew Daggett. He attended the classical academy in West Attle- 
borough kept by Rev. Joseph Wheaton, of Rehoboth, and was there fitted for 
college. He graduated at Brown University in the class of 1825. He 
studied medicine with Dr. Usher Parsons, of Providence, and acquired a 
practical knowledge of his profession with Dr. Ilezekiah Skinner, of Mans- 
field, entering into partnership with him and remaining so associated for 
two years. At the end of that time. 1829, an opening occurred at Mamaro- 
neck, Westchester County, X. Y., to which place he removed and speedily 
built up a large and lucrative practice. He was eminently acceptable and 
prosperous, and continued in that place in full practice for the long period of 
forty-seven years. 

In 1876, his health having failed, he removed to Wilmington. Del., and two 
years later to Philadelphia, Penn., where he lived until 1883. During that 
year lie removed to Westerly, R. I., where he had his residence during the 
remainder of his life. In June of the following year. 1884. he attended the 
Commencement exercises of his loved university, and from Providence he came 
to his native town and visited his old homestead, greeting once more the few 
living relatives and very few living friends of his youthful days. From here 
he went to Wrentham to visit some nieces residing there, and while with them 
was taken ill and died after only four days of sickness, on July 11, 1884. 
• L Thus suddenly ended the life of a good man." 

In May, 1832, Dr. Stanley was married to Elizabeth Thompson Mitchell, of 
White Plains, N. Y., who died at Germantown, Penn., August 18, 1883. 
He left no children. He was a man of integrity in all his dealings with his 
fellow-men, familiar and cordial in his intercourse with his friends and neigh- 
bors, and he enjoyed the confidence of the community in which he lived. 

The following is quoted from the Necrology of Brown University for 
1884-85 : — 

" In his medical profession, as in his character, he was the worthy son of 
a worthy sire, his father, Dr. Thomas Stanley, having been for many years 
a prominent physician, and highly esteemed man in Attleborough. Dr. Stan- 
lev, the subject of this notice, had the esteem and confidence of the people, 
not only of his own town, where he so long lived, but for many miles around 
in other towns. His urbanity of manners, and kindness of heart, united 
with his clearness of intellect, and his medical knowledge and skill, rendered 
him both a popular and a successful physician." 

Dr. Ik a Harrows, the son of Ezra and Beebe Peck Barrows, was born in 
this town, November 18, 1804. He remained in his country home until he 
reached the age of sixteen, at which time he was fitted for college and entered 
Brown University, where he graduated in 1824 at the age of twenty. He 
obtained his medical education at the excellent school of Harvard, taking his 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 493 

degree in 1827. He thus by thorough courses of study laid the foundation 
of true knowledge so especially needed iu his profession, and made himself 
worthy of the confidence of his fellow-men and of the success which after- 
winds attended him. 

He practised during many of his earlier years in Pawtucket, where he was 
associated with Dr. Manchester. While there he united with the Congre- 
gational church, of which Rev. Dr. Blodgett was for so many years the loved 
and revered pastor, and became one of its deacons, retaining the office as 
long as he resided in that place. He remained in Pawtucket until 1837, 
when failing health compelled him to try change of scene and climate, and for 
a time he resided at the West. The weakness from which he suffered proved 
to be only temporary, his constitution being strong enough to conquer it, and 
he was able to resume his professional duties. In 1840 he returned to Paw- 
tucket, but soon after removed to Providence, where he resided for more than 
thirty-two years "laboriously occupied nearly to the end." He died in that 
city October 14, 1882, having reached the advanced age of almost fourscore 
years. He married, February 5, 1833, Frauces A., daughter of Oliver Bart- 
lett, of Smithfield, R. I., and she, with two sons and two daughters, survives 
him. 

His pastor said of him : " Dr. Barrows illustrated the truth that busy men 
may be relied on for many kinds of service, and that even in so arduous 
a profession there is time for Christian work and fellowship." He was " a 
man of integrity and consistent life. He loved his profession, and was 
conscientiously devoted to it. Yet whenever it was possible for him, he was 
an attendant at public worship. I have thought proper to dwell upon some 
simple facts iu the history of our departed brother, not merely because of 
his sincere piety and excellence, but because of his vocation in life. The 
calling of a physician is one of great responsibility. It demands rare 
talents and the highest character. No one would wish to employ a physi- 
cian who does not possess both, and no one has a right to trifle with life, by 
seeking counsel of the ignorant or the unprincipled. I may say that our 
friend, Dr. Barrows, though not lavish of words, and most unobtrusive in his 
demeanor, has brought spiritual comfort into the sick chamber, and helped 
others by his prayers in their sore need. In him religion was an everyday 
principle, which he was ready to apply to all the business of life. Nor 
should I fail to mention his kindness to the poor, and readiness to fulfill 
services often unpaid. We do well to cherish the memory of those who have 
served God in a laborious and self-denying profession, which ought to be 
held in high esteem, and to which we ought cheerfully to discharge our 
obligations as far as possible." 

Dr. George Barrows, a younger brother of the above, was born May 12, 
1815. The father, who was a farmer, died while he was a child. After- 
wards his mother married Captain Jacob Ide, and he lived in this new home 



494 A SKETCH OF THE 

until he was sixteen. At that time he entered a store, and subsequently 
attended Pawtucket Academy for two years. He was desirous of obtaining 
a good education, but, being out of health, he was unfitted to pursue his 
studies properly. At this juncture he went to Oberlin, Ohio, and entered 
the manual labor school there. During a few months in that institution " he 
developed a physical organization which carried him in after life through the 
constant strain and wear arising from the indispensable demands of his 
arduous profession. As a proof of the good results in his case of a system 
of labor and study combined, it is said of him that he volunteered with other 
"muscular fellow students" to cut a large part of the timber which was 
used in the erection of two of the present college buildings. 

He entered Amherst College when twenty-one, and graduated there in 
1840. He spent two years in Illinois, and then entered his brother's office, 
where he remained three years studying medicine. He also attended lectures 
at Pittsfield Medical College, and there received his diploma. About this 
time he became interested in homoeopathy, and finally adopted that school of 
practice. In 1846 he opened an office in Taunton, the only physician of his 
school there at that time. After practising for some years he attended the 
Homoeopathic Medical College in Philadelphia and received a diploma from 
that institution. During a period of more than thirty years he went in and 
out of hundreds of homes in the city of his adoption, '• administering to the 
best of his ability and skill for the wants of his patients, to the poor and 
indigent as t<> the more favored. All received his large-hearted sympathy." 
lie gave instruction also to a large number of students, upon whom in the 
commencement of their practice he bestowed kindly and timely aid, and a 
number of young men were associated with him. 

In 1848 he married Jane E. Wells, of Otis, by whom he had one son. 
They both survived him. He died January 19, 1878, from paralysis, the 
result of exposure on a professional journey of several miles taken on a 
stormy night. He was at the time of his death the oldest medical practi- 
tioner in Taunton. One said of him : " The community in which he has long 
resided mourn the loss of a kind friend, neighbor, physician, and estimable 
fellow citizen, who has suddenly departed in the prime of life, and in the 
midst of usefulness." His pastor, Dr. Blake, said : " A Christian physician. 
whose principles How into his profession, is a blessing to the community, 
which we do not appreciate until it is removed." 

Hon. Ebenezer Daggett, who died while a member of the Senate from 
Bristol District, affords the example of a life worthy of imitation by his 
fellow-citizens. He was the youngest son of Colonel John Daggett, whose 
life has been previously noticed, and was horn April 16, 1763. Few men in 
this town have devoted so large a portion of their time to the public service. 
He held a commission of the peace for nearly thirty years, and honorably 
discharged its most important duties. He served the town at various times 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 495 

in the capacity of selectman and town clerk, for upwards of twenty years. 
He represented the town several years in the General Court. A large part 
of the last thirty years of his life was occupied in some public employment. 
In various ways he rendered himself serviceable to his fellow-citizens. In 
the spring of 1831 he was elected a member of the Senate from this district. 
At the succeeding November election he was rechosen to the same office, 
and while in the discharge of the honorable and responsible duties of this 
station he was called by the order of Providence to close his life, at Boston, 
on the fourth of March, 1832, in the sixty-ninth year of his age. 

Possessed of natural abilities above mediocrity, which he had improved by 
self-education, he always directed them to useful purposes. Plain and unas- 
suming in his manners, mild and uniform in his disposition, he had won the 
confidence of his fellow-citizens, but never sought after the honors which 
were bestowed upon him. Guided by fixed and pure principles, he was 
upright and honorable in all his dealings with his fellow-men ; and preserved 
a character of unsullied integrity through a long and active life. He was 
regarded by his neighbors as their father and adviser. If they were in 
difficulty or doubt, they came to him for counsel and assistance, and both 
were freely offered. So great was their confidence in his integrity and judg- 
ment that he was generally the chosen umpire in cases of controversies 
between his fellow-citizens. He was, in fine, in the true and enlarged sense 
of the word, a useful man. His life, indeed, as has been justly remarked of 
him, affords an encouraging example of the truth that respectable talents 
united with integrity and industry will raise a man to honor and usefulness. 

He was, too, a kind-hearted and liberal man, and in this connection a 
pleasant fact was recently told of him by a son of Elder Read, at one time 
pastor of the Baptist church at North Attleborough : "Mr. Daggett was 
an intimate friend of my father's, and with his wife frequently visited him. 
He never went away without leaving some money, generall} T three dollars, 
and placed quietly under a book." Such was the manner of Mr. Daggett's 
giving — in that true spirit of charity which possesses only the desire to help 
those in need, not "to be seen of men," and shows a just and thoughtful 
consideration for the feelings of those assisted. 

The following remarks on the character of the deceased are extracted from 
a funeral discourse delivered at Attleborough, April 22, 1832, by Rev. Mr. 
Ferguson : — 

" Where is that venerated husband and father, that highly esteemed and 
useful citizen, who scarce four months ago. stood bending under the bereave- 
ment of Providence, an unexpected, yet quiet and submissive mourner 1 in 
the house of the Lord. Alas ! he has gone down to the grave unto his son, 
mourning. The last opportunity which I enjoyed of conversing with our 



1 For the sudden and violent death of a beloved son. 



496 I SKETCH OF THE 

departed friend, was on the eve of his leaving- home to attend to his official 
duties in the Legislature, as a member of the Senate. I mention this circum- 
stance, because it was then abundantly evident, that those official honors, 
which are generally sought as the rewards of successful competition, may 
come to be regarded as a burden rather than an honorable distinction. Dur- 
ing our conversation he lamented, that official duties obliged him at such a 
time to leave home, and to mingle in scenes so foreign to the state of his mind. 
He regretted that the choice of the people had not fallen upon some other 
candidate, and remarked, that such scenes were better adapted to gratify those 
who were young and aspiring, than the aged and arfiicted. It is known to you 
all, that from that tour of duty, he never returned. To an observer it must 
have been evident, that to commune with his own heart — to mingle his sym- 
pathies with those of his family, and to prepare himself for his own great 
change, would have been more congenial to his mind, than the halls of legis- 
lation, and the investigation of our political relations. In his case, moreover, 
political employments had long ceased to be a novelty. He was emphatically 
a public man. Twenty years of his life had been occupied in superintending 
the interests of the town. Twice he was elected to the Senate ; — and perhaps 
no man among us has been more called upon to administer upon the estates 
of the deceased and to act as the guardian of the orphan. The general char- 
acter which he sustained through life was that of uniformity, uprightness, and 
moderation. In the hottest strife of parties, although a public and a decided 
man. he never could be regarded as a partisan. He had been an actor, and 
in some respects a public character from the time of the Revolution ; but 
through all the changes of the eventful times in which he lived, he continued 
to the last to stand forth before his fellow-citizens, in the character of an 
honest, upright, and consistent man. 

" His last sickness commenced on the twenty-third of February. He had, 
the clay before, in apparent health, attended the centennial celebration of the 
birth of AVashington, and walked in procession with the other members of the 
Senate ; but all beyond was his dying sickness. Early on the succeeding 
morning, he was violently attacked with a fever, which terminated in death on 
the fourth of March. 

•• I have felt it my duty, in view of his public character, to enter into 
details which, in other circumstances, might have been inexpedient. In the 
relations of life ; in his intercourse between man and man ; in the main- 
tenance of a character for uniformity, uprightness, and self-possession, his 
works praise him, and he is with us for an example. In ail that is beyond, it 
is ours to consign him to his grave, and to his Grod. Happy would it be for 
our community, were our party divisions always controlled by men of equal 
mildness and moderation, — happy would it be for our community, did all our 
public men manifest an equal regard for the maintenance of order, morals, 
and religion." 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. 497 

Mr. Daggett married, September 3, 1797, Sally Maxcy, of this town. They 
had twelve children, eight of whom lived to maturity : Lydia Maxcy, born 
October 16, 1802, married Capron Peck, of this town, and died February 2, 
1882; John, the writer of this book; Ebenezer, born May 14, 1807, and lost 
as his ship was coining into Boston Harbor in 1831 ; Harvey Maxcy, born 
June 10, 1809, and died September 28, 1886 ; Amy Ide, born November 24, 
1811, married John McClellan, of Sutton, this State, and now resides in 
Worcester; Marcy Shepard, married Erastus D. Everett, of Boston, and 
died November 23, 1843, aged twenty-nine years and ten months ; and 
Handel Naphtali and Homer Micajah, twins, born January 27, 1821. 

Rev. Jacob Ide, d.d., was a descendant of Nicholas Ide, — the immigrant 
ancestor, — who came to this country previous to 1645 and settled in Rehoboth 
as early as April 9 of that year. His son, Lieutenant Nicholas Ide, came to 
this town about 1696, with seven children, of whom one was named Jacob. 
The subject of this sketch was the fifth of the same name in direct descent. He 
was born March 29, 1785, in the south part of the town, the " Read and Ide 
neighorhood." His mother was a daughter of Elijah Kent, of Rehoboth, a 
descendant of one of the early settlers of that ancient town. His father was 
a farmer, as his ancestors had been ever since their coming to this country. 
He himself worked on his father's farm till he entered college. At an early 
age he became anxious to obtain a liberal education in order to qualify him- 
self for the ministry. His father did not encourage him much in his desire, 
for, limited bv the necessitv for rigid economv, he had not the means to fur- 
nish his son with many facilities for preparing himself for college. The boy 
therefore resorted to many self-denials and laborious means to acquire the 
necessary preparation. He improved every opportunity to study at home, 
employing every spare hour, every leisure moment he could gain from the 
farm labors, and in that way did much toward fitting himself for entering the 
university. He says himself he "rose up early in the morning, and sat up 
late at night," to gain time for study. He traveled three or four times a week 
to the residence of Rev. Nathan Holman — a distance of about four miles 
from his home — for instruction in the languages, following this course for a 
year, and this was his only outside means of preparation. That he could 
endure such a mental and physical strain in addition to his daily work proves 
the truth of the statement that li he had an exceptionally good constitution, 
and was a model of strength and vigor." 

At this time he was the athlete of his neighborhood and various incidents 
have been related by himself and others regarding his strength and skill. It 
is said his father had at one time an exceedingly wild and vicious colt, whom 
no one could manage. Young Ide quietly took the matter in hand, mounted 
the colt, who at once began kicking, rearing, and plunging in mad attempts to 
throw the fearless rider, who, however, stoutly maintained his seat until the 
animal, k ' wearied and discouraged with his unavailing efforts, succumbed," 



498 A SKETCH OF THE 

completely subdued. Tradition further says that upon one occasion, when the 
sudden illness of his father required a physician to be speedily summoned. 
Jacob mounted this same steed and, "instead of following the circuitous 
course of the road, took to the fields," and leaped the fences, drawing a " bee 
line " to the doctor's door. This determination to ride over, not to go around. 
difficulties was the keynote of his success in whatever he undertook and 
enabled him to overcome obstacles in his early career which would have 
utterly discouraged a boy of less resolute character than himself. The anxie- 
ties and struggles over " ways and means " were not in his case so great dis- 
advantages as they might have been to many others. He studied thoroughly 
his tasks, he aimed to be accurate in everything he studied, his mind was 
clear and vigorous, and he was persevering and devoted to the duties of the 
moment. Hence he became in after life a close student and a deep thinker. 

He entered Brown University in 1805, at the age of twenty, graduating in 
1809, with the highest honors of his class. He studied theology for a time 
with his future father-in-law, Dr. Nathaniel Emmons, and then entered the 
theological school at Andover, where he graduated 1812. He preached for 
a time at East Abington, Mass., and at York, Maine, and then at Ports- 
mouth, N. H. Here, though discouraged over himself and distrusting his 
own abilities as a preacher, he attracted the favorable notice of Daniel 
Webster, who heard him several times, and who. it is said, " used sometimes 
to rise and stand during the sermon, keeping his large eyes fixed upon the 
preacher." 

From Portsmouth Mr. Ide came to Boston and was assistant for Dr. 
Griffin for a few weeks. About this time his health failed and he was 
obliged to cease all labor, and there was considerable uncertainty as to 
whether he would ever again be able to preach. In two years' time, however, 
he was so far recovered that he accepted a call from the church and society 
in West Medway, this State. He was ordained and installed there November 
2, 1814, and this became his first and last pastorate. For fifty-one years he 
discharged all the duties of pastor, but in 1805 he was relieved of ministerial 
responsibility, though continuing senior pastor until his death. 

In 1815 he married Mary, youngest daughter of Dr. Emmons, of Frank- 
lin, who survived him. She was a woman whose different temperament was 
a most happy complement to his character, and a continued source of inspi- 
ration to him. "Their home was a fountain of Christian charities, and a 
place of large and generous hospitalities." For more than sixty years they 
lived and worked together. They had eleven children, nine of whom died 
before the father's decease. Two sons survived him. Of these Jacob, Jr.. 
a graduate of Amherst College, is now, as he has been for many years, the 
genial, popular, and accep table pastor of the Congregational church at 
Mansfield Centre. All who in any way come under his influence must agree 
that a generous portion of his father's mantle has fallen upon him. The 



HISTORY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. 499 

second sou, Alexis W., also entered the university, and at one time had a 
pastorate at Stafford Springs, Conn., but for a number of years previous to 
his father's death he refused all offers of settlement, that he might devote 
himself to the care of his parents in their old age. The daughter who 
reached maturity, Mary, became the wife of Rev. Charles T. Torrey, of 
Scituate. For assisting fugitive slaves he was incarcerated in a Maryland 
prison, where he died May 9, 1840, aged only thirty-three. Mrs. Torrey died 
a number of years since. 

In 1827 his college bestowed upon Mr. Ide the honorary degree of S.T.I). 
He was eminent both for his knowledge and his faculty of imparting it, and 
he was repeatedly urged to accept the professorship of theology in the Bau- 
o-or Seminary. Such a position would have been congenial to him and lie 
would have filled it well, but he was bound to his people by the most affec- 
tionate ties, and he chose to live and labor and die among them. From the 
commencement of his ministry almost his life was a constant struggle with 
ill health, yet by care and regular habits he prolonged his life through nearly 
a century — the first century of his country's independence. His counte- 
nance indicated feeble health, but by his uniformity of life he was enabled 
to accomplish an amount of labor which seems incredible. During his long 
pastorate he spoke to his people ,k five thousand messages of life," and stood 
eight hundred times by u ' the open grave," and his wise words of counsel and 
consolation were always theirs at need. He served thirty years on the 
school committee, and was among the most public-spirited citizens of his 
community. 

He was a leader in all moral reforms ; an earnest and consistent advocate 
of total abstinence years before the temperance reform was launched. An 
incident related of him at the time of his graduation from college shows that 
the spirit of temperance moved within him actively and practically at an 
early age. The custom then prevailed for valedictorians to supply liquors 
for the class suppers. Mr. Ide courteously declined to follow this fashion, 
but offered a fitting equivalent. Some of the class took offence and when 
the valedictory address was to be given would not rise. '-The valedictorian 
was ready for the emergency. Standing a little more erect, he quietly sur- 
veyed them and said : ; A wise man sometimes gets angry ; but anger resteth 
only in the bosom of fools.' " Mr. Ide was, too, a pioneer in the temperance 
cause, and lived to rejoice over some of its greatest triumphs. He was a 
trustee of Amherst College for over twenty-five years, and for several years 
editor of TJie Christian Magazine. His published discourses were numerous: 
ordination and funeral sermons, and occasional sermons and addresses, more 
than forty in number. He also edited and published, in seven octavo volumes, 
the writings of Dr. Emmons, including a memoir of the great man's life by 
himself, and in this " did great and lasting service to the science of theology 
in interpreting that princely theologian." He lived a very studious life, fill- 
ing his whole career with constant labor even to its latest period. 



500 A SKETCH OF THE 

Dr. Ide, like many clergymen before seminaries were numerous, received 
students of theology into his family. 1 He thus prepared over forty young- 
men for the ministry, and he established an unusual reputation as an 
instructor. He owned a farm which he carried on in connection with his 
ministerial duties. It is related that during a certain haying season two 
students, farmers' boys, " proposed to go out and show the men how to mow." 
Dr. Ide accompanied them and presently took up a scythe and " struck in " 
after them. They soon found him getting " uncomfortably near," and were 
obliged to acknowledge that he was as well qualified to give them lessons in 
mowing as in theology. An instance has been told of a jealous neighbor 
of his youthful days in this town who hired young Ide to help him mow a 
meadow, ungenerously withholding the fact that he intended a trial of skill 
between them. The unsuspecting youth mowed on hour after hour, but, 
when the real state of affairs became manifest, instead of being "tired our.*' 
as was hoped, he "increased the number and vigor of his strokes," to the 
speedy discomfiture of his employer, who confessed his purpose and allowed 
himself fairly beaten. These anecdotes show that the " child was the father 
of the man," for in after years no amount of physical debility could quell 
Dr. Ide's ever-youthful, undaunted spirit, or quench the undying flame of 
fresh enthusiasm within him. 

In November, 1864, the fiftieth anniversary of his settlement was cele- 
brated, on which occasion he delivered the historical address, furnishing 
many experiences of his pastorate. There was a large attendance of clergy- 
men from near and far who detailed the services of the aged pastor, and 
bestowed upon him the honors he had so justly won by the faithful labors of 
a half-century. Several original poems were prepared for the occasion ; 
one of some length by Hon. Charles Thurber and another by Rev. William 
M. Thayer, who was well known to many of our townspeople. There was 
a o-reat gathering of people and Dr. Ide was the recipient of many tributes 
of respect and veneration from his numerous and distinguished friends. In 
this ao-e of change, when the action of the churches constrains us to bestow 
the name applied to our Pilgrim fathers upon our own clergymen, who have 
indeed become pilgrims upon the earth, traveling from place to place, it is 
pleasant and profitable to contemplate such a pastorate as this — a lifelong 
and an ideal one. 

Rev. John W. Harding, of Longmeadow, in his discourse at the funeral 
of Dr. Ide savs : " As a preacher, Dr. Ide was earnest, clear, instructive. 



il n the next parish was settled Rev. David Sauford, Jr., son of its first pastor, and a student under 
Dr. Ide's tutelage. He was a member of Brown University, near whom it was my fortune while in 
college to room, and with whom I was on terms of great intimacy. In looking back over the long in- 
terval of years from that period to this day I cannot but drop a tear of friendship over the grave of 
one of the most amiable, sincere, and benevolent men I ever met. If ever there was a disinterested 
love for fellow-man, it lived in the bosom of David Sauford. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 501 

Without the peculiar brilliancy of descriptive or imaginative power, or force- 
ful sway of a magnetic oratory, he had a simple, manly way of handling 
vital truths and grappling with practical issues, that interested his hearers, 
aroused their moral sense, impelled them to decision, and helped them 
towards holy living. He was deliberate and impressive without the acces- 
sories of rhetoric ; a strong and judicious preacher." As a man he was 
thoroughly genuine, honest, manly. He was gentle, yet strong ; full of merri- 
ment, but truly sympathetic ; a wise counselor ; " a son of consolation " ; cau- 
tious, yet bold. " He never attempted to cross a bridge before he came to 
it, and he never went around an emergency. It was one of his maxims that 
a man can say anything that ought to be said, ' if he says it right.' Another 
was : ' You can do what you have a mind to, if you won't say anything 
about it.'" He was a man of remarkable prudence and self-control. It was 
characteristic of a man whose persistent purpose was to subjugate himself to 
say as he did after he had passed his eightieth year, ' l I have o-ot the 
hardest job on hand I have ever had to do : I have got to take care of an old 
man." 

In the course of some remarks made at the fiftieth anniversarv celebration, 
Dr. Parks, 1 of Andover, in a few suggestive lines, presented a condensed, 
but completed picture of Dr. Ide's life. In this he said: ''Thus does the 
influence of a good man diffuse itself through the community, and a faithful 
preacher, even if he be an invalid, is a city set upon a hill which cannot be 
concealed. Dr. Ide has been an invalid through his entire ministerial life ; 
but by his example in his parish, by his judicious and thoughtful sermons, 
by the essays and discourses which he has published, by the volumes which 
he has edited, by the young men whom he has educated for the ministrv, he 
has exerted an influence which has been felt, and will continue to be felt, in 
distant parts of our own land, and on the other side of the sea." 

Dr. Ide died January 5, 1880, aged ninety-four years, nine months, and 
six days. His funeral was attended by a numerous assembly of clergymen, 
who united in rendering fitting tributes of respect to the venerable, excellent 
man and minister. With solemn and impressive ceremonies, borne by 
friendly bauds and followed by a community of mourners, this good man 
was laid away to his rest, among the people he so tenderly loved, with whom 
and for whom he had labored so long and so faithfully, even through the 
years of two generations of men. 

Ezekiel Gilman Robinson, d.d., ll.d., the son of Ezekiel and Cynthia 
(Slack) Robinson, was born in this town March 23, 1815. He was " a lineal 
descendant of George Robinson, one of the original purchasers from the 
Indians of the town of Rehoboth," and one of the proprietors of the Reho- 
both North Purchase. Previous to 1730 six of the name, descendants of 



1 A college classmate of the author, and a man who was always greatly admired by him. —Editor. 



502 A SKETCH OF THE 

( J-eorge, of Rehoboth, had settled in this town. Other members of Dr. Robin- 
son's family have been eminent. " Several members of his grandmother's 
familv were prominent physicians. His uncle, Dr. Samuel Robinson (men- 
tioned elsewhere), was one of the earliest mineralogists of this country. His 
sister. Ruth S. Robinson (several years his senior and now 88 years old), 
who survives him, is a highly accomplished woman, and was for many years 
Principal of Townsend Female Seminary in Massachusetts, and afterwards, 
until the breaking out of the Rebellion, Principal of the Female Seminary at 
Norfolk, Va." She still occupies the homestead estate of upwards of one 
hundred acres, in the extreme southwestern part of the town. The old 
familv mansion was burned down in 1819, and immediately replaced by the 
present house. Many important and no doubt most interesting family papers 
were, it is said, consumed in that fire. 

"In his boyhood Dr. Robinson enjoyed the ordinary advantages for educa- 
tion then open to him and early gave evidence of a superior mind. From 
the common school he went to Day's Academy in Wrentham, Mass., then to 
the academy at Pawtucket, and finally to the Institution at New Hampton, 
New Hampshire, where he was prepared for college." He entered Brown 
University in 1834, and was graduated with honor in 1838. Having chosen 
the ministry as his profession, he entered the theological seminary of his 
denomination at Newton, this State, where he graduated in 1842. During 
that same year he accepted a call to a church in Norfolk. Va., and 
remained there until 1845 ; during the years 1843 and 1844 holding also the 
position of Chaplain of the University of Virginia. In 1845 he returned to 
Massachusetts and became the pastor of a church in Cambridge. He 
remained there but a year, and then removed to Covington, Ky., where 
he held the position of Professor of Hebrew in the theological seminary in 
that place. He discharged the duties of this position " with fidelity and 
zeal" until his resignation, which occurred in 1848. From 1849 until 1852 
he was pastor of the Ninth Street Baptist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. ''In 
this pastorate he was faithful and successful, and left behind him an abiding 
influence." 

In 1852 he became Professor of Theology in Rochester Theological Semi- 
nary, and ••during the first year of his professorship in Rochester he deliv- 
ered in the First Baptist Church a series of discourses on modern skepticism, 
which attracted large congregations." In 1853 the honorary degree of Doc- 
tor of Divinity was bestowed upon him by his alma mater, and in 1872 that 
of Doctor of Laws. The latter he also received from Harvard University 
upon the occasion of the celebration of its two hundred and fiftieth anniver- 
sary in 1886. He retained his theological professorship for eight years, and 
theu, in 1860, was elected president of the seminary. This was a position 
which he was in every way most admirably adapted to fill, because of his 
unusual talents and attainments, and his previous experiences in other insti- 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 503 

tutions of learning. He filled it k ' with distinguished ability and success," 
and his term of office as head of the seminary, which extended over a period 
of twelve years, was one of marked prosperity. It was with exceeding 
regret that his resignation of the presidency was accepted by those in charge 
of the official interests of that institution. 

''Upon the resignation of Dr. Sears in 1867 as President of Brown Uni- 
versity, Dr. Robinson was earnestly solicited to become his successor," but 
unsuccessfully. In 1872, because of the resignation of Dr. Caswell, it 
again became necessary to elect a president over that University, and the 
Corporation, recognizing Dr. Robinson's great abilities, not only in his pecul- 
iar department .of learning, but in other and wider ranges, fixed upon him a 
second time as their choice. This time their solicitations met with success, 
and he accepted the Presidency, and became also Professor of Moral Phi- 
losophy and Metaphysics. There was not in the entire Baptist denomination 
a clergyman better fitted for such a high office, for to the intellectual and moral 
attainments essential he added the dignity and noble physical presence so 
desirable in all presidential officers, and of such special and peculiar impor- 
tance in those at the head of institutions of learning, where example 
must join hands with precept, in order to accomplish the highest degree of 
development possible, in not only the minds and characters, but the manners 
of those who enter our great schools to be prepared for many of the most 
elevated stations of life. 

'' The announcement of his election called forth from various quarters the 
highest encomiums of his personal character and of his rare qualifications for 
an office that had been filled successfully by Manning, Maxcy, Messer, Way- 
land, Sears, and Caswell. Previous to the election to the Presidency Dr. 
Robinson visited Europe, accompanied by his family, and spent a year travel- 
ing and pursuing special studies." 

•'He was most cordially welcomed at the University, and the commence- 
ment of his official duties was marked by enthusiasm. In his opening 
address before the members of the corporation, faculty, and students, he 
struck the keynote of his coming administration. ' The duties of this office 
now assumed impose grave responsibilities, but they are duties not lightly 
assumed. They are not fully unknown or untried. They are entered upon 
with reliance on that Providence which shapes institutions and men alike. It 
is not forgotten that great, and good, and devout men have stood in this place. 
May the same spirit rule in this institution which has so deeplv impressed 
itself on its affairs and made the university what it now is. We shall ever 
bear in mind that the aim of the college should be the development and 
improvement of the whole man, including his physical, intellectual, and 
moral nature.' " 

The records of the college, during the seventeen years while he remained 
its head, prove the choice which fell upon him to have been a most fortunate 



501 A SKETCH OF THE 

one for its interests. While president " he lectured at the Andover Theo- 
logical Seminary for a time, after the retirement of President and Professor 
E. A. Park, d.i>. (B. U.. 1826), and there again made his impression as a 
teacher of theology. He lectured on 'Preaching' before Yale University. 
•• In ls77 he was elected President of the American Baptist Missionary Union. 
This distinguished honor he received for three successive years, when he 
declined a further election. In 1880 he was made an honorary member of 
the Rhode Island Baptist Social Union, being the first and only one ever 
elected to this honor." 

Dr. Robinson resigned his presidency in 18.S'.*, 1 and for several years 
preached and lectured in various parts of the country, having meanwhile 
temporary residences in Boston, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia. He also 
•delivered an annual course of lectures in the Crozer Theological Seminary. 
At its opening he became Professor of Ethics and Apologetics at the Chicago 
University, "ranking as senior professor" and lecturing "during two 
quarters of the year." He had completed his work for the first quarter of 
the present year about Easter time, and expected to return to his duties in 
the autumn should his health allow. His health began to fail some time 
since and for some months his disease was known to be mortal, but the end 
came more speedily than was anticipated. He at last failed rapidly and 
went to the Boston City Hospital for treatment, where he died June 13, 189 I. 
"aged 79 years, 2 months and 21 days." His funeral services were held in 
the First Baptist Church at Rochester, N. Y., conducted by President Taylor 
of Vassar College and President Harper of the University of Chicago ; and 
he was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in that city in the family lot which 
contains the graves of several of his children. February 21, 1844, he mar- 
ried Harriet Richards Parker, " daughter of Charles and Catherine Packard 
Richards, and niece and adopted daughter of Deacon Caleb Parker, formerly 
of Roxbury, Mass." Their two daughters are deceased. Mrs. Robinson 
survives with a sou, Dr. Oilman P. Robinson (Harvard, 189.'5), of Reading, 
this State. 

'• He published less than some people might expect from his great learning, 
his originality as a thinker, and his unusual power of expression. He appar- 
ently was not overfond of the pen. His sermons usually were unwritten. 
He wrote heads only, as a rule, for his lectures. Still, he contributed articles 
on theological and educational subjects for some of the leading quarterly 
reviews," and the various discourses, addresses, review articles, etc., which he 
did publish show the range of his scholarly abilities and acquirements. For 
five years — from 1859 to 1864 — he was editor of the Christian Revieiv, and 
in the latter year he published a careful revision of Ryland's translation of 

1 His successor is Rev. E. B. Andrews, D.D., ll.d., formerly a professor at Brown University, but 
at the time of his election a professor at Cornell University. There are at the present time several 
young men and women from this town pursuing- their studies at Brown. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 505 

Neander's Planting and Training of the Christian Church. In 1866 lie 
published his work entitled The Relation of the Church to the Bible, and in 
1883 his Lectures on Preaching, which were delivered in New Haven the 
previous year to the theological students of Yale University. In 1887 he 
published a work called The Principles and Practice of Morality. He had 
recently "prepared for publication a work on the Evidences of Christianity, 
and had done much writing of an autobiographical nature " for a biographv 
being prepared by Professor Elias H. Johnson of the Crozer Theological 
Institute. 

To his great intellectual gifts and his varied and profound acquirements in 
the realms of learning Dr. Robinson added the accomplishments of an elo- 
quent and finished orator. Tall and of imposing presence, his appearance 
alone exerted a magnetic influence upon his audiences and this was intensi- 
fied by his speech. He generally spoke directly to his hearers with no written 
words between himself and them, and his thoughts, couched as they always 
were in choice yet simple language, commanded earnest attention ; and 
presented through the medium of a clear, musical, and highly cultivated 
voice, with a beauty and a grace peculiarly his own, they fixed themselves 
upon the minds and memories of all the listeners within its extensive range. 
He charmed and interested every one, whether young or old, ignorant or 
learned. Once heard as a public speaker he could not easily be forgotten, 
and the pleasure and profit of his discourses will long be remembered and 
gratefully recalled by those who were fortunate enough to have listened 
to them. 

In the necrology of Brown University for 1893-94 were found several of 
the above-given quotations relating to Dr. Robinson. We copy the following; 
interesting paragraph in full: "During his administration the University 
made substantial progress. New professorships were created, the means of 
instruction were enlarged, the elective courses of study were increased, the 
number of students grew, the University funds were augmented. New 
buildings were erected, namely, the John Carter Brown Library building, 
Slater Hall and Sayles Memorial Hall. An addition was made to Rhode 
Island Hall. Wilson Hall was begun. The Ladd Observatory was promised. 
The Jenks Musevun was fully established (though more recently named from 
its director and benefactor, Dr. Robinson's classmate, Prof. J. W. P. Jenks), 
and the Museum of Classical Archaeology was founded. Old University Hall 
was thoroughly renovated, in fact, built anew inside the old walls. Besides 
his regular services in the University and his baccalaureate sermons, which 
were pronounced before immense congregations, he delivered a series of 
lectures in Manning Hall on the history of intellectual philosophy and meta- 
physical science. He preached in the various pulpits of Providence and 
vicinity with singular acceptance, and on great and special occasions his 
services were solicited both far and near. He was easilv one of the most 



506 A SKETCH OF THE 

impressive personages in Providence while he resided there. His tall form, 
his strong, positive intellectual face, under its crown of snowy hair, at once 
declared him to be a person of distinction. When he spoke he had unusual 
powers of language. His great scholarship revealed itself, and his own 
strong and original thought stimulated others to think. His speech was 
incisive, his criticism keen and unsparing. Yet, when he spoke from the 
depths of his own convictions, when his tenderer feelings were stirred, when 
he pleaded the cause of divine love, no one could excel him in truly pathetic 
eloquence. He was a great pulpit orator. As a teacher, he taught his pupils 
to think, to go deeply down into the heart of things, to despise shams, to 
aspire for perfection. Although the student in his class may often have felt 
the keenness of his criticism, yet no officer more frequently was really patient 
with students when general discipline was concerned, or more ready to con- 
done offences. He had a kind heart under the exterior that often may have 
seemed unsympathetic or reserved. The irritations of the annoying daily 
cares of a college President often fretted him and gave him a more imperious 
and forbidding exterior than really corresponded to the nature within. Pos- 
sibly it may be found, when his life work is fully reviewed, that the happiest 
and most fortunate period of his life was that spent in Rochester. The 
influence which he has had on the Baptist pulpit, on the theologians of the 
Baptist Church, on the thought of the whole of that religious body in this 
country is simply incalculable. The college and seminary Presidents and 
professors, the pastors whom he trained as a teacher of theology, are potent 
disseminators of this influence to-day." 

We may justly be proud of the fact that Dr. Robinson was a native of 
Attleborough ; proud that once again one of her sons held worthily the 
prominent, influential, and responsible position of President of one of the 
most venerable and well-known among our New England collegiate institu- 
tions of learning. We should be deeply grateful that our town has had the 
honor of giving birth to a man of such true greatness and nobility of char- 
acter, a man from whose life, living or dead, has emanated and will continue 
to emanate for generations to come potent and far-reaching influences for the 
highest good of mankind. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 507 



CHAPTER XVI. 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, CONTINUED. 

ISAAC ALGP2R, the subject of this sketch, is of the seventh generation, 
including the first settler of the name in this country. Thomas Alger, 
the direct ancestor, came here as early as 1665, being at that time in Taun- 
ton. Later he removed to Bridgewater, where it is supposed he died. Israel, 
his son, became a farmer in that town, and " a man of influence and wealth 
for those days." His wife was Patience Hay ward, of a prominent family in 
Bridgewater. They had five sons. Joseph, the second son, was also a 
farmer in that place. He married Mary Ames, and they had eight children. 
The youngest of these, Edmund, became a farmer in West Bridgewater, and 
lived to quite an advanced age. He had five children. Isaac, the second 
son and child, was born in Bridgewater in 1764. He married Susanna John- 
son in 1788, and settled in Attleborough between 1800 and 1810, on the farm 
now occupied by his grandson of the same name. He died in 1842, leaving 
four children. Willard J., the third child and only son, became the occupant 
of the farm. April 12, 1828, he married Lois Brown, of Foxborough, and 
he died September 26, 1855. Mrs. Alger is still living with her son. They 
had five sons, of whom Isaac was the eldest. He received only a short com- 
mon school education, as at the age of fourteen he was obliged to leave 
school, and at eighteen he took charge of the farm. January 7, 1857, he 
married Susan Matthewson. They have three children, Susan W., 1 Isaac, 
and John W., all residing in town. 

A portion of the land comprised in the present Alger farm has been in the 
family three quarters of a century. The original farm was purchased of 
Noah Tiffany by the first of the name in town. Its hundred acres were then 
chiefly woodland. The first Isaac Alger only attempted to get a living in 
a moderate way from this land, and he willed it to his grandson, giving his 
son nothing of it but a life interest. He, Willard J., allowed it to run down 
in every way, so when the present occupant came into possession he found 
himself the owner of a hundred acres of "positively bare land," which was 
withal heavily mortgaged. With this legacy, in reality some hundreds of 
dollars " worse than nothing," Mr. Alger began life for himself. He seemed 
to inherit the farming abilities of his earlier ancestors, and by energy, indus- 
try, and perseverance he has made his farm one of the best in town and 



1 She married Mr. Eugene Pearce, formerly a resident here for some years. They now live in 
Chicago, 111. 



508 A SKETCH OF THE 

himself a well-to-do man financially- He has now some three hundred acres 
of land, a small portion of which yields fifty tons of hay annually. There 
are thirty or forty acres of pasture, about forty in cultivation, about ten of 
cultivated cranberry land, about the same amount of natural cranberry 
meadow, but a large proportion of the whole is woodland. The buildings 
are a roomy dwelling-house, a large ham. a cranberry house, and five or 
more houses for rental. Mr. Alger's sons have their share of the work of 
the farm to attend to, and men besides are employed, with, in the busy sea- 
sons the necessary •• extra help." Horses and oxen both are used, and a 
number of cows are kept upon the place. The dairy is under Mrs. Alger's 
supervision, who supplies several families with butter, and whatever milk 
there may be finds a ready market because of its excellent quality. 

Mr. Alger's special crop and largest source of income, is cranberries. He 
turned his attention to this crop many years ago, believiug it could be made 
to pay well. He began in a small way at first, as his means were limited, 
and made only a small piece of land. (The process of "making " is a simple 
one. It consists only in removing the turf and filling in five or six inches 
of gravel, into which plants are set. Some years of waiting for profits may 
follow, because the crop is a precarious one, but when a good one is reaped 
the reward is abundaut. When land is once well made it requires but little 
labor or attention to keep it in good condition, an occasional coating of sand, 
and to be kept clear of grass and weeds being all that is necessary.) He 
has made ten acres of this land, and the first made was as good at the end 
of the twentieth as at the end of the first year. He raises several varieties 
of this fruit, the '-Bell," the "Bugle," and the "Cherry" being among 
them, the latter the most salable. He originated a variety which he named 
the "Black Pond Seedling," and which he deems superior to the others. 

These berries ate all picked by hand and taken to the dry-house, where 
thev remain until they have a uniform color, being then ready for the market. 
Great care is taken in grading them when they are being prepared for ship- 
ment, as they are marked and sold by grade. During many years Mr. Alger 
has employed as many as a hundred pickers, and his crop has for some years 
averaged two thousand bushels. Pickers are paid fifty cents a bushel, and 
earn from one to three dollars a day, " according to their activity." One of 
them at one time " picked five pecks of clear berries in fifty-seven minutes 
by the watch." The largest market has been Chicago, but shipments have 
also been made to New York and Philadelphia. These shipments are made 
for cash on the cars here in town, and the raiser has nothing further to do 
with the berries. 

Mr. Alger from barren wasted land has brought out a fine and fertile 
farm. He has thoroughly tested his occupation here in New England, where 
it has been said the land raises nothing but stones, and he emphatically 
declares, and has as decidedly proved, that it pays, and has "just as good 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 509 

a profit as any other business with the same amount of capital and labor 
expended." He says also : " There is not a crop you can put into the ground 
but will pay a handsome profit, rightly managed, especially in Attleborough. 
Attleborough is the best market in the United States." Many may deny this 
statement as a whole, but most concede that it may be true of small farming, 
for the town market for early and late fruits and vegetables is yearly ineivas- 
ing, and there are large cities at hand on both sides to which access is com- 
plete. Mr. Alger has clearly demonstrated the fact that in "sterile New 
England " a farmer can not only make an excellent living, but even amass 
a competence from the products of the soil. 

HARDEN. 

The first of this name in town was one Thomas Barden, who in 1757 was 
living on the place now occupied by Charles E. Carpenter. His second 
son, named Thomas, was born in town February 24, 1765. He had a son, 
also named Thomas, who was born May 3, 1788. This Thomas settled in 
Wrentham. He married Rachel Smith and had seven children, three of whom 
are still living. Of these John Smith Barden was born in Cumberland, R. I., 
in 1813, and became a machinist by trade. He assisted in building the first 
eight-wheel car that ran over the Boston and Providence Railroad. Since 
1834 he has lived more or less in North Attleborough. Joseph Grant Barden 
was born in Wrentham in 1825 and came to North Attleborough in 1857, 
where he has since resided. He has five children, four sons and one daughter. 

Thomas Alexander Barden was born in "Wrentham, May 30, 1819. He 
was educated at Perkins Academy, North Attleborough, and the Bridgewater 
Normal School. He taught school during the winter of 1842-43, and in the 
spring of the latter year commenced his business life as a manufacturer of 
both domestic and foreign straw goods in Wrentham and Franklin, continu- 
ing for five years. In the spring of 1848 he removed to North Attleborough 
and became manager of the variety store of Ira Richards & Co. Two years 
later, in 1850, he erected a store near the tk old Hatch Tavern " and carried 
on there a successful business in dry goods, boots, shoes, and clothing until 
1872. Since that time he has been associated as a silent partner with his 
two sons, Francis I. and Walter E. Barden, in the same trade, at the same 
place, under the firm names of T. A. Barden & Co. and Barden Brothers 
respectively. 

Mr. Barden has frequently been chosen to fill places of public trust in 
town — has held the office of selectman, assessor, and overseer of the poor; 
has been a member of the school committee and in other minor offices. In 
1851 he was appointed a justice of the peace and has retained the office ever 
since. He is a life member of the Bristol County Agricultural Society, was 
a trustee of the Attleborough Farmers and Mechanics Association, and is 
a director in the same societv under a new name and organization — the 



510 A SKETCH OF THE 

Attleborongh Agricultural Association. He was educated a Democrat, but 
while still young he " became inspired with a love for Liberty and Equality," 
and entered actively into the " Liberty and Free Soil Movement," later 
joining the Republican party. In 1831 the first temperance association was 
formed in North Attleborongh. Mr. Barden, then a schoolboy, joined that 
organization and has ever since taken a lively interest in the temperance 
movement and its work. In 1840 he united with the Baptist Church. He 
has held the office of treasurer, is now the clerk of the society of that 
denomination in North Attleborongh. and during the many years of his 
residence in that village has been a prominent member of his church and 
society. 

October 12, 1843, he married Susan Emily, 1 daughter of Abijah and Rhoda 
White, of Wrentham. They have had seven children, of whom four are 
living, namely. Francis Irwin, Ella Irene,- Walter Elliott, and Emily Louise. 
In 1872, when he retired from active business, he returned to the occupation 
of his boyhood — farming. He has turned his attention especially to the 
cultivation of fruit, and in this he has met with signal success and has 
received many premiums from agricultural associations for his fine exhibits 
in that line. Mr. Barden has identified himself thoroughly with the interests 
of this his adopted town, and he holds a high place among her useful citizens. 

Henry F. Barrows was born in South Attleborough, July 22, 1828, the 
son of Alfred and Louisa Barrows, both of this town. His education was 
that provided by the common schools of the town and the North Attleborongh 
High School. At the age of twelve he went to that village and since that 
time. 1840, he has resided in that part of the town. Like most of our 
business men he learned the trade of jewelry-making and was for a time in 
the establishment of Ira Richards & Co. — an establishment which might well 
be termed the school of its day for that occupation. 

In 1853 .Mr. Barrows commenced business for himself at Attleborough 
Falls as a manufacturer of jewelry. In 1855 he associated with himself Mr. 
James II. Sturdy, the firm name being Barrows & Sturdy, and the following 
vear they removed to North Attleborough. In 1857 this partnership was 
dissolved and a new firm established, the new name being H. F. Barrows 
tfc Co. Mr. Barrows was thus the founder of one of the most prominent 
jewelry firms in town. He has proved himself to be a man of enterprise, 
good judgment, and special business sagacity. He began business upon the 
principle of meeting his obligations in full and with promptness. He has 
continued to conduct his affairs by that rule and has reaped the reward such 
a course merits and generally obtains, an abundant measure of honorable 
and financial success, for his reputation is unquestionable and he stands at 
the head of the list of rich men in town. 



1 Mrs. Bardeu has since died. - Mrs. G. Eugene Fisher. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 511 

He is connected with various organizations here and elsewhere — organiza- 
tions which involve both large moneyed and other important interests. His 
long continuance in these positions proves his capacity for the direction of 
affairs, and that reliance can be and is placed upon his opinions and judg- 
ment, both by the people of his own town and of other places. He is and 
has been from the beginning the president of the Attleborongh Branch Rail- 
road. Of this enterprise which has been so fruitful of benefits to the town 
he was the chief promoter and principal stockholder. Upon the organization 
of the North Attleborongh National Bank he was elected its president and 
still retains the office. He has been a director in the North Attleborough 
Gaslight Company for fifteen or twenty years, a director in the First 
National Bank of Pawtucket since its organization in 1864, and is also a 
director in the Providence Telephone Company. He has been for a number 
of years a trustee of the First I niversalist .Society. He was one of the 
leaders and promoters of the project for building a new church for this 
society, and a very liberal supporter of the movement which resulted in the 
present complete and beautiful edifice. 

October 12, 1854, Mr. Barrows married Henrietta T. Richards, eldest 
daughter of Ira and Fanuy Draper Richards, of North Attleborough. They 
have five children : Ira, who resides in New York; Henry F., Jr., Fanny, 
Louise, and Harriet, all residents of North Attleborough. 

Ezekiel Bates was born at Hanover, Mass., November 5, 1795. He was 
the youngest of fifteen children, two of whom were still living, very 
advanced in years, at the time of his death. When fifteen years old he 
was apprenticed to "Uncle Jacob" Capron, of this town, the father of 
Sheriff Elijah Capron, to learn the trade of a house carpenter. He served 
him until he was twenty-one and then started to make his own way in the 
world in Boston. A few years later, while still working at his trade there, 
Frederick Tudor sent him out to the West Indies with the first cargo of ice 
that was ever shipped from New England. This was both his first and last 
voyage. He returned from it in 1822, and during that year was married to 
Lois, the only daughter of Jesse Daggett, of this towu. The ceremony w r as 
performed by Hon. Ebenezer Daggett. Mr. and Mrs. Bates had three 
children, who lived to maturity : Mary Ann, who married Lowell Wilmarth, 
of this town, and Jesse D. and John T. Bates, both residing here. 

From the time of his marriage until 1849 Mr. Bates resided in Boston, 
where he was engaged in the business of a contractor and builder. In that 
year he removed to this town, to the residence now occupied by his son 
John. 1 For fourteen years he was a partner of Albert H. Kelsey, of Boston, 



1 This is <m the farm Inherited by Mrs. Bates from her father and stands a few rods soutli of the 
old house, on the west side of the "New Boston road," the site of which is still marked by a large 
elm tree and a well. 



512 A SKETCH OF THE 

and during that time " he had the honor of building the first railroad 
passenger depot ever erected in the United States, — for the Boston and 
Worcester Railroad." He was one of the incorporators of the Mechanics 
Mutual Fire Insurance Company of this State, well known as a strong, 
reliable company, and he was actively interested as a member of the Massa- 
chusetts Charitable Fire Society. He took an active part in the revival of 
the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association — was one of the 
earliest to make a move in that direction — and for thirty years he had a 
general supervision of the arrangements for the famous triennial fairs of this 
society. A political organization called "The Republican Association" 
was formed in 1812 and Mr. Bates was one of its original members. During 
his entire life he never once missed attending the annual meetings of this 
society, which occurred on the fourth of March. The association was formed 
during his apprenticeship here, when he was but a lad in years, — only seven- 
teen, — and it shows that at a very early age he began to think upon the 
public and political questions of the day, and having thought, he formed 
opinions and adopted principles and was ready to act upon them decidedly 
and promptly. The spirit of the "boys of '76" lived on in the boys of 
1812, and Mr. Bates, one of those "boys," served in the war of that date, 
in Captain Elihu Daggett's company from this town. 

He took great interest in the Masonic order and was for many years a 
prominent member of it. He became a Mason in Boston, where on June 
9, 1825, he joined St. Andrew's Lodge. In 1834 and 1835 he was master of 
that lodge ; was for a long period one of its trustees, and at the time of his 
death, with one exception, was its oldest member. He was also a member 
of St. Andrew's Royal Arch Chapter, having advanced to the degree of that 
name. His name was given to the lodge formed in East Attleborough " in 
token of esteem for his qualities as a Mason." 

One says of him that when he started in the battle of life he was " strong 
and robust, of good morals, a benevolent disposition, buoyant spirits, and 
a refined sense of honor and justice," adding that these were " characteristics 
which have been the distinguishing traits of his life." During a long term 
of years he was often placed in offices of trust, both in Boston and in this 
town, " and his whole life was one of general usefulness and philan- 
thropy." Even advancing years did not exempt him from public duties 
and he was as zealous at the end of his life as at its beginning in whatever 
service was required of him. In 1862, when he was nearly threescore and 
ten years old, he represented the town in the Legislature. His election to 
that position during the stormy troublous times of the Rebellion shows 
that his character and capacities were recognized and relied on, and that even 
in old age his mental and physical vigor were not abated. 

His last illness extended over a period of more than three months, and he 
died of paralysis, March 17, 1871. The funeral was attended at the Second 




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HISTORY OF ATTLEBOEOUGH. 513 

Congregational Church, under the charge of Bristol and Ezekiel Bates lodges, 
and with the solemn and impressive burial service of the order, in the 
presence of hundreds of people. At the close of the services his remains 
were formally committed to the care of his mother lodge, St. Andrew's, and 
by them interred in the cemetery at Mount Auburn. 

Mr. Bates had no early advantages, but he rose above circumstances and 
surroundings, and by the force and trueness of his character made for himself 
an excellent position in life, gaining a high place in the esteem of his fellow- 
men. He was kind and amiable, but strong and manly withal, an indulgent 
husband and father, a friendly neighbor, a public-spirited and loyal citizen, 
''hopeful in purpose, zealous in progress; always full of earnest anticipation 
for the future good of the community in which he lived." He was skilful as 
a workman, thoroughly industrious in whatever pursuit occupied him, of 
unquestionable integrity, honest in all things, and unflinchingly devoted 
to the right. He possessed what is rare — an evenly-balanced character, a 
sound mind, good judgment, and a varied knowledge of men and things. 
This he gained by observation and experience, the best educators. Born 
with talents which he recognized he made the right and best use of them, 
and his high position in the town and his wide influence were due solely to 
himself. His was a long and well-spent life and it ended with much that was 
good and useful accomplished for his fellow-men. [The only survivors of his 
immediate family are the two sons.] 

Joseph M. Bates was born in North Kingston, R. I., August 2, 1833, 
and there he spent his childhood and early youth. On leaving home he went 
first to Providence, and from there, in 1857, he came to this town. On 
September 10 of that year he made his first essay in the manufacture of 
jewelry at Willard Blackinton's shuttle-shop. The business was at first a 
very limited one, as he had but two men engaged in the work besides himself ; 
but from this small beginning the ends already attained have been very 
great. Thirty years ago he had only that small hired room ; now he is the 
owner of seven shops and rents space to twenty-four tenants who are 
engaged in the jewelry trade, while he occupies besides a large amount of 
room for his own personal business. Thirty years ago he had almost no 
capital and himself assisted with the '* work at the bench " ; now he is the 
possessor of large wealth. The road to fortune was not soon an easy or 
brilliant one ; he made no " lucky strokes " to "hit" the popular eye and 
lt gain" the popular taste; he commenced in that w-ell-remembered year of 
great and general depression all over the country and had many discourage- 
ments and had to climb the ladder slowly round by round ; but finally success 
became signally assured. 

On June 26, 1853, he married Louise Gardner, of Warwick, R. I. They 
have three children: Charles R., who married Annie Tinkham, of Norton; 
Marv L. and Frank M., all residing in town. For fully ten years, since the 



514 A SKETCH OF THE 

death of its first president, Willard Blackiuton, Mr. Bates has been president 
of the First National Bank, and he holds other offices in town. He is a 
member of Ezekiel Bates Lodge of F. and A. M. 

Unlike many everywhere, it can be said of Mr. Bates that having made 
his money in a certain place he is willing to spend it freely there, and not 
alone for the pleasure and benefit of himself and family but for the pleasure 
and benefit of the entire community as well. He seems quite content with 
the life his adopted town affords, more so, perhaps, than many born and 
bred in it, as is evidenced by the fact that for more than five years recently 
he did not pass a single night outside of it. He has done much for his 
village, proving himself a public-spirited man. This is shown notably in the 
last building he has erected — Bates Opera House. 

It is built of brick, has a frontage of a hundred and sixty feet, is about a 
hundred and fifty feet deep, and is three stories high. It covers fifteen thou- 
sand square feet, and a million bricks were used in its construction. Though 
the front of the building is irregular, as it stands where Park and North 
Main streets intersect, it presents a very fine appearance. The first floor is 
occupied by various stores, and the postoffice, which has recently taken 
possession of the rooms handsomely fitted up for its use by the owner. The 
second story contains offices, of which there are eleven in the building, and 
two suites of bachelor apartments, which are very prettily decorated and fur- 
nished, and quite complete in their appointments. 1 The third story con- 
tains several halls, which are occupied by three of the secret societies 
of the village. The interior of the building in every way quite fulfills 
the promise of the exterior. There are several entrances, and the halls 
and corridors are sufficiently spacious. The same hardwood finish, a mod- 
erately dark cherry, extends through every story, and all the decorations 
are of colors pleasing to the eye and producing an harmonious effect. 
This is especially true of the largest lodge hall, whose walls and ceiling are 
richly ornamented in patterns that suit well its fine proportions and make it 
as a whole an elegant and imposing apartment. 

The theatre lobby is spacious and cheerful, and has a well-furnished ladies' 
room, and a comfortable smoking-room for gentlemen. The theatre proper 
occupies the rear of the structure, and of course the full height. The 
audience-room consists of orchestra and parquet chairs and one tier of gal- 
leries, and has seating capacity for eleven hundred people. Very much can 
justlv be said in praise of this room. Its proportions are excellent, the 
colors used in its decorations are sufficiently varied, but not too pronounced, 
and the style of finish adopted is very good, particularly that of the boxes. 



i Mr. Hates has recently converted one of the stores into a restaurant, and a number of the smaller 
rooms into sleeping rooms, thereby arranging hotel accommodations for a small number of people. 
Both hotel and cafe appear to be popular, and their convenience is unquestioned, the need for the 
latter having been for a long time apparent. 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 515 

The chairs are thoroughly comfortable, roomy, slightly movable, and hand- 
somely upholstered. They are "something new" in their line, and at the 
time they were placed had been introduced into only three or four theatres in 
the country. (Mr. Bates acknowledges having expended $7,000 on them 
alone, but all other figures as to the outlay on the building must be left to 
conjecture, as he declines to state them. They are no doubt large, because 
everything has been thoroughly done.) The large central chandelier, of a 
fine quality of crystal, is very beautiful in itself, and when fully lighted pre- 
sents a most brilliant appearance. There is nothing here that is gaudy, 
nothing to offend a critical eye or taste — nothing unsuited to totally untheat- 
rical entertainments ; on the contrary, the entire effect is one of cheerful- 
ness and a quiet elegance. The stage is unusually capacious and the scenery 
is handsome and complete in variety, and all the modern improvements and 
appliances for producing plays smoothly are supplied. The dressing-rooms 
are numerous, and, according to the verdict of many actors, more commodi- 
ous and better furnished than in many larger theatres ; certainly they meet 
the wants of a large company. In a word, the whole opera house compares 
favorably with the largest in many of our great cities, and the writer has 
never seen one of its size that is at all its equal in point of comfort or 
beauty. 

The opening night, September 30, 188<>, marked an era in entertainments 
in the town. The audience was a large one, and made brilliant by the bright 
costumes and beautiful Mowers of the ladies. The play was of the best — 
Richelieu — the company excellent, with one of our most talented and 
renowned actors, Lawrence Barrett, "in the title role." Throughout the 
entire first season, which numbered some thirty-five performances, the posi- 
tion taken at the start was maintained, and only plays of a good class were 
presented. To preserve the rule thus established seems to be the owner's 
intention, and for this the thanks of the community are due, especially as 
such a course is not always the most successful financially. 

This theatre is an innovation in East Attleborough, and Mr. Bates met 
with considerable criticism for building it — criticism no doubt honest, but 
on the whole it would seem rather unjust. People at times demand amuse- 
ment, and if it is not to be found at home, they will seek it abroad. This 
was the case here ; many often attended the play in the nearest cities, which 
meant a large outlay of money, late hours, and frequently doubtless some of 
the attendant dissipations. These latter adjuncts are not necessary with the 
theatre at home, and if, as has been said, because of it much money leaves 
the town, some at least must remain, and some of the business interests of 
the village must be benefited. 

But Bates Opera House is by no means confined to the purposes indicated 
by its name ; it has already been occupied for other and varied uses. Up to 
the time of its erection the village had no place suitable for many occasions 



516 A SKETCH OF THE 

of public and general interest. The churches were the largest audience- 
rooms, but they were frequently found inadequate. They were of necessity 
made use of, and sometimes for purposes for which they were neither wholly 
desirable nor appropriate, as many must acknowledge. A want in this direc- 
tion had long been felt, and is now met by this building, which will be found 
more and more useful as the years go by and the community enlarges and 
increases. Prejudice will then be disarmed, and the builder be accorded, 
as he richly deserves, unanimous commendation for providing a structure 
adequate in size, convenient in arrangement, and as attractive as it is 
serviceable. 

BLACKINTON. 

Pentecost Blackinton was the first of that name in town, and he came 
from Marblehead or Dorchester about 1700. He had land and a house on 
Seven Mile River. His wife's name was Mary, by whom he had several chil- 
dren, four of whom at least reached maturity. He died September 24, 1715. 
Pentecost second had eight children by his wife Rebecca Figgett, Peter, born 
in 1731, being the youngest. "He was a farmer, was a good citizen, law 
abiding and G-od-fearing, and died at a good old age." His son William 
was born November 2. 1758. He was a gun manufacturer during the Revo- 
lutionary war, entered the army also as a soldier, and received a wound in 
the battle of White Plains. Subsequently he was associated with his sou 
William in cotton manufacturing both at North Attleborough and Falls Vil- 
lage. His residence was on a large farm which he owned in Wreutham. 
u He was known to everyone as Deacon Blackinton." November 29, 1781, 
he married Elizabeth Babcock, of Westerly, or Hopkinton, R. I. Four of 
their children lived to maturity: William, born September 20, 1782; Virgil, 
born May 12, 1796, married Hannah, daughter of Obed Robinson, and was 
connected with Willard and Richard Robinson in the manufacture of buttons ; 
Jason, born August 24, 1798, graduated at Brown University in 1826 and 
after receiving a legal education passed most of his life as a teacher, in 
Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee ; and Willard. Deacon Blackinton was a 
victim of the plague which swept over this and other towns in 1816. To 
each of his sons he left about three thousand dollars, " a handsome property 
for those days." 

Colonel Willard Blackinton was born October 26, 1800. During his 
boyhood he lived with his brother William, who was a farmer " on the old 
homestead." His education was that of the common school and academy. 
Early in life he evinced a mercantile taste, and began business for himself. 
His first occupation was that of a general country trader, but he continued 
this only a few years. In 1827 he established his manufactory of power- 
loom shuttles. This filled il a long felt want," and the business soon became 
quite an extensive one, the goods being sent to all parts of the country. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROIWU. 517 

In 1821 be married Clarissa, daughter of Amos and Sally Sweet, and they 
bad six children; namely, William and Willard, twins; Clarissa E., who 
married Nathan C. Luther, for many years the postmaster of the East village, 
and one of its highly respected citizens; John, Charles A., and Amos S., of 
whom Willard is deceased, John resides iu Providence, the remaining three 
brothers in the east part of this town. 1 

Mr. Blackinton was not alone a successful manufacturer ; for many years 
be was among the most active men of the town in many lines of enterprise, 
both of "business activity and public service," and was honored by his 
fellow-citizens in many positions of public trust. "In early life he took 
great interest in militia matters. Of active and vigorous temperament, 
large, and physically well-proportioned, with a resonant, full voice, he pre- 
sented a tine appearance, and held the position of adjutant and colonel of 
a regiment of troopers for years." He was repeatedly called upon to act as 
the moderator of town meetings, and as the chairman of various popular or 
political assemblages, and these positions he always filled acceptably. He 
was an ardeut supporter of his political convictions — those of the Whig and 
Republican parties — and a very popular man in his party : for, when doubt- 
ful elections threatened that party, he was frequently the one to be nominated 
for office, and he never sustained a defeat. As proof that his political 
integrity was relied on it may be stated that his fellow-townsmen called him 
at various times to fill every office in their gift, and he served them credit- 
ably in all, from the minor public positions in the town itself to those of 
representative and senator in the State Legislature. He was for a number 
of years the popular postmaster of the East village, his first appointment 
being soon after 1830, and " he was a valued member of the Masonic 
fraternity." He was master of Bristol Lodge when the Morgan agitation 
created its strong feeling of enmity toward Masonry throughout the land, 
and when the feeling subsided and .interest in the order could be publicly 
revived he was again elected to the same office. 

Of marked ability, Mr. Blackinton was a successful business man, a good 
financier, and was considered a valuable counselor iu business affairs. "He 
was a director and one of the chief originators of the old Attleborough 
Bank, and one of the promoters of the First National Bank of Attleborough, 
of which, upon its formation, he was at once elected director and president." 
He died very suddenly of heart disease on January 1, 1877, while fulfilling 
his duties as presiding officer at a meeting of the board of directors held at 
the bank. He was kindly and generous in his family, an attentive husband, 
an indulgent and affectionate father, thoroughly social in his nature. He 
was interested in public measures of improvement, and a liberal supporter 
of good works. Of fine presence, a dignified and courtly bearing, with the 



'William and John are hoth deceased. 



518 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

manners of a " gentleman of the old school," be was a great favorite in all 
social gatherings, and in them he gave pleasure alike to young and old. He 
filled an important place in the town, and especially in his own community, 
a place which in many respects can never be filled, for the men of his type — 
the old school type — seem, to be fast passing away from our midst. 

William Blackinton, one of the twin and oldest sons of Colonel Black- 
intou, after completing his academic education entered the shuttle manufac- 
turing business as a partner with his father and two of his brothers. For 
ten years the firm bore the name of W. Blackinton & Sons, William, 
Willard, and John being the younger members. About 1854 he left this 
business and started that of cotton manufacturing, which he continued for 
three years in this town and Pawtucket. This proving unsuccessful, he 
decided upon a change, and in 1857 took up that of jewelry. For twelve 
vears the business was small, but in 1869 he commenced making plated 
chains. He ii originated a new line of these goods, which speedily proved 
popular." The demand created for them was soon very large, and his 
business increased rapidly and continuously, until it became one of the 
largest and most profitable in town. He has applied himself very assidu- 
ouslv to this one work ever since he entered upon it. having had little or 
nothing; to do with politics, or the public affairs of the town, and to this fact 
no doubt much of his success is due. He has attended personally to each 
department of his manufactory, seeing that his goods were the best of their 
kind, and such as he stated them to be ; he has worked himself when he 
deemed it necessary to insure the proper results, and thus by his careful 
superintendence his business ability and sagacity has brought his firm to its 
present high standing, really earning the success which he has won. 

Mr. Blackinton married Rebecca C. Allen, a daughter of Josiah and 
Rowena Tingley Allen, of this town. Their children now living are William 
Sumner, Charles F., Harry C Louis A.', and Ada R. Blackinton. A num- 
ber of years since he built for himself a commodious residence on County 
Street. This he occupied until the present year, 1888, when he sold it and 
removed to Providence. 1 

CAPRON. 

Banfield Capron, the first of the name known in America, came from 
England in 1674 or 1675 when about fourteen years of age. He was born in 
1660 and tradition says he came alone, and as a cabin boy, to seek his own 
fortune. After his first marriage he settled in Harrington, this State, 
•■ whence after a residence of twenty years, he moved with a large family of 
children away back into the woods to what is now Attleborough," and he 



1 Mr. Blackinton died in Providence, December 30, 1890, and was buried in this town. Charles is 
also deceased. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. ~)19 

became a large landowner here. He purchased and laid out a large tract of 
land between the Bungay River and the Falls, that on the mill road to 
what is known as k ^ the Lucas Daggett place," and he also had landed pos- 
sessions from his first wife, who was the daughter of John Calleuder, who 
very early lived where the house of Philip Brady now stands. He owned 
lands where the Farmers village now is. and built his first house on the site 
of James B. Dean's residence, near Deantown, and a second near the site 
of a house built not long since by the late B. J. Angell, on his farm, known 
as the "Jacob Capron farm." In that vicinity he lived and brought up his 
very large family, and about fifteen years before he died it is said he gave to 
each of his children a farm of about two hundred acres. They numbered 
ten or eleven and were all by his first wife. He died here August 20, 1752, 
at the very advanced age of ninety-two years. It is supposed he was buried 
in the "Peck burying ground," and what was the duty of all apparently 
became the duty of none of his children, for no stone was ever erected to 
his memory. 

Captain Joseph Capron, the second son of the above, " was a farmer, and 
a man of repute in his day." He was born September 12, 1691. He was 
married three times and had nine children. His wives were Judith Peck, 
Bethiah Burt, and Mary French. The latter survived him. He died October 
14, 1776, in his eighty-sixth year. Joseph, Jr., — by the first wife, — was 
fourth child and oldest son of Captain Joseph. He was twice married : first 
to Sarah Robeson, by whom lie had seven children, and second to Sarah 
Foster, by whom he had eight children, five of whom died at an early age. 
He was born in November, 1722, and died August 1, 1784. Otis, the third 
child by the second wife, was born April 17, 1767. "He was a farmer, and 
an honored and useful citizen, and served his day and generation well. He 
was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, serving at Newport." He died 
March 3, 1845. His first wife was Rachel Sweet, by whom he had three 
children, Sally, Mrs. Thomas French, deceased ; Nancy, Mrs. Lucas Daggett, 
still living in this town at a very advanced age ; 1 and Otis, who died young. 
His second wife was Mrs. Hannah Kent Bliss, widow of Jonathan Bliss. 
Their children were Joseph W. ; Maria, deceased ; Sabra A., Mrs. Sumner 
Capron, of this town, deceased; Hannah K., Mrs. Joseph Newcomb. also 
of this town, deceased ; and Rachel Cemantha, widow of Sidney Morse, of 
this town. 

Joseph Willard Capron was born September 24, 1802. He had the 
education afforded by the public schools of the town, and that of the prepar- 
atory department of Brown University. He had intended to enter that 
college for a course of study, but finding that much attention to the classics 



1 Mrs. Daggett died in September, 1S89. She was ninety-three the August preceding. 



520 A SKETCH OF THE 

was required, the knowledge of which he did not deem necessary in the occu- 
pation to which his tastes led him, lie changed his plans. He himself has 
recently said he read Dr. Franklin, who thought the classics unnecessary, and 
this confirmed his opinions ; and he shrewdly added : "As I could not learn 
one language well, I considered it foolish to attempt two or three." He 
studied for a time with Dr. Ide, and when but seventeen years old began to 
teach school for sixteen dollars a month, meeting with success in that occupa- 
tion. He had very early shown a fondness and aptitude for surveying, and 
even while a student in 1818 he began practical work in this direction. From 
that time to this he has been employed in that capacity, making that work 
his chief business. 

In 1827 " he was elected and qualified as town surveyor," and during that 
year he surveyed all the roads in this town, in Pawtucket, Seekonk, and 
Rehoboth. He has surveyed fully half of the land in the city of Providence, 
and in the course of his long life he must have resurveyed his native town in 
whole or in part many times. The following year, 1828, the State employed 
him as an assistant surveyor on the projected route of the Boston and Provi- 
dence Railroad Company. He has held the ollice of a justice of the peace 
for over fifty years, has been elected a county commissioner three terms, and 
lias been a selectman, assessor, and overseer of the poor in town several times. 
He was president of the Attleborough Mutual Fire Insurance Company for 
years, held the same office in the Loan and Fund Association of Attleborough, 
and is still the president of its successor, the Attleborough Loan and Savings 
Association, in the last two organizations his term already covering a period 
of over thirty years. He is treasurer of the Norfolk and Bristol Horse 
Thief Detective Society, and has been president of the Attleborough Gas- 
light Company since its organization. Mr. Capron has been all his life a 
Democrat, a firm believer in the principles of Jefferson and Jackson, for the 
latter of whom he cast his first Presidential vote in 1823. 

In 1824 he married Adeline Bliss, granddaughter of Dr. James Bliss. 
She died March 19, 1872. Two children by this marriage are living: 
Isabella A., Mrs. Amos Lie, of this town, and Ellen M., who married, first, 
George E. Payson, of Taunton, and, second, George W. Curien, of this 
town. October 14, 1872, Mr. Capron married Cynthia Blossom, of Fairhaven. 
Mass. He has always possessed the vigor of perfect health, "has never 
employed a physician for himself, and never has known a sick day." When 
eiohtv years of age he could " go out with his favorite instruments and with- 
out apparent fatigue, do days' works that would appall much younger men." 
Not many years ago he walked from Pawtucket to his home, a distance of 
nearly nine miles, after eight o'clock in the evening, and said he " could 
have walked back easily without resting." For more than a half-century he 
" has been personally identified with the public interests of the town," but, 
though the competency he has accumulated renders additional labor uuueces- 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 521 

sary, and his advanced age is a valid excuse for giving it up entirely, he is 
still able and prefers to be actively employed in the pursuits to which he has 
been so long accustomed, and which have made him in his day one of the 
town's useful men. 1 

Abiel Codding was born in Rehoboth, January 29, 1817. The ancestors of 
this family came to Taunton at a very early date. James, who is the first 
mentioned, was born there and became a farmer, and lie was a soldier in our 
army during the Revolutionary War. His wife was Joanna Eddy, by whom 
he had three children : David ; Abigail, who married Wheaton Barrows ; and 
Abiel. The latter was the youngest, and was born in Taunton, October 27, 
1792. He came to Attleborough when about fourteen and worked on a farm 
for Senaca Sanford, where he proved himself to be industrious, frugal, and 
temperate. He became " a well to do farmer in this town, where he lived for 
more than sixty-three years, leaving an example of industry and sobriety 
well worthy the imitation of the present generation. He was a soldier of 
the War of 1812, and drew a pension for his services." He died October 3, 
1881, having almost reached the age of eighty-nine. His wife was Chloe, 
daughter of Elihu Daggett, by whom he had thirteen children, eight of whom 
lived to mature age. 

Abiel, the oldest son and subject of this sketch, was brought to this town 
when a year old. His father's farm was in East Attleborough, and he stayed 
at home until he was sixteen, receiving the education provided by the 
common schools of that time. "He was of a mechanical turn of mind, and 
early turned his attention to the jewelry business. Hence at sixteen we find 
him in the employ of H. M. Richards. He remained with him some three 
years, when he formed a copartnership with Stephen Richardson, and was 
thus employed a short time when they dissolved, and Mr. Codding continued 
his trade as a journeyman, making valuable improvements in the different 
kinds of tools used in the jewelry business. In 1839 he went to Philadelphia 



1 In April, 1888, Mr. Capron resigned his presidency of the Gas Company but still retains that of the 
Loan and Fund Association. Within a few years he has had two attacks of illness, but he recovered 
from them naturally and was apparently restored to his accustomed vigor. Upon the last occasion 
medical aid was summoned, but the doctor said : " I was called after all real necessity for my pres- 
ence was past; Mr. Capron was getting well himself." On September 24, 1892, he became ninety years 
old. He announced publicly that he would be at home on the evening of that day to everybody who 
would call upon him, and many persons from the town and elsewhere availed themselves of the rare 
and pleasant privilege of offering congratulations upon such an occasion. The house was all thrown 
open, and tastefully decorated with autumn leaves and flowers. Mr. Capron had a cordial greeting 
for all, remembered to inquire for absent friends and acquaintances, and interested himself person- 
ally for the comfort of his guests. Some he felt needed chairs though he stood unweariedly for 
hours himself, and straighter and firmer than any one present. One thing he had insisted upon in 
advance — there must be " young and pretty girls " in the dining-room to pour the coffee, and ho was 
urgent in having matters arranged for their ease and pleasure. Four generations were represented — 
himself, two daughters, a son's daughter and her child. He is by several years the oldest person in 
town. He retains his mental and physical faculties to a remarkable degree, his hearing appearing to 
be the only one impaired. May he live to greet the new century, and then still longer to fill out his 
full hundred years (February, 1894). Vernal Stanley, of North Attleborough, is a little older. 



522 A SKETCH OF THE 

to work for his old employer, H. M. Richards, but remained ov\\y a few 
months, when he returned to North Attleborough, and entered the employ of 
Ira Richards & Co." In 1841 he entered this firm and remained in it until 
ill 1S4."> the death of the senior partner caused a change in name and partner- 
ship, and under the new name he continued in the firm for thirty years, until 
it was dissolved. This latter was the famous linn of E. I. Richards & Co. 

•• Mr. Codding was naturally a mechanic, and by close application to his 
business he attained a degree of success acquired by few. He made valuable 
improvements in manufacturing, and obtained several patents for new tools." 
He is one of the directors of the First National Rank of North Attleborough 
and president of the Attleborough Savings Bank ; president, also, of the North 
Attleborough Gaslight Company. He belongs to the Democratic party but 
takes no public interest in political affairs. No man has more of the respect 
of his community than he. 

October 28, 1841, he married Ann Maria Richards, daughter of Calvin and 
Olive Blackinton Richards, of this town. She was born August 16, 1819. 
They have had five children. Arthur E., James A., and Edwin A. are all 
engaged in business in North Attleborough. The daughters, Ella M. and 
Ellen L., are both deceased. 

CUMMINGS. 

This family is supposed to be of Scottish descent, but the first to emi- 
grate to America came from England at about the same time that kt the three 
brothers Richardson came," and settled in Woburn, this State. The great- 
great-grandfather of the present generation was one Abraham Comeus, as the 
name was then spelled, and he married a Richardson, probably a daughter of 
one of the "three brothers." They had nine children. Of these David was 
the one who came to this town to settle and about the time of his marriage he 
bought the farm now owned by Allen ami George Cummings in Bearswamp — or 
Bearcroft, as it is now called. Very little is known of him. An old rifle still in 
the possession of the family is known, however, to be the one he carried in 
the French and Indian War. and as conscientiousness is a leading trait of this 
family, it may be assumed beyond doubt that he performed his duties as a 
soldier very faithfully. In all probability the old rifle may have slain more 
than one Indian while in his hands. This David Cummings had seven or nine 
children and he died about the time of the birth of Benjamin, the youngest, 
who occupied the old homestead during his life and who died there May 20, 
I860. The death of the father had left the mother with a large family of 
young children, the support of which devolved upon herself and David, the 
oldest son, at that time but twelve years of age. They all remained together 
until David was twenty-two years of age, when he purchased a farm about a 
mile distant from the home — this was then the homestead of a Mr. Bishop 
and is the farm now owned by Mr. Marsh. Here he spent the remainder of 
his life, and here he died March 18, 1846, at the great age of eighty-five years. 



N HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 523 

It is related of him that when fifteen years of age he carted a load of hay to 
Providence and received his pay for the same in the currency of the country, 
which was at that time nearly worthless and amounted in bulk to about as much 
as the hay. During the War of 1812 Mr. Cummiugs was sent to the defence 
of Narragansett Bay, but the expected attack of the enemy did not take place 
and he returned home after only a short absence. He had four children : Pres- 
ton, Lucinda, David, and Milton. 

Preston Cummings, the oldest son, when a youth sustained rather severe 
injuries by falling from a load of hay and after that it was decided to give 
him an education. In those days the turning of farmer boys into professional 
men was often the result of accident, as in this case. Mr. Cummings gradu- 
ated at Brown Uuiversity in 1822 and entered the ministry in the Congrega- 
tional denomination. His first pastorate was at Dightou, this State, and he 
subsequently had charges in Wrentham and Buckland, finally returning to 
Dighton. During the last years of his life he published a " Congregational 
Dictionary " and he also occupied himself in collecting manuscripts and books 
for several antiquarian societies. He died in Leicester, Mass., at the resi- 
dence of his son, in 1875. This son, James, the only one of his family who 
lived to maturity, became a physician and settled in Leicester, where he estab- 
lished an excellent reputation. He had just acquired a good practice when he 
died. His death was caused by the exposure consequent upon attending to 
the call of a patient when he was under treatment for sickness himself. 

David Cummings, a younger brother of the above, followed the avocation 
of a farmer. He had to pick up an education as best he could, having no 
instruction beyond that afforded by the district school and two terms at Day's 
Academy in Wrentham. He purchased a farm about a quarter of a mile from 
his father's, on which he lived his entire life. To his work as a farmer he 
frequently, during his younger days, added the occupation of school-teaching 
in the winter months. He died at an advanced age, on October 12. 1884. 
Mr. Cummings was a scrupulously honest, industrious, God-fearing man. 
There are man} 7 who will long remember him as he was during his later years, 
who will recall the somewhat bowed form and the kindly face, surmounted 
with a crown of snow-white hair, especially as they appeared in their accus- 
tomed pew in the Congregational Church of his village ; for as long as health 
and strength permitted, in summer's heat or winter's cold, his place in the 
sanctuary was filled — none ever found it vacant. He was a quiet, unobtru- 
sive man, and, comparatively, his life was a quiet and uneventful one ; but the 
measure of his many days was filled full of duties to God and man well done. 
He thought only on " whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, 
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are 
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report," and the virtue and the praise 
of such a life were his. Who shall sav that he did not exert a wider and a 



524 -4 SKETCH OF THE 

Dobler influence than many another more prominent in the common affairs of 
the world and of men? He was a truly good man and his community is the 
better for the example of his consistent Christian life. 

Handel N. Daggett, son of Hon. Ebenezer and Sally Maxcy Daggett, 
was born in this town, January 27, 1821. After attending the common 
schools here and working at the same time on his father's farm, as most conn- 
try boys then did, he went to the Wrentham Academy (Day's), and later to 
the one in North Attleborongh, where, under Isaac Perkins, his school educa- 
tion was completed. He served " a short, unprofitable apprenticeship with a 
relative" in Boston, and then returned home and became a clerk in a store at 
the Falls for a time. In 1849 he formed a partnership with his brother, H. M. 
Daggett, and they purchased the Falls mill, where for several years they man- 
ufactured print cloths, sometimes with success, sometimes with the reverse. 
This partnership was dissolved about 1S55. From this time until 1860 Mr. 
Daggett engaged in other kinds of manufacturing, chiefly the covering of 
hoopskirt wires. He at first started with a few braiders in the Steam Power 
Company's shop at Attleborongh, but, needing more space than he had there, 
he later removed to the Farmers mill. After the breaking out of the war he 
was occupied for a while iu filling government orders for sabres. The blades 
were made iu Maine and he manufactured the scabbards in the Steam Power 
building. He made some $7U,000 worth and for a time this was about all the 
business done iu the East village. 

For some time previous Mr. Daggett had been revolving in his mind the 
idea of manufacturing dress and other braids of a good quality that should 
equal the foreign goods of the kind, which up to 1861 usurped the markets. 
The war at that time laid an embargo upon European imports, thus creating 
a large demand in this direction, for which the supply was entirely insufficient. 
This embargo made the desired opportunity, and he seized it with great 
promptness and energy. He repurchased the Falls mill property and com- 
menced the braid business there and it at once became a very extensive one. 
He still continues to carry it on under the name of the Cold Medal Braid 
Company, and it is specially noticed in a preceding chapter. This property 
had become somewhat run down ; the tenements and their surroundings were 
shabby and untidy, and some of the inhabitants were so lawless that the 
community had come to have a rather disreputable name. Previous to his 
becoming the owner the rowdy element had at times been decidedly predom- 
inant, had taken possession frequently of the streets, the sidewalks, the 
stores, and the public meetings, to the exclusion of the better class of people. 
As soon as he took possession Mr. Daggett established order and had it main- 
tained, and the "roughs," who had become a real terror, under his decided 
and vigorous treatment " either left town, or subsided into peaceful citizens." 
He has greatly improved the whole property, erected new buildings, and 
made for himself there a charming home. Since his advent various jewelry 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 525 

firms have established themselves at the Falls and at Robinsonville, and the 
two villages, now together called by the former name, have had a remarkable 
growth and present as a whole a thriving and attractive appearance — no 
small share of the great improvements being due to his efforts. He was the 
means of establishing the much-needed postoffice there, and most liberally 
pushed forward the building of the new church of the village, both with time 
and money. He has had no trouble with strikes, probably in part because 
there has been nothing to give rise to such a course, and in part doubtless 
because his employees have thoroughly understood that xuijust demands on 
their part wonld result in their prompt dismissal, with very little prospect 
of ever again finding work in the same place. 

Mr. Daggett is a thoroughly enterprising man and actively interested in 
public improvements. Whatever work he undertakes he pushes to comple- 
tion with energy and in spite of opposing obstacles. He was one of the 
originators of the "Branch Railroad," active in pushing forward the work of 
its organization and construction, and has been treasurer of the corporation 
from the beginning. He is a stanch and zealous Republican, always ready 
to support his party and to work for its interests, and he has often repre- 
sented it for the towu at political conventions. For some years during 
the Civil War he was "Chairman of the Selectmen" — the duties of which 
office were then especially onerous — and in 1864 he was the town's repre- 
sentative. He was relied on when our country was in danger and there was 
peculiar need for every loyal citizen to show of what stuff his principles 
were made. In working to uphold the State and General Government, to 
aid and support our armies in the field, and to make the war record of our 
town a worthy one, no man was more faithful and zealous than he. He was 
a deputy sheriff at one time, held the position of town clerk from 1*48 
till 1851, was selectman (as previously stated) and assessor, and in 1884 
was for the second time a representative to the General Court. He "has 
been a member of the Governor's Council and has held other positions of 
honor within the gifts of the people." He was always loyal to Attleboromjli , 
the town of his birth, and had no desire to see any portion of its territory 
" set off" from another portion to be made into a separate town. He was 
therefore one of the strongest opponents of the division and worked assidu- 
ously in all ways possible to prevent its taking place. 

Mr. Daggett has been married more than once, and has had eight children. 
Four are living and all residents of this town: Josephine S., Mrs. Harvey 
Clap, of Attleborough Falls ; Florence J., Mrs. H. F. Barrows, Jr., of North 
Attleborough ; Frances A. and Blanche Daggett, the latter by the present 
wife. 

[Mr. Daggett died February 27, 1S04, aged exactly seventy-three years and one month, after 
an illness which for more than a year had exhibited symptoms of a markedly serious and at 
times imminently fatal nature, and frequently been attended with attacks of extreme suffering, 



526 A SKETCH OF THE 

which were borne with the quiel fortitude characteristic of his family. For a long period he 
had had the management of large business interests of his own, and during the later years of 
his life especially he had become identified with various enterprises and held responsible offices 
in numerous business organizations, both in town and elsewhere. "At the Time of his death 
he was a Director of the First National Bank of Pawtucket and the North Attleboro' National 
Bank of North Attleboro*. President of the Industrial .Mutual Fire Insurance Co. of 
Boston, Vice-President of the Cotton and Woolen Manufacturers Mutual Fire Insurance 
Co., Treasurer of the Attleboro' Branch Railroad, and held positions of trust in various other 
concerns. He was also a member of the Boston Home Market club, and of Squantum club and 
other social organizations." 

Until he was more than threescore years and ten he led a life of the greatest activity — one 
which was suited to him, and which his varied interests necessitated; one, too, in which his 
own physical endurance had never been a matter of question; then he was suddenly called upon 
In lead a life of the utmost quietness — one filled with hourly watchfulness of himself physic- 
ally; he was compelled to give up his personal attendance upon the duties of one office after 
another, and gradually to assume the dreary monotonous role of an invalid. To few natures 
would such a necessity prove more tedious and irksome than to a busy, energetic one like his, 
yet he bore the severe trial with an unbroken patience, which showed as nothing else could have 
shown his real strength of will and the true force of his character. He never lost his keen 
interesl in the concerns of the community about him or in the affairs of his friends, and he wel- 
comed all who visited him with a cordial pleasure as they brought him news of themselves or 
of the outside world. But he fully understood the meaning of the warnings which reached him, 
so he "set his house in order," and with steady calmness faced death as he daily drew nearer, 
yielding himself without the shadow of a struggle when the final summons came. 

Lengthened words of praise are not needed in writing of Mr. Daggett, for his life is well 
known to his fellow-townsmen, and the great business he built up, the church he so materially 
assisted, and the results of his many generous acts are better memorials than any printed eulo- 
gies. His funeral was attended at his residence on March 3, the presence of many friends and 
offerings of beautiful flowers testifying to the estimation in which he was held. He was buried 
in Mount Hope Cemetery. Another prominent, honorable, and much-needed citizen has passed 
away, and alas! another who leaves behind no son to bear his name.] 

Homer M. Daggett, twin brother of the above, was born January 27, 
1821. After the district school he attended Day's Academy in Wrentham, 
the North Attleborongh Academy under Isaac Perkins for a time, and later 
went to the Worcester High School. His schooldays, however, came to an 
end early, as in 1837, at the age of (sixteen, he began to work for himself. 
His first occupation was that of a clerk in the old Falls store and he continued 
it until 1849. At that time the partnership with his brother was formed. 
Thev first bought out the Browns, who were occupying and operating a part 
of the Falls mill, and subsequently they bought the entire property, which 
then comprised the greater portion of the village. They continued the part- 
nership, carrying on their manufacturing there or at the Farmers, until about 
L855. Three years previous to this date Mr. Daggett had removed his resi- 
dence from the Falls to the Farmers, where he has ever since resided in a 
house built by one of the Bliss brothers when they owned that mill and 
village. 

In 1860 he was elected cashier of the Attleborongh Bank, and remained 
in the position until 1872. During this time there was quite an excitement in 
town over an attempt to rob the bank. Mr. Daggett was awakened one night 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 527 

bv an unusual sound, the mewing of a cat in his sleeping-room. His first 
thought was for the bank keys, and going to the places where they were kept 
he found some of them gone : this was before the days of combination locks, 
and keys were rather large and ponderous. Examination speedily showed 
that the house had been entered and gone over, many articles were scattered 
about and some were found on one of the outer doorsteps, and quite an 
amount of personal money taken. Fortunately, a large sum secreted in the 
house, to be taken the following day to Boston, was not discovered. The 
neighborhood was quickly aroused, and the cashier with several of the gentle- 
men started for the bank, then at North Attleborough. The keys taken 
proved not to be the outside ones, and the building was found intact, the 
would-be burglars having neglected to provide themselves with any means of 
effecting a forcible entrance. The missing keys were found near the bank, 
but no trace of the miscreants was ever found. Some story about two kt sus- 
picious looking men," who left a tk stable team " they had hired, tied to a tree 
in an adjoining town, with money for its use fastened to the bridle of the 
horse, floated about for a time, impressing young people with its air of mys- 
tery, but nothing further was heard of this matter. 

After his twelve years of service at this bank Mr. Daggett again became 
a manufacturer, and for a few years he carried on business at the Farmers 
and at Deautown, making yarn aud knitting cotton, and for a short time 
engaged with his brother in the making of shoestrings. In 1875 he assisted 
in organizing the First National Bank of Attleborough, was elected its first 
cashier, and has never been superseded in this office. In these days of 
absconding bank officers and times of ''turning over" public moneys for 
private benefit it is worthy of note that a cashier has retained his position 
for a quarter of a century and has during all that time possessed the 
unquestionable confidence of his brother officers and the entire community, 
beyond the shadow of a doubt. In 1859 Mr. Daggett was elected Senator in 
the State Legislature, and served one term. For many years he has been 
a deacon in the First Baptist Church in North Attleborough, and in whatever 
position he occupies his reputation is the same — that of an unassuming and 
reliable man and citizen, and a dignified, Christian gentleman. 

In May, 1843, he married Angelina Daggett, of this town. She died Octo- 
ber 9, 1885. They have had seven children, four of whom died young. 
Those living are Alice A., Homer M., Jr., and Sanford, the two latter mar- 
ried, and all living in town. 

Lyman White Daggett is a descendant, as are the brothers above men- 
tioned, of the John Daggett who came here from Chilmark about 1711, and 
a direct descendant of the oldest son, Mayhew, who was a deacon, presumably 
in the Baptist Church at North Attleborough. The sou of Mayhew, Elihu, 
was an elder of that faith, and first preacher in the South Baptist Church of 
this town. He was a captain in the provincial militia, " and with two of his 



-328 A SKETCH OF THE 

sods, Mayhew and Ichabod, was engaged in the fight of Col. Bradstreet in 
1758, which resulted in the capture of Fort Frontenac, together with nine 
armed vessels, sixty cannon, sixteen mortars, and a vast quantity of ammu- 
nition.*' The circumstances of the elder's participation in this battle were 
frequently related by another son, Elihu, who was at the time a lad of about 
thirteen : " The two sons had been absent some time in the war, and no news 
had been received from them. The father said, in his anxiety, ' If I hear 
nothing in a week, I will go and find them.' Nothing was heard. He shoul- 
dered his musket, reached the seat of war, found a battle raging, entered the 
action, and after the victory discovered his sons as participants with himself 
in its glory." This lad Elihu, who later evinced a decided aptitude for 
martial pursuits, was born December 4, 1745. He was an adjutant and a 
minute-man in the Revolution, and when the alarm sounded from Bunker 
Hill started at once for the field. He was a farmer, and for many years a 
teacher also. He built the house at the Falls, which is now the residence of 
H. N. Daggett. He died June 14, 1833. Captain Elihu Daggett was his 
sou, and was born February 24, 17<S5. He also became a farmer, but he 
took great pleasure in all military exercises, especially in the training and 
disciplining of soldiers. For a short time during the AVar of 1812 he com- 
manded a company stationed at Plymouth, Mass., and afterwards, when the 
war was over, he was the means of forming the Washington Rifle Corps, 
became its first commander, and to him doubtless was largely due the fact 
that it was " distinguished as one of the finest and best-disciplined companies 
in the brigade." Captain Daggett married Lucinda White, of Pembroke, 
Mass. She was a descendant of Peregrine White. "Her father, Captain 
William White, was a faithful soldier of the Revolution, present at the 
surrender of Cornwallis, and engaged in many battles during that fearful 
struggle." Captain Daggett died January 25, 1871. 

His only son was Lyman W. Daggett, the subject of this sketch, who was 
born July 28, 1812. He attended the schools of this town, and was always 
an eager and earnest scholar. Having received the instruction then afforded 
by these schools, he entered Phillips Academy at Andover, Mass., "enjoyed 
its rich opportunities, faithfully improved the facilities there afforded the 
honest, struggling student, and left with the respect, benediction, and warm 
recommendation of its renowned principal, the late Osgood Johnson, Esq." 
For eight years he was a successful teacher in both public and private schools. 
Then he entered the ministry and became pastor over the Universalist 
Church and Parish in Ilolliston, Mass.. and later preached in Andover, Mass., 
and in Woodstock and Hartland, Vt. As a preacher he was clear and prac- 
tical and as a pastor he was conscientious, faithful, and devoted, willing 
ever " to spend and be spent" in the service of his people. 

June 8, 1842, he was married to Nancy G. Fuller, daughter of John and 
Nancv Fuller, of Wrentham. Mr. Fuller was of a prominent family in that 



HIS TOE T OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 529 

town, and through his mother related to Dr. Jonathan Maxcy, previously 
mentioned in this book. Mr. Daggett had three children, only one of whom 
is living, Cora La R. Daggett. His mother's death occurring in 1847, he at 
that time resigned his pastorate in Hartland and removed to Attleborough 
Falls, where he continues to reside, engaged as his ancestors were "in 
the successful pursuit of agriculture." Like many others in town, he has 
been to a moderate extent in public life, having filled the offices of selectman, 
assessor, overseer of the poor, and town clerk several times, and served often 
as a member of the school committee. In 1851, 1852, and 1853 he repre- 
sented the town in the Legislature. As a member of that body " he was 
a friend and advocate of prohibition, of the mechanics' lien law, of home- 
stead exemption, of the secret ballot, in fine, of all enactments calculated to 
promote home rule, free votes, and honest counts. He has always been 
true to temperance, speaking on all suitable occasions in its advocacy, and 
living in the practice of total abstinence from all intoxicants for more than 
fifty years past." While he has never had a regular pastoral charge since 
returning to this town to reside, he has during those years been at times a 
frequent preacher, not only in the church of which he is a member, but in 
those of other denominations. 

Mr. Daggett is a man of well-balanced character, one whose judgment 
may safely be and is relied ou, and whose actions are consistent with his 
high principles. 1 

DEAN. 

Ephraim Dean was one of the pioneer settlers of this town. He came 
here from Taunton and purchased large tracts of land on which there were 
valuable water privileges. He settled in what is still from him called Dean- 
town. Tradition says that his first day's work on his arrival here began with 
the felling of a tree ; then, strong man as he was, he cried a while — overcome 
for the moment doubtless by the loneliness of his situation ; then he went to 
work to build his camp or hut, using a blanket for the doorway ; and finally, 
all completed, he went to sleep. The next morning no doubt found him 
refreshed and full of renewed courage, ready "to face the situation." He 
took up at first eighty acres, afterward largely increasing this amount, until 
finally he became possessed of about four hundred acres of land. He built 
the mill at Deantown, where nails were manufactured by himself and his sons. 
He married Martha Balcorab, a woman of enterprise as he was a man. She 
was well fitted to assist her husband in his pioneer work and to aid him in 
laving the foundation for his subsequent success. They had four children : 
Asa, Ephraim, Patty, and Sarah. These two sons remained for many years 
on the spot where their father settled. Ephraim was the farmer and Asa 



' Mr. Daggett died January 10, 1892, anil Mrs. Daggett, January 19, 1892. They were buried at 
Mount Hope Cemetery. 



530 .1 SKETCH OF THE 

the mechanic. He was :i wheelwright, carriage-maker, etc., and became 
a leading business man in his time. He was born here in 175'.t. He 
was married twice. His first wife was Phebe Wilmavth, by whom he 
had six children, and the second was Chloe Bourn, by whom he had seven 
children. 

Lyman Washington Dean, one of these seven, was born February 22, 
1805, hence his middle name. His father died December 25, 1815, when he 
was not quite eleven years of age, leaving a large property, consisting, how- 
ever, chiefly of rather unproductive real estate, the care of which and of 
four children devolved upon the mother. Mr. Dean remained on the farm 
for about six years after his father's death, and then his mother removed to 
a factory village near, — probably the Farmers, — where two of the family 
found employment. He himself worked in the mill for eighteen months as 
a mule-spinner, which was then a more honorable position than it is now. 
Although he was under age he was allowed to act for himself, and he had the 
disposal of the money he earned. He has said himself that he failed to 
make proper use of the educational advantages he might have had as a bo} T , 
and as lie advanced in life he felt the consequences of this neglect : but he set 
himself to work to rectify as far as possible what he called the mistake of 
his youth. For one year he followed a varied course of study, first in a 
common school and later in the Wrentham Academy, and such was his 
natural ability for real study and his aptitude to learn that in this short time 
his success was particularly marked, and on leaving the academy he had a 
recommendation to teach English branches in the common-school course. He 
began teaching in Rehoboth, where he satisfied those who employed him ; but 
soon after his mother returned to the old farm and he gave up his situation 
to become its manager for her. From that time for some years, until 1835, 
he worked at farming during the summer and taught during the winter 
months in this town, Taunton, Canton, and Dedham, in all places giving 
satisfaction. 

He married Maryette Ingraham, daughter of Ezra and Eloisa Richardson 
Iugraham, of this town, on April 8, 1833. Mrs. Dean was born here May 31 . 
1*07. Their children were Henry L., born April 17. 1834, died July 3, 1857 ; 
Frank, born December 29, 1837; Sebra Ingraham, born November 4, 1849, 
died November 24, 1849. Henry left one daughter, Mary W., who lived 
with her grandparents until she was sixteen years of age, when she died. 

Mr. Dean was as a young man an earnest supporter of temperance princi- 
ples. In 1835 the proprietors of a temperance hotel in East Attleborough, 
knowing the position he maintained on that question, though probably in 
some degree influenced by their knowledge of Mrs. Dean's abilities for 
managing domestic details, offered the charge of their hotel to him, which he 
accepted. Two years later, in 1837, by a freak of fortune, it is said, he was 
enabled to purchase that even then valuable property. During the same year 




1. Residence of Albert W. Sturdy. 2. Residence of George Asa Dean. 3. Resi- 
dence of -lames J. Horton. 4. Residence of William H. Smith. 5. Resilience of 
John C. Cummings. 6. Resilience of Damon A. White. 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 531 

he took charge of the postoffice, which he held for twenty -four years with 
the exception of a short period. For thirteen years he was agent at the 
railroad station. " Up to 1850, Mr. Dean continued to fill his offices of host, 
station agent and keeper of the postoffice," in which year he was removed 
from the latter office, though to the regret and against the remonstrances of 
many of his fellow-townsmen. The office at that time was worth about three 
hundred dollars a year. About this time he resigned his position as station- 
master — almost a necessity in view of the variety of his other occupations, 
for he kept a livery stable in connection with his hotel and ran a line of 
stages. This was the first line of stages established here and ran " eight 
miles from the railroad station." 

He was for fifteen years a director of the bank, and he held the office of a 
notary public for some time. This was an unsolicited appointment which he 
received from Governor Briggs, and coming thus from his opposing political 
party was complimentary to him as a citizen. Various local public offices 
were from time to time tendered him which he declined to accept. In 1848 
he was for the first time nominated for State Senator, but at that period 
politics were much divided and his election was not secured. The following 
year he was nominated again and refused to accept, but when in 1850 he was 
nominated for the third time he was elected. In 1851-52 he was Sheriff of 
Bristol County under Governor Boutwell. He held the office of a justice 
of the peace for over thirty years ; that of a collector of internal revenue for 
a number of years ; and for some time he has been a collector of pensions and 
bounties, which duties he still attends to. He was formerly a Democrat, but 
kuown as one "of the most liberal stamp" and one never "ashamed or 
afraid to utter his sentiments in behalf of his party tenets." In 1860, how- 
ever, he voted for Abraham Lincoln, and since that time has identified himself 
with the Republican party, though continuing to "maintain the same general 
principles he always advocated " and holding " that the Democratic party has 
left him, not he the party." He was very active in all " war work." He 
made many a stirring speech in the " war meetings," rousing in others some- 
thing of his own enthusiasm ; he urged forward all patriotic measures adopted 
by the town and performed a creditable share in the work accomplished by 
our loyal citizens. He has been one of our prominent public speakers. He 
always had reasons for holding the opinions he adopted ; his arguments were 
good, and if he spoke at all upon any question, it was because he had some- 
thing to say, and he said it plainly and vigorously. Mrs. Dean was also very 
active in work for our soldiers of the Civil War, and she was long known in 
her village for her good works among the needy and sorrowing. " Aunty 
Dean's " words of comfort and cheer, joined always with deeds of kindness, 
will yet long be remembered by their recipients. Advancing years and 
broken health have now compelled them to relinquish their public duties, but 
both Mr. and Mrs. Dean are able to look back over many years of useful 



532 A SKETCH OF THE 

activity and can feel that their lives have not been passed without good results 
in their community and town. 1 

George Asa Dean is also a descendant of Ephraim the pioneer. His 
grandfather was Asa "the mechanic." His father was also named Asa and 
his mother was Lucy Head, of Seekonk. They had three children : Lucy, 
who married William Carnes, of this town; Chloe, who married Deacon 
Atherton Wales, both deceased ; and George A., who was born May 2, 1835. 
He had only the town's common-school advantages, and on January 1, 1857, 
when not quite twenty-two, he entered into partnership with four gentlemen 
as Everett, Dean & Co. in the jewelry business at East Attleborough, where 
he has since continued. This firm, now G. A. Dean & Co., has had many 
changes and Mr. Dean has been for some time the only original member left 
in it. 

In the various movements during more recent years tending toward village 
and town improvement he has taken an active interest — in their favor; but 
from his standpoint, not recognizing division in any present or future aspect 
as a benefit, he strongly opposed that measure. At the organization of the 
Water Supply District he was elected its treasurer and held the office for 
seven years. In LS77 he served a term as a representative to the State 
Legislature. He is one of the directors of the First National Bank, and of 
the Savings and Loan Association. He is also vice-president of the Attle- 
borough Savings Bank and a water commissioner of the Attleborough Fire 
District — positions which in themselves show the standing of a man in his 
community. Mr. Dean also lends a liberal hand to good works, both in his 
church and outside its limits. 

April 15, 1857, he married Bessie B. Richardson, a native of Maine. 
After his prosperity was assured he made for himself a beautiful home. He 
and his neighbor, Mr. Sturdy, were the pioneers in building handsome 
modern houses on South Main Street, and the first in the village to adopt the 
then somewhat novel Queen Anne style. The doors of this attractive house 
have been frequently opened for the entertainment of a large circle of 
friends, with a generous hospitality made charming by the cordial greetings 
and kindly attentions of the affable host and hostess. There have never 
been children here, but it is an especially delightful place for little people to 
visit; and they are always peculiar^ honored guests, everything possible 
being done to minister to their pleasure and make them happy. 

Mr. Dean is frequently called upon to preside at meetings, is often made 
moderator of town meetings and placed upon committees involving the 



'Mr. Dean died at his residence on North Main Street, March 7, lS91,aged eighty-six years and 
twelve days. No special disease attacked him. He had been growing more and more feeble for a 
long time, and finally the lamp of life burned out. Mrs. Dean died December 4, 1892, at the age of 
€ighty-five years, six months, and a few days. Her interest in the world about her continued 
uuabated, and her deeds of goodness and charity ceased only with her life. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 533 

highest matters of public interest, and his judgment is relied on in the 
settlement of estates. So many and so varied duties of a responsible nature 
are continually being placed upon him that he has come to be a very busy 
man in work for private individuals, the community, and the town. He 
never seeks preferment, but he performs all his duties, whether of a public 
or a private nature, quietly, without ostentation, with the courtesy inherent 
in his nature and the dignity becoming his character and position. A 
conscientious man of high principles and strict integrity in every form of 
dealing, no town can well be without his like or number among its citizens 
too many such upright, Christian gentlemen. 

Frank S. Draper was born November 8, 1829, the son of Josiah and 
Mandama Everett Draper. When eighteen years of age he became an 
apprentice of Tifft & Whiting to learn the trade of jewelry making, and at 
the expiration of his time became a member of the firm of Draper, Tifft & 
Co., at Plainville. There was a prosperous existence of ten years' length 
and then Mr. Draper sold out his interest to his partners — the firm name 
being then Draper, Tifft & Bacon. 

In 1862 he enlisted in the Forty-seventh Regiment Massachusetts Volun- 
teers, being mustered into service on September 23 of that year as First 
Lieutenant of Company C. This regiment was sent to New Orleans and on 
August 4 of the following year Mr. Draper received a commission as Captain 
of the Second Louisiana Native Guards. Subsequently he served on General 
Banks' staff, and did good service in every position he occupied. His serv- 
ices to his country as a soldier ended only with the close of the war, when 
he returned to his native village, North Attleborough. About 1866 he 
associated with F. G. Pate and F. S. Bailey, as manufacturing jewelers, 
under the name of Draper, Pate & Bailey. The business had greatly 
increased in 1875, at which time Mr. Pate withdrew and the other partners 
continued as F. S. Draper & Co. In September of that year the firm was 
burned out, but Mr. Draper was too energetic to allow himself to be discour- 
aged by such an experience and immediately began plans for the future. 
He soon purchased the shop which with some changes and additions he 
occupied till his death. In 1877 he bought Mr. Bailey's interest in the 
business and continued alone, though he retained the last firm name. 

In 1851 he married Harriet E. Robinson, by whom he had two sons — 
Josiah E., a member of the firm of Draper & Franklin, and Frank E., a 
physician. Mr. Draper was actively interested in the formation of the First 
National Bank of Attleborough and was one of its directors at the time of 
his death ; in 1877 he was elected vice-president of the Attleborough 
Savings Bank, and retained the office as long as he lived ; for a number of 
years he was treasurer of the North Attleborough Fire District, and about 
1885 was selected as one of the water commissioners. He was a liberal 
promoter of the work of the First Universalist Church and Society. He 



534 A SKETCH OF THE 

was a member of Bristol Lodge of F. and A. M. and of Keystone 
Chapter at Foxborough; lie was a Knight Templar in Holy Sepulchre 
Commanderv of Pawtucket, and was one of the charter members of Bristol 

Commanderv. He was always actively engaged in town affairs, took part in 
public meetings, and did what lay in his power to advance all the best inter- 
ests of the town. The labor question was one which also excited his interest 
and attention, and he was an active member of the Knights of Labor 
organization. In this organization he was decidedly popular, and his death 
called forth very general expressions of sympathy and regret from the 
working people. 

Mr. Draper died August 15, 1886. The funeral was attended at his late 
residence and conducted by Rev. W. F. Potter and Rev. Mr. Alden, the 
latter a personal friend. He was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery by the 
Masonic order. One says of him: "Mr. Draper was a man of marked 
individuality, was deeply interested in public affairs, and was very sympa- 
thetic with the poor and unfortunate. He performed many unostentatious 
kindnesses, many hitherto untold acts of quiet charity, which have caused him 
to be remembered with gratitude by the recipients of his thoughtfulness. 
The spontaneous expressions of sympathy during his illness, aud the general 
regret at his death, are a strong testimonial of his hold upon those around 
him." 

FISHER. 

Joseph Fisher, as may be seen in the accounts of the Old Colony bound- 
aries, was one of the commissioners appointed in 166-1 to run a line between 
Plymouth and Massachusetts colonies. Richard and Samuel, supposed to be 
his sons, " came to Wrentham from Salem about or prior to 1700." Richard 
had two children, of whom Samuel was the oldest and the only son. He 
-was a stonecutter by trade, was a captain of militia in the Revolution, 
being called to the field while attending church with his company." He was 
born in 1732 and died in 1816 at the age of eighty-four. He had five chil- 
dren, of whom Samuel was the oldest, was a stonemason, "and like his 
father, was a diligent, hard working man of honesty and thrift." They were 
the Samuel Fisher c^ Son who made the Angle Tree monument erected in 
1790 on the line between this town and Wrentham. This Samuel third 
married Olive Ellis, daughter of Captain Jabez Ellis frequently mentioned 
in the early part of this town's history. Both were victims of the terrible 
plague of 1816, when so many people of this vicinity died. They had nine 
children. 

Samuel P. Fisher was the third child and second son. He was born in 
Wrentham, August 4, 1795. He attended the common schools, whose 
advantages were then very limited, "and learned the blacksmith's trade of 
Enoch Arnold, under the old system of apprenticeship." In 1818 he came 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 535 

to this town and commenced plying his trade "in a shop near Hatch's 
tavern." His first wife was Charlotte, daughter of Othniel and Chloe 
Blackinton, by whom he had two children, who died. She died in 1832. and 
in the following year Mr. Fisher married Susan G., the daughter of George 
and Judith Guild Blackinton, by whom he had five children — William W. ; 
Carrie A., Mrs. H. S. Somes; Samuel E. ; Charles E. ; and Mary E., Mrs. 
T. E. Sloane, of Brooklyn. Mr. Fisher's blacksmith-shop u was one of the 
old landmarks, and in stage-coach times was a common stopping-place, and 
the only place of the kind in this part of Attleborongh." For thirty-three 
years he carried on this business and then relinquished it to take up that of 
real estate and at the same time to occupy himself with his farm. " He 
was a man of strong convictions and fixed principles," but yielded to others 
when he became satisfied that he held wrong opinions. He belonged to the 
" old line Whig party," and afterward became a Republican. He was an 
active and consistent temperance man and inclined toward Universalism, 
though he never became a church member. " He was a kind husband and 
father, and did for his children all that his means would allow. He was an 
honest man, much respected by his acquaintances, and straightforward in 
everything." His death occurred January 6, 1863, at the age of sixty-seven. 

William W. Fisher is the oldest son of the above by his second wife. 
He was born July 19, 1834. He attended the common schools, and then 
"learned the jewelers' trade," later taking up that business, which he has 
continued ever since, two years only excepted, those being passed in work at 
the Springfield Armory. December 22, 1859, he was married to Nettie, 
daughter of William B. Pilcher, of Norfolk, Va., who died in 1863. In 1*70 
he married Lizzie E., daughter of George Miller, of Easthampton, L. L, by 
whom he has had two children — Mattie L. and Susie M. Mr. Fisher is a 
member of Hampden Lodge of F. and A. M. of Springfield, Mass., of the 
Massachusetts Charitable Association, and one of the firm of S. E. Fisher 
& Co., of North Attleborough. 

Samuel E. Fisher, the second son, was born November 9, 1839. After 
going through the town common schools he attended the Green Mountain 
Liberal Institute at Woodstock, Vt. His first occupation was that of clerk 
for T. A. Barden, which he continued for five years. " During the Rebellion 
he was employed by the United States government as clerk in quartermaster 
and commissary departments in Virginia and Texas." In 1869 he became 
clerk in the New York office of II. F. Barrows & Co., remaining five years, 
when he commenced business for himself in his native village. In this he 
has been successful. His wife, whom he married in 1872, was Georgie S., a 
daughter of Henry Clark, of New Bedford, Mass. Mr. Fisher is a member 
of British Lodge F. and A. M. at North Attleborough, and of King Hiram 
Chapter at Attleborough. 



536 A SKETCH OF THE 

Charles Everett Fisher is the third and youngest son and was born 
January 7. 1842. Me was educated in the town schools and at the Providence 
Conference Seminary at East Greenwich, R. I. He had been in business 
about two years when the war broke out, and he enlisted in Company [, 
Seventh Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. lie served three years 
in the Army of the Potomac and after his discharge was employed by the 
War Department in various positions for four years. Then he received an 
appointment as an internal revenue officer in Virginia. This position he 
resigned in 1870 and the War Department gave him another in the quarter- 
master's department in Arizona. Four years later he was employed in the 
same capacity in Washington, D. C, and continued there until 1882. Upon 
.resigning this latter position he went to Wyoming Territory and became 
interested in the business of cattle-raising, in which he is still engaged. On 
November 7, 1876, he married Mrs. Ilattie F. Pierson, daughter of J. 0- A. 
Tresize, of Philadelphia, lie is president of the Manhattan Cattle Company, 
formed in Cheyenne, Wyoming. 

Charles E. Hatward was the son of Captain Abraham Hayward, who 
followed the seas for at least thirty years. He was captain of a privateer 
during the War of 1812 and a thorough hater of the English. The captain's 
father was Abraham Hayward, a resident of Boston, a clerk of old King's 
Chapel there, beneath which ancient building he is buried. Captain Hay- 
ward became a resident of this town and he married Mariette Daggett, 
by whom he had seven children. The subject of this sketch w T as born at 
North Attleborough, August 28, 1824. He had nothing but the common- 
school education of his day. and when seventeen years old became an 
apprentice to the firm of Tifft & Whiting, remaining with it for five years. 
For the two or three years subsequent to the close of his apprenticeship he 
worked as a journeyman, for two or three more for himself in his native 
village in manufacturing gold settings, and then he removed to the east part 
of the town. 

Here he formed a partnership with several gentlemen, under the firm name 
of Thompson, Hayward & Co. They manufactured first at the Mechanics, 
but soon moved to more suitable quarters in the East village itself. This 
firm continued but four years, though in that time they established a good 
reputation and had a profitable trade. Mr. Hayward then formed the 
partnership with his brother-in-law, Mr. Jonathan Briggs, which continued 
for thirty years, the firm becoming very successful and maintaining always 
the most honorable reputation. In July, 1885, it was dissolved and Mr. 
Hayward's son entered business with his father, under the name of C. E. 
Hayward & Co. Being one of the pioneers in jewelry in this part of the 
town and continuing in it through so long a period, it may readily be seen 
that members of nearly all the firms of East Attleborough have been 
employed by him in some capacity. In 1867 he became one of the four 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOEOUGH. 537 

founders of the New York Watch Company of Providence, which was 
subsequently removed to Springfield, this State. 

Mr. Hayward took a great interest in all matters pertaining to agricultural 
pursuits, stock-raising, fruit-growing, etc., and was one of the prime movers 
in organizing the Attleborough Farmers and Mechanics Association. He was 
one of the first trustees and the second president of the society. He was 
elected to that office, November 3, 1877, and he proved to be so well fitted 
for the position and performed its duties so acceptably that though for 
several 3 7 ears he presented his resignation and announced his refusal of a 
reelection, the society would not listen to the one or accept the other, and he 
remained in the office until his death. Public offices of any kind were never 
desired by him, though he could have had all in the gift of his townsmen 
had he shown the inclination to accept them. If any were thrust upon him, 
he quietly accepted and did the required work well, as the success of the 
town fairs for years testified, a success largely due to his wise forethought 
and good judgment in arrangement and management. He was a highly 
esteemed member of Orient Lodge, No. 107, and of the Royal Arcanum, 
vice-president and director of the First National Bank of Attleborough, 
director in the Attleborough Gaslight Company, and a member of Woodlawn 
Cemetery Association. 

On June 14, 1854, he married Charlotte E., daughter of George and 
Eliza Wheelwright, of Boston, who survives him. 1 They had two children : 
Florence M., Mrs. J. Lyman Sweet, and Walter E., both residents of this 
town. Mr. Hayward was brought up in the faith of the Uuiversalist Church 
and was a firm adherent of its principles and beliefs, though without a shade 
of bigotry, as his liberality toward other denominations proves. " While 
professing very little religion, he practiced a great deal of it, and in a manner 
to win the regard of all Christians, Catholic as well as Protestant." He was 
one of the trustees of the Murray Uuiversalist Parish and one of the leaders 
in the movement to establish a church of that denomination in this part of 
the town. He gave of time and means unsparingly to attain its success 
and to promote the interests of the society, and he occupied a place in it 
which cannot soon be filled. He was a stanch believer in temperance and a 
warm advocate of its cause. 

He was never a robust man, and for many years suffered severely at times 
from asthma. This had increased as he grew older, and in the hope that 
a milder climate might bring some relief he started during the autumn 
previous to his death for California. He stayed there about five months, 
but received no real benefit, rather the reverse ; and when he finally started 
for home health and strength were much reduced. His condition was not 
considered imminently serious until, after taking a severe cold from exposure 



1 Mrs. Hayward has since died. 



538 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

on the wav, he became alarmingly ill and it was feared by the friends accom- 
panying him that he could not survive to reach the journey's end. Where 
possible, medical attendance was obtained, but doubtless it was the quiet 
but none the less resolute determination of the man himself that kept the 
feeble flame burning in his lamp of life until home "was reached and the care 
which had rested heavily upon him uninterruptedly for so many long years 
could be transferred to others. This done, the failing strength refused to 
rally again and the flame burned quickly out. Friends " had planned to 
give Mr. Hayward a grand welcome " on his return, but instead, in a few 
days they gathered to pay the last earthly honors to his lifeless form. He 
died May 4, 1886, the upright man. the kind friend, the valuable citizen, the 
devoted husband, the loving father, the consistent Christian. The funeral 
was attended at his late residence, shops were closed, and business in the 
village was generally suspended while its people gathered together in throngs 
to show their sympathy and respect. His own pastor, the pastor of the First 
Universalist Church, and Rev. Mr. Illman. a former pastor, joined in 
conducting the sad services. All the organizations of which he was a 
member were represented, and the members followed him to his last resting- 
place in Woodlawn Cemetery, where " all that was mortal of one of the 
kindest and best men Attleboro' has known, was forever hid from sight.'' 

A few extracts from the resolutions passed upon his death are here 
given : — 

Resolved: That the Attleborough Farmers & Mechanics Association recognize with grateful 

pleasure Mr. Hay wanl's eminent ami faithful services in its behalf, and to the varied industries 
of this his native town. 

Resolved: That in the loss of an associate so upright, so genial, so helpful and so careful for 
others, we. the members of this Association, all feel a deep sense of personal bereavement. 

At a special meeting of the First National Bank the following was adopted:— 

Whereas, In the Providence of God, death has removed from our Board of Directors, Mr. 
Charles E. Hayward, whose membership commenced with the organization of the bank, 
therefore 

Resolved, That we desire to put upon record our appreciation of Mr. Hayward. and that 
we deeply feel his loss. In our long intercourse with him, not only as Director, but also as a 
citizen, he wou by uniform courtesy and gentlemanly bearing our highest esteem. Pure in life 
and honorable to the highest degree, gentle and sympathetic in his nature, he made fast friends 
with all who knew him. 

/// Memoriam. 

Whereas, God in his infinite wisdom and alwaj - wise (although to us mysterious) providence, 
has removed by death our beloved employer, Charles E. Hayward, we, his employes, would 
hereby publicly express our deep grief for the great loss which we have individually suffered 
by reason of his death. We feel that we have not only lost a beloved employer, but an individ- 
ual friend, one who was ever mindful of our wants, ever ready to give us advice and counsel 
when needed, and whose liberal hand was ever ready to lighten the burdens of life when they 
were weighing heavily upon us. He was a kind employer, a true friend, and an honest man; 
and the memory of his goodness and virtues will be with us as a pleasant remembrance to the 

end of life. 

Signed, 

The Employes of C. E. Hayward & Co. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 539 

It had been a pleasant custom with Mr. Hayward for some years to provide cooling refresh- 
ments for the Grand Army on Memorial Day, and they always made a halt at his residence to 
accept this grateful attention. In remembrance of this courtesy the following was placed 
among the Memorial Day General Orders for 1886 : — 

In recognition of the kindly interest ever shown in the welfareof this Post, by our late fellow 
citizen Charles E. Hayward. and as a mark of respect to his memory, it is hereby ordered that 
while passing his late residence, on Memorial Day, the band shall play a dirge, and the colors be 

dipped. By order, 
1 l E. D. Guild, Commander. 

T. H. Annable, Post Adjutant. 

This same custom has been remembered on both the Memorial Day anniversaries since the 

father's death, and been carried out by the thoughtful son. 

Mr. Hayward was a man who attended to his own affairs and never 
meddled with those of others ; but if his advice and counsel were asked, they 
were freely given, and probably no one in town was oftener thus sought than he. 
As he was quiet and unassuming in his words and ways, so he was in his 
deeds — his life was full of unobtrusive acts of kindness and helpful charity, 
many of which became known only when he was dead. The following 
extracts are taken here and there from the many sincere tributes paid to 
him soon after his death : — 

He was universally respected, of sterling worth, of strict integrity, of pure ideas, of gentle 
yet active influence. Without any undue exertion in his life work he made a healthful impres- 
sion on the community, and in the affairs to which he lent his aid. With no events of great 
prominence in his history, he maintained such an even disposition, such a faithful performance 
of his various duties, such an open nature towards his fellow-men, he performed so many little 
kindnesses and so many helpful deeds, that all feel his was a well rounded life, and that every 
one has lost a friend. 

•• In all respects." says another. " he was a model man. and bis death is universally regarded 
as the greatest personal loss his town could experience." Again. — -'In the death of Mr. 
Charles E. Hayward, Attleborough loses one of its most prominent and exemplary citizens. 
He was a man of spotless integrity, fair and candid in his judgments, generous and charitable 
toward all. His death will fall heavily upon his bereaved family, the organizations with which 
he was connected, and heavily too, in homes of poverty which his quiet and unobtrusive 
charity had ofttimes brightened. His influence will remain a constant reproof to the cheap 
ostentation and questionable business methods too prevalent in our times." 

Justly entitled to the strong testimonials to his worth and strength of character, the peculiar 
feature of his nature was the manner in which he made every one feel that he entered sympa- 
thetically into his thoughts and needs and plans. Never obtruding counsel but always willingly 
and kindly giving it. never pushing for self-advantage but always ready to do his part, he made 
hi- influence more personal than that of almost any other man among us. His success in life, 
the result of frugal and industrious habits, should be a lesson to all young men looking eagerly 
forw aid to unacquired future prosperity. His purity of life and gentle ways show what force 
there may be in quiet assertion of manly dignity, and earnestness of purpose. He was not 
perfect for he was human, yet but few men exhibit so little of the weakness and failings of 
humanity as he, while such devotion as he manifested to the duties and trials that devolved 
upon him is rarely seen. Were he able to speak, he would deprecate with modesty the praise 
that is bestowed upon him. But gone forever from mortal sight, it is simple justice to pay the 
tributes of respect and affection which are being wreathed about his memory. 

One who knew him most intimately says : — 

" His disposition was very even, and I never remember that he was cross or nervous, amid all 
his perplexities, even when his children tried him in the various aggravating ways common to 



540 -4 SKETCH OF THE 

childhood; and after that period he seemed more a companion to them than a parent. His life 
was a busy one and full of care from the time that he was sixteen years old, — for be always 
did a great deal for both relatives and friends. His success was due to industry, and to mechan" 
ical skill, of which lie possessed a goodly share. The decline of his fortunes was owing to his 
having so many friends to whom he never refused aid when they solicited. His life was one. 
of many cares and few enjoyments, and I am well convinced that care rather than disease 
caused his death." Another, who knew him well from his youthful days to the end of his life, 
paid not long since a beautiful tribute to his domestic character. In speaking of a well-known 
publication the person said: "I sometimes think I too would like from my own experience 
to write a hook called • Household Saints.' I have known about six in my life, and one of them 
was Charles E. Hayward." 

Mr. Hayward's was indeed a life of rare unselfishness, and like the Master 
"he went about doing good." Rut, after summing up all he accomplished, 
his manifold kind acts, his public and private liberality, his business reputa- 
tion, his financial prosperity, his high position in the community and the 
town, and his equally high standing wherever he was known, it remains to be 
said that the most remarkable feature of his whole life, that which portrays 
most clearly the greatest element in his character, his real pure, unselfish- 
ness, was his patient, cheerful, unceasing, unwearied devotion through twenty- 
five years to his wife, a hopeless invalid. Less he might have done, and yet 
have done his whole duty ; more he could not have done, for at last he gave 
his life. A generation numbers few such men as he. 

HOLMAN. 

This family is of Welsh origin, the founders in this country being two 
brothers, who came with their family from "Wales to the Bermuda Islands in 
1670, and were there later seized by a pressgang. (These gangs were 
squads of men who went from place to place and by force put men and boys 
on board English vessels, where they were compelled to serve the English 
government.) Their ship being at one time near Newburyport, Mass., these 
brothers, Solomon and John, managed to escape, and so renounced British 

rule. Solomon settled in Newbury, this State, " married Miss of old 

York, and had four sons and three daughters." He and his family were 
among the original proprietors of that town. Edward was his second son, 
and he married Hannah Emory, of Newbury. They had eleven children, six 
sons and five daughters. Of these sons David was the third, and he married 
Lucy Thurston, of Uxbridge, Mass. He appears to have settled in the 
adjoining town of Sutton, in that part now known as Millbury, and here 
some at least of his twelve children were born. Nathan was the third sou 
in this family, the first of the name in this town, to which he came as pastor 
of the Second Congregational Church, and is mentioned in the preceding 
account of that church and society. He married Lettice Morey, of Norton, 
by whom lie had three children, two sons and one daughter, Mary H., who 
married Colonel Mason Stone, of Norton. She was his second wife, and 
after their marriage removed with him to Wisconsin. He was one of the 



HISTORY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. 541 

prominent members of the Congregational Church at Norton, and became a 
pioneer in forming a similar church in Prescott, Wis., where he first settled, 
and where he was for many years one of the deacons. This was in the days 
when log huts formed the dwelling-places of the people in that section, and 
the carrying on of such work under the rough and rude circumstances that 
surrounded him shows the real, earnest character of the man. Mr. Stone 
served in the army, and died in Ellsworth, Wis., December 3, 1887. His 
wife had died some years previous. Two sons and two daughters survive in 
Wisconsin, and William M. Stone, of this town, is another son, but by the 
first marriage. 

Samuel Morey Holman, the oldest son of Rev. Nathan Holman, was 
born in this town, December 1, 1803. He received his education here, 
besides that afforded by the town schools probably receiving some instruction 
from his father, who for a number of years had a school in the East village. 
He gave instruction in the classics, and was a man of decided acquirements 
in the way of learning. After leaving school Mr. Holman became a farmer 
on his father's property, and has ever since continued in that occupation, his 
residence being on the home place only a few rods from the one built and 
occupied by the father, and later by the brother. Some sixty-odd years ago 
he was the postmaster, the second regular one appointed for the village. He 
has also at times held the offices of selectman, assessor, and overseer of the 
poor. He was a member of the famous Washington Rifle Corps, and is a 
member of the Odd Fellows organization. He has attained the very unusual 
age of eighty-six, and is among the very oldest citizens of the town. He 
has seen two generations pass away, and another advance far on its course, 
yet his faculties are but little abated. He retains them to a remarkable 
degree, and his memory goes back clearly for three quarters of a century, 
to the War of 1*12, of which time, and the years immediately succeeding, 
he recalls many interesting incidents, which he relates with the charm of 
manner characteristic of his family. His life has been an uneventful one. 
He has been fired by no restless ambition to do something great or to 
attract attention to himself, but, satisfied with the groove in which his lot 
was cast, it has been his aim just to do his duty as it presented itself day 
by day and year by year. Content with the moderate measure of worldly 
goods meted out to him, bearing his trials and accepting his joys alike 
with equanimity, he has walked his even way calmly and steadily, amid all 
the startling changes that have taken place around him during his nearly 
fourscore years and ten. Such men command the respect of everybody, 
and at all times the healthful influence of their evenly balanced lives is use- 
ful ; and especially is this true nowadays, when a rushing excitement and a 
continual demand for something new are prevailing elements of our Amer- 
ican society. 

Mr. Holman has been married twice. His first wife was a Miss Lincoln, 



542 A SKETCH OF THE 

of Norton, who died. April 14. 1860, he married Christina A. Hamlin, of 
West Falmouth. Mass. They have one son. 1 

Samuel M. Hoi. man. Jr., was born January 1 , 1862. He fitted for college 
and Graduated at Amherst, intending to enter one of the professions, but 
was obliged to relinquish the idea on account of his health. He therefore 
decided to settle at home. He is a dealer in real estate, and also in wood 
and coal. January 1, 1886, he was married to Virtue E. Swift, of West Fal- 
mouth. They have one child, Grace Morey Holman. 2 

David Emory Holman, younger brother of the above, was born October 
12. 1X05, in the house where his entire life, with the exception of a few years, 
was passed. After the town schools he attended the Wrentham Academy, 
then well known and of excellent repute. Many Attleborough boys of that 
and a later period were students there, and, while we do not doubt they pur- 
sued their studies as good boys should, we are sure from the reminiscences we 
have heard that some of them at least were zealous in the pursuit of sport and 
highly successful in the playing of pranks. His fun-loving nature would 
place David Holman in the ranks of these merry lads, but his " jokes " would 
oever absorb him to the neglect of duty or the serious annoyance of anyone, 
no matter how sensitive. After completing his studies he became a teacher, 
and as such met with good success. All who knew him would say this could 
scarcely be otherwise. He would have a most agreeable way of imparting 
instruction, good-humored patience in assisting the dull or urging the indo- 
lent pupils, and he could illustrate every knotty point or gloomy passage with 
an "experience," and fix facts and dates in treacherous memories with some 
apt, interesting story. He did not follow this profession of teaching, but 
entered business. The manufacture of straw bounets had about this time 
commenced in this town or the vicinity, and he became interested in it. 
Later he openefl a store in the Arcade, in Providence, and at the same time 
continued his bonnet-making. 

In 1835-36 he was a representative to the Legislature. He was at this time 
only thirty years of age, the youngest man ever sent from this town, and one 
of the youngest, if not the very youngest, ever sent to that body. It is rare 
that the choice falls upon one so youthful, and when it does so fall it must 
show that the recipient of the honor has unusual ability. Mr. Holman joined 
the Washington Rifle Corps and when quite young became its captain, filling 
the position admirably. Upon the breaking out of the Rebellion he at once 
enlisted, and on June 15, 1861, received his commission as Major of the 



1 Mr. Holman died March 10, 1891, haying reached the extreme age of eighty -seven years, three 
months, ami nine days. 

2 They have had three children, the youngest of whom died. The second is a son, now Samuel M.,. Jr. 
Mr. Holman lias within a tew years commenced to take interest in town affairs, and been elected to 
office, lie is at present the tax collector, 1893. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 543 

Seventh Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers. He soon took the field with his 
regiment, but not long after he sustained a sunstroke ami returned home. 
This accident rendered a temporary leave of absence from active duty not 
only advisable but necessary, but was not of itself and alone sufficient to 
prevent his returning to his regiment. Major Holman resigned his commis- 
sion at the time he left the front, in August, 1861. His health was the reason 
made public, but the actual, underlying cause was jealousy manifested in 
the gross misrepresentation of certain facts. He had too keen a sense of 
honor and justice to retain an apparently false position, therefore he resigned, 
but with the hope and desire of being able to rejoin his regiment. He was 
subjected to much unjust criticism at home, accused of enlisting simply to 
induce others to do the same, and not from patriotic motives, and charged 
with cowardice and with seizing the first possible pretext for turning his back 
upon the enemy. He bore all these censures — these stigmas upon his char- 
acter and courage — silently, because to tell the truth would have been to 
expose the unworthy conduct of others and their unjust treatment of him. 
He could endure reproach no matter what the cost to himself, but he could 
not stoop to retaliate. To " bear and forbear" was his invariable rule, and 
he indulged in no word of recrimination toward his accusers. He who has 
so far mastered himself as to be able to follow such a line of conduct as this 
uudeviatingly has reached a high plane of living, and few attain it. To 
become a soldier did not change Major Holman's genial nature ; he was 
always the same polite and affable gentleman. He recognized nothing- 
derogatory to the dignity of an officer in the holding of friendly intercourse 
with the ranks when proper occasions offered. He always had a kind and 
cheery greeting for everyone in his regiment, for the subalterns, the privates, 
and the servants. This simple and to him natural politeness gained for him 
the goodwill and affection of the men, but at the same time caused jealousy 
among a few of the higher officers, who doubtless wished themselves to gain 
the same goodwill of the men but were unable or unwilling to pursue the 
same course, and they were ungenerous and unmanly enough to plot his 
removal. During the very early days of the war, petty personal matters 
played often quite important parts in army life, and sometimes, as in this 
instance, were never properly adjusted, and the blame fell where it was 
undeserved ; but later, in the days of real struggling and lighting and deadly 
suffering, these were mostly let to fall into oblivion. There was in reality 
never a shadow of reason to doubt Major Holman's bravery or his true 
patriotism. This is the testimony of an officer in the Seventh Regiment, him- 
self a brave and loyal man, and able to appreciate those qualities in another. 
It is from him that the facts in the case have been received, and it is with a 
real personal pleasure they are here given to the public. 

The following resolutions, and their acknowledgment by Major Holman, 
speak for themselves : — 



544 A SKETCH OF THE 

Headquarters Tth. Reg. Mass. Vol. Co. I, 
Washington, D. C, Aug. 29th, 1861. 

Resolved — That by the resignation of Maj. David Hoi man, and Lieut. Win. W. Fisher, of 
Attleboro', we have met with a loss which is most deeply felt by us all. 

Resolved — Thai by the mild, gentlemanly deportment, and unexceptionable character, which 
they have invariably sustained while here, they have gained the love and esteem of all with 
whom they came in contact. 

Resolved- That we do most heartily approve of the manly spirit which prompted their 
resignation, ami trust that their reception at home will be such as is due t<> men of unquestioned 
bravery, who early and earnestly devoted themselves to their country's call. 

Voted — That a copy of these Resolutions be forwarded to the Atlleboro'' Weekly News, and 
also to the Taunton Gazette, for publication. 

Attleboro' Sept. 9th, 1S61. 
My dear sir. 

Allow me to thank you, and through you, your companions in arms, for the complimentary 
resolutions referring to myself and Lieut. Fisher, which appeared in the Taunton Gazette of 
last week, — be assured though far away from you, your manly forms seem always passing 
before me. Your cheerful recognition as we met can never be forgotten by me, and will ever 
be remembered with pleasure. — but the event that separated us has caused me more sorrow 
than any other event of my life, — in the delirium of the moment I did not think of the sad 
consequences that would follow my resignation. — that I was to pass away from you alone, — 
for I had fondly hoped that when our work was done that I should have the pleasure of pre- 
senting you all to our friends at home. But this 1 fear is not now to be my pleasant lot, — 
though I have sometimes vainly hoped that something might occur to send me back to you 
again. Once again I thank you, and as you pass about the camp, please remember me kindly to 
all. not forgetting even the servants. 

Yours truly, 

D. E. Holman. 

This letter was addressed to Lieutenant William II. Wade, then a sergeant 
in Company I. It should silence all doubt as to the writer's wish to return 
to his regiment, as the resolutions should prove the uprightness of his 
conduct. 

All prospect of his being able to return to his command having come to 
an end, he went soon after to England. The climate of that country proved 
agreeable and beneficial to him and he removed his straw-works to London, 
where he continued his manufacturing in this line for quite a number of 
years. He retired from active business in 1873, and during the remaining 
ten years of his life he lived quietly at the old homestead and interested 
himself in the personal care of his farm lands. 

" In person Maj. Holman was of commanding presence, being tall, 
vigorous in frame, and of marked military bearing. His stalwart form which 
never seemed that of an old man, has often attracted notice in the proces- 
sions on Memorial Day ; he was a member of W. A. Streeter Post, G. A. R., 
and always joined them in their memorial offices." He was an unusually 
courteous man, — one of great urbanity of manner, but withal perfect sincerity. 
He possessed friendly feelings for all mankind, hatred was a thing unknown 
to his nature. He was always saying pleasant words, always doing kind 
deeds. His manners, — the same to all classes, high or low, rich or poor — 
never changed because they were a portion of himself. He was brought up 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 545 

in the old school of politeness, when children were taught to treat their elders 
and superiors with respect, — to rise when their parents or elders entered 
a room where they were, " to bow to aged people and strangers in the streets, 
to formulate a polite speech when sent out on an errand, and to answer every 
one, even their own parents, with 'yes, ma'am,' and 'yes, sir'"; but, back 
of and beyond all outward training and example was the something innate 
which made him 6ne of " nature's noblemen," — a born gentleman. 

His social qualities were very uncommon. The tones of his voice were 
musical and expressive, his choice of words apt, his language refined, aud 
his mind was stored with countless incidents and experiences which he had 
the faculty of appropriating readily to whatever might be the subject of 
conversation. He made himself agreeable to young and old alike, and 
became a chief attraction in whatever circle he entered. His faculty for 
telling stories was indeed remarkable, and the fund was apparently inex- 
haustible. Each one had a special point, and fitted with such peculiar exact- 
ness the place into which he put it that it made a description perfect, which 
without it would have seemed unfinished, or a question discussed quite clear, 
that, wanting such an anecdote to explain it, might have been misunderstood. 
There is an old house in town at whose fireside in the years gone by Major 
Holman was a frequent and always a welcome visitor, for he and its owner 
were lifelong intimate friends. Again and again, after spending an hour or 
two there engaged in business talk or pleasant chat, he has risen and pre- 
pared to return home by putting on his greatcoat, but before he could get 
it buttoned some amusing anecdote would suddenly occur to him proper to 
relate just then and there, and this would pave the way for another and 
another and another, and leaning on the chimneypiece, hat in hand, he has 
told story after story, himself and his listeners thoroughly absorbed and 
interested and totally oblivious of the lapse of time until the clock-hands 
pointed closely to the small hours of the morning. His style was inimitable ; 
it was quiet and not dramatic, and his face in repose was somewhat serious, 
but it was easily lighted up : and the playful twinkle of his eye as he pro- 
ceeded with his tale, and his low but hearty laugh, spread an irresistible 
contagion of merriment all around. 

Charming and entertaining as a guest, he was equally so as a host. From 
the first the " Holman house" has been known as an " open house," one of 
general and generous entertainment. Among the pleasantest of the many 
pleasant records found on the clerk's book of the Washington Rifle Corps 
are those relating to certain meetings just preceding the sham fight near the 
East village, which some of the old people still remember. Mr. Holman, 
then captain, announced to the company that on the day of the tight '-they 
could dine at father's," and we are told that this invitation was gladly 
accepted and that some thirty or forty men sat down to a bountiful repast 
just before the battle. The mantle of the father fell upon the son, and the 



54 C A SKETCH OF THE 

reputation be established in this direction was well maintained. Indeed tbe 
hospitable doors of that mansion were never closed ; a room in it was 
always ready for strangers, — clergymen or lecturers, whoever they might be, 
— while a large circle of relatives and friends were always gathering within 
its walls, as well as the simple acquaintances at home and from abroad. All 
who crossed that threshold received a cordial welcome which placed them at 
their ease, while host and hostess vied with each other in their charming, 
graceful way to make the hours pass pleasantly for their guests. During 
many years this house was the centre of hospitality in the village, and sad 
indeed w:ts that event which broke up this pleasant home and made those days 
of bright social intercourse only things of the past. 

Mr. Holman was especially fond of his family and home, and the ties of 
kinship were with him peculiarly strong and binding. For eighty years he 
and his brother lived side by side —sometimes in the same house — with 
a loving fellowship and a close unanimity which are very rare. He had 
deep and decided religious feelings, but never fashioned his creed exactly 
after the pattern of any one special sect, and therefore never identified him- 
self wdth any church as a member. His last illness, which was caused by 
a disease of the heart, confined him to the house about four w r eeks, but was 
not considered imminently fatal until two days before his death. His cheer- 
fulness triumphed over all suffering ; to the very last his mind recalled bright 
reminiscences, and his ready tongue responded, bringing smiles to the lips of 
physician and attending friends, though all realized the seriousness of the 
situation. To such a man death is not a "king of terrors," but simply 
an inevitable experience to be met with the same undisturbed serenity as are 
the ordinary affairs of daily life. Major Holman died December 10, 1883, 
and thus one of the most honorable of men and one of the most worthy 
citizens the town has ever had passed away. 

In 1848 he married Charlotte J. Balcom, who since his death has removed 
to New York City to reside. They had three children : a daughter, who died 
young, and two sons. Of these S. Frank, the younger, is an artist, and for 
some years has spent the greater portion of his time in Paris, France, where 
he lias been a pupil in L'Ecole des Beaux Arts. His residence in this coun- 
try is with his brother in New York. [He has attained a considerable 
reputation.] 

D. Emory Holman, m.d., the older son, was born April 17. 1852. He 
attended the public schools in town, graduating at the High School, and then 
took the course at the Mowry & Goff Preparatory or Classical School, in 
Providence. He entered Brown University and graduated there with the 
degrees of A.B. and A.M. in 1876. He received his medical degree from the 
Long Island College Hospital in 1880. He was a Deputy Health Officer of 
Low r er Bay, N. Y., in 1884, and has been a member of the Health Board of 
New York City, in which place he has been practising his profession during 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 547 

the several years since he obtained bis degree. In December, 1886, he 
married Sarah Palmer Round, daughter of Dr. Round, of Norton. 

Handsome, brilliant, and accomplished, she had made for herself friends 
and admirers wherever she had been. During the few months of her resi- 
dence in New York she had especially endeared herself to her new family bv 
her lovely character, and by her attractive qualities she had won for herself 
numerous friends there and become a favorite to an unusual degree for one 
so young entering an entire stranger into the society of so large a city. She 
had more than common literary ability, as her contributions to the papers of 
a literary society of which she was a member showed, as well as her transla- 
tions from foreign works. Bright anticipations of usefulness and happiness 
filled her future ; but death soon "marked her for his own," and so swiftly 
and ruthlessly did he follow his fatal messenger of disease that its presence 
was scarcely realized before his final blow was struck. Human skill was 
powerless, and in a few hours the sparkling, heathful life had gone out 
struck down like a vigorous and beautiful flower blasted by the breath of 
some poisonous vapor. With the body of her infant son in her arms she was 
borne to her country home and thence to the Old Kirk Yard here, where in 
the gloom and chill of a sunless October afternoon she was laid in her grave. 
The sombre surroundings were fitting, for this spot so wonted to sad sights 
never witnessed a sadder burial than this, and we may be pardoned for plac- 
ing here a word of tribute and an expression of sorrow for the sudden ending 
of this fair young life just as it had begun. 

HORTON. 

The first thing known of the Horton family is the fact that about 1640 
three brothers of that name came to this country from England. One of 
these was John, who settled in Rehoboth and married Mehetabel Gamzey, 
by whom he had five sons and three daughters. Jotham, the second son and 
child, married a Miss Rounds aud had seven children. Of these the third 
child and oldest son was James. He and a younger brother, Barnett, " lived 
in Rehoboth, and served in the Revolution, James being lieutenant." He 
was born July 18, 1741, aud died August 10, 1833. He was a vigorous and 
active man, as is evidenced by the fact that he attained the remarkable age 
of ninety-two. His wife was Freelove Pierce, or Price, and they had eleven 
children, all of whom lived to be old, with the exception of two. Cromwell, 
the second sou but eighth child, was born February 23, 1777, and died in 
1861. He married Percy Martin and had seven children. Of these Gideon 
M. was the second son and child and was born in Rehoboth, May 4, 1804. 
He married Mary Smith, November 4, 1832, by whom he had four children : 
Everett S., Edwin J., Gideon M., and James J. His second wife was Mrs. 
Julia Jackson, of Middleborough, Mass. He died in this town — the first to 
settle here — March 7, 1861. v 'He was an upright man and honest citizen, 



548 A SKETCH OF THE 

ever ready to aid and forward any good work. He kept a country store in 
Attleborough for years. He was never possessed of much of this world's 
goods, but gave his children the wealth of good advice and the example of 
honest industry, coupled with true charity and Christian devotion, a legacy 
more precious than gold." 

Everett Southard Horton, of the sixth generation in this country, and 
the oldest child in his family, was born June 15, 1836. He attended school 
until he was sixteen, when he became assistant in his father's store. He 
occupied that position until the father's health failed, when he took entire 
charge of the business and continued it until after the breaking out of the 
war. On June 12, 1861, he was married to Mary Ann Carpenter, only 
daughter of Jesse R. and Mary Carpenter, of this town. Their only child 
was Mary Edith — Mrs. Thomas Gardner, of this town. 

During the spring of 1862, having disposed of his business, Mr. Horton 
with others recruited a company of nine months' men, and on the election of 
its officers in September of the same year he became its second lieutenant, 
soon receiving his commission from Governor Andrew. His natural earnest- 
ness and resolution showed themselves in this new occupation, for he quickly 
mastered the drill and learned his duties as an officer. He went into cam}) 
with his company at Boxford, this State, where in September. 1862, they 
were mustered into the United States service as Company C, Forty-seventh 
Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. They were soon ordered to 
New York and into camp on Long Island, from thence, in December, 
embarking for New Orleans, La., where they arrived January 1, 1863, and 
were assigned with other regiments to provost duty in and around that city. 
Upon the resignation of the captain of Company C, which occurred about 
this time, Lieutenant Horton, " by a large majority of the votes of the 
company," was chosen his successor. This nine months' service was ex- 
tended to nearly a year, for it was not until August, 1863, that Captain 
Horton reached home with his men. The following letters show the estima- 
tion in which he was held by his superior regimental officers : — 

Boston, September 14th, 18(33. 
Capt. Everett S. Horton, 
Co. C, 47th Mass. Vol. 
Dear Capt. 
It gives pleasure for me to certify to your good conduct and prompt obedience of orders, and 
I most cheerfully recommend you as one well qualified to command a company, being well 
posted in Casey's Tactics, with good natural, as well as acquired abilities as a commander, and 
trust that the country may still have your services. 

I remain, Very truly yours, 

Lucius B. Marsh, Col. 
47th. Mass. Vol. 

Boston, Sept. 16th, 1863. 
Captain, 

In parting from you permit me to express my appreciation of your services while under my 

command. Geu'l Banks and Gen'l Emery have both authorized me to say the same for them 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 549 

in regard to the 47th Regiment and its conduct while in the department of the Gulf. May tin- 
choicest of heaven's blessings ever rest upon you and those who have been under your com- 
mand is the prayer of 

Your Ob't Servant, 

Lucius B. Marsh, Col. 
47th. Mass. Vol. 
To 
E. S. Horton, Capt. 
Co. C, 47th. Mass. Vol. 

Very soon after bis return came Governor Andrew's call for more troops, 
and Mr. Horton responded again, receiving a commission as second lieutenant 
and the position of recruiting officer for the Fifty-eighth Massachusetts 
Volunteers. He opened an office in town but was soon ordered to camp to 
take charge of recruits for the regiment there. Here he was commissioned 
" Capt. of Co. C, 58th. Reg. Mass. Vet. Vol." After about six months in 
camp at Readville he went to the front and became a participant in the mem- 
orable "Battles of the Wilderness." "After the battle of Cold Harbor, 
Lieut. Col. J. C. White, commanding the regiment, recommended Capt. 
Horton for promotion, and he was mustered into service as major. The 
commander of the regiment was wounded in a charge June 3d, and until 
Sept. 30, 186-4, the command devolved on Maj. Horton. On the last men- 
tioned day, while leading the regiment in action a few miles south of Peters- 
burg, he was made a prisoner, and October 3d, reached Richmond and 
Libby." He was confined there uutil October 8, then sent to Salisbury, 
N. C, where he remained until the 19th, and finally to Danville, Va., where he 
was kept until January 27, 1865. At that time he was selected as a hostage 
and sent back to Libby, where on Februaiy 22, literally a birthday of freedom 
to him and his companions, he and many others were paroled aud sent to the 
Union lines. 

The following are his own words in describing the horrors of Libby : 
" Pen never can write the whole truth, and if it could be told, no one could 
believe that it was possible for men to survive it, or possible that any one in 
the 19th century could be guilty of such barbarities." Again his own words 
are given, describing his feelings when once more under the L T nion flag: "I 
can never forget that clay, never, never, NEVER. No one that has not 
experienced the same sensations can know aught of the peculiar emotions 
and thoughts that came in throngs in seeing and knowing that once more 
I was under the Star Spangled Banner. Under their influence I wrote this 
letter to my family from the deck of the flag-of-truce boat, where each of 
us was handed a sheet of paper and envelope. My family had not heard 
from me for five months, and the newspapers had reported me dead : ' On 
board God's flag-of-truce boat, James River, Feb. 22, 1865. Dear Wife, — 
Out of the jaws of death, out of the gates of hell. Once more in the land of 
the living. Well. Love to all. Everett.' ' ; He was granted a furlough of 
thirty days, was soon exchanged, and left home after a short visit to rejoin 



550 A SKETCH OF THE 

his regiment in Virginia on the day that Petersburg was captured. He was 
soon ordered to Washington, where he was on duty until lie was mustered out 
of service. 

June 12, L865, he was detailed as Division Inspector, Second Division, Ninth 
Army Corps. I>v command of Brevet Major-General O. B. Willcox and John 
D. Bartolette, Assistant Adjutant-General. The following letter speaks for 

itself: — 

II. I. Qrs. 1st Brigade, 2^ Division, 9th. Ar. Corps. 
Near Alexandria, Va. 

July 13, 18(55. 
This is to certify that Major E. S. Horton commanded his regiment (58 Mass. Yl.) in all the 
Battles, and on all occasions, from June 3" 1 to the engagement of Peebles Farm. September 30 lh 
L864, when he was captured by the Enemy. 

Dear Major, 

It is with pleasure I extend to you my high appreciation for the very efficient and successful 
manner [in] which you on all occasions command your regiment, and the promptness and 
cheerfulness with which you have performed your every duty whilst under my command. 

Wishing you success, 

I remain, Very truly yours, 

Jno. C. Curtin, 

Br't Brig. General. 

" During his service Major Horton received seven commissions, and was 
mustered into service on six of them. He was a gallant soldier, doing all his 
dutv, and as an officer, while strict in discipline, he looked well after the com- 
fort of his men, and was universally popular both with officers and soldiers. 
There is in his nature that which indicates the impetuosity, dash, and rapidity 
of execution of a successful cavalry officer, with a coolness of judgment 
which prevents boldness from degenerating into rashness." 

Shortly after the close of the war he became manager of the establishment 
of Davids & Cornell in Providence, the largest wholesale grocery house in 
Rhode Island, but continued his residence in this town. He remained in that 
position until 1880, when, by the death of his brother, a place in the firm of 
Horton, Angell & Co. became vacant, which he took and is now the senior 
partner in the concern. Since its organization he " has been much interested 
in the G. A. R. and has contributed largely in maintaining the thriving post 
established in Attleboro." He has been its commander several times and also 
commander of the Bristol County Association of the G. A. R. He is a com- 
missioner of the Attleborough Water Supply District Sinking Fund, a trustee 
of the Richardson School Fund, has been secretary of the same, and is now 
its president; he is a director of the Attleborough Savings and Loan Associa- 
tion and president of the Attleborough Library Association. 

His first wife died June 21, 1871. On September 24, 1873, he was married 
to Eliza Dutton Fremont, of Amesbury, Mass., by whom he has had two 
children: Gertie E., born May 29, 1876, and Addie D., who died while an 
infant. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 551 

Edwin J. Horton, the second son, was born November 10, 1837. Of his 
boyhood and youth there is comparatively little to be said. He attended the 
public schools of the town, receiving no further advantages in the way of 
instruction, but he possessed an active mind, one bent on inquiry ; and real- 
izing the benefits of a good education, he determined to do the best he could 
in this direction for himself. With him a determination was also an accom- 
plishment and he improved every opportunity for reading, study, and observa- 
tion and "became in reality a thoroughly informed man." August 17, 1862, 
he enlisted in Company H, Fortieth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, and 
for three years was a good soldier, receiving his discharge June 17, 1865. 
This time excepted, his entire life was spent in his native village. 

A few years after the close of the war the well-known firm of Horton, 
Angell & Co. was organized and started in manufacturing. Of this firm Mr. 
Horton was the senior member — may properly be called its originator — and 
to him, no doubt, its marked success and continued prosperity was in a large 
measure due. He was a member of many organizations and at various times 
held important offices in them. He was deeply interested in the Young Men's 
Christian Association and was its president at the time of his death ; he was 
especially attached to the G. A. R. and to his own Post, faithful in the dis- 
charge of its duties, earnest in labors for its well-being, and a loved member 
of the order ; he was a member of Ezekiel Bates Lodge of F. and A. M. and 
of the Royal Arcanum, and at the time of his death was Noble Grand of 
Orient Lodge, I. O. O. F. He was a member of the Second Congregational 
Church, thoroughly interested in its welfare and foremost in its benevolent 
enterprises. 

May 8, 1862, he married Addie Lee, by whom he had two children. The 
elder died when quite young, before the father ; the younger, Raymond M.. is 
still living. He spared neither time nor money to make his home attractive. 
and to the influences emanating from that home the position he attained in 
the community was in no small measure due. In 1879 he represented the 
town in the Legislature and was a member of the House Committee on 
Health. In all municipal affairs he was an active participant and ever urging 
forward works of progress and reform. His principles were known of men 
and he was firm in his adherence to them. Having made up his mind to the 
right of a position or course of action, he boldly advocated the one and 
unswervingly followed the other. Such a man must make his mark in his 
community but he inevitably gains at least political enemies, as was the case 
with Mr. Horton, though the fact that he was elected to one of the highest 
offices in the power of his fellow-citizens to bestow — an election "won in 
one of the severest political contests ever recorded for this town " — is undeni- 
able proof that he possessed the respect and confidence of a majority. 

June 11, 1880, he was drowned in that awful disaster which followed the 
collision of the Sound steamers, Narragansett and Stonington. His funeral 



552 A SKETCH OF THE 

occurred June 15 at the Congregational Church. During the time of the serv- 
ices all shops and stores were closed and there was a general suspension of 
business; flags were displayed at halfmast, buildings were draped in black, 
and crowds far beyond the capacity of the church to accommodate were gath- 
ered together. Rarely, if ever, has there been seen a more saddened assem- 
blage or the manifestation of more sincere and widespread mourning. The 
then pastor of the church, Rev. W. A. Spaulding, and two former pastors, 
the Revs. F. N. Peloubet and Samuel Bell, were the officiating clergymen. 
All the orders of which Mr. Horton was a member were in attendance and 
there were delegations from similar orders in other parts of the town and from 
other places, and the offerings of flowers were varied and most beautiful. 
The sympathy was heartfelt and the sorrow sincere for this untimely death. 
Many friends followed the funeral procession to Woodlawn Cemetery and kind 
hands had gone before and spread a fair covering of evergreens and roses 
over the unsightly surroundings of the open grave. On the Decoration Day 
just previous to his death Mr. Horton had expressed a wish to lie buried by 
the G. A. R. This wisli was remembered and he was lowered to his last 
resting-place by the hands of his former comrades in arms and received the 
burial rites of the soldier's order. 

A fitting summary of his life and character may be found in the following 
extracts from the written words of various friends : — 

That man is an exception who so lives that at his death all classes in the community 
where he was horn ami has spent all his days will sincerely mourn his departure and pay 
tribute to his memory in unfeigned sympathy. That lite which can and does command 
universal respect must indeed have much of merit in it. That character which while from 
its positiveness makes enemies, can stand squarely before all their attacks, has more than 
ordinary strength. Such a man was Edwin J. Horton; such a life he lived, and such a char- 
acter was his. 

He was an uncommon man in many ways, as a business man with wonderful fertility of 
resource and skill of execution, as a deeply conscientious and highly religious nature, and a man 
of unbounded charity. It seems almost unaccountable that just in the prime of life, when the 
activities of his being were accomplishing so much good, the chapter of his life should close so 
sadly and abruptly, leaving many to mourn his untimely death, but to the question "Why?" 
comes no answer. 

He grew from boyhood to manhood and entered business with a determination to succeed, 
and he did succeed. He was always foremost in matters of public enterprise, and ready to 
assist in private undertakings where help was needed. No one ever went to him for advice or 
assistance and was turned away without a hearing. If he could give the one, and furnish the 
other, both were cheerfully granted. It may safely be recorded that no business man of Attle- 
borough bestowed more of his material substance for the support of public institutions and for 
the friendly succor of individuals, than Mr. Horton. Perhaps the society that will most miss 
his aid and counsel is the Young .Men-- Chr. Asso. of which he was president during the 
last year of his lib-, and which looked to him for the larger portion of the money needed for its 
support. The same liberality was manifested in bis gifts to the church, the Grand Army of the 
Republic, and other organizations of which lie was a member. He was emphatically a self- 
made man. He arrived at a position of wealth and influence by dint of indomitable energy and 
perseverance in the short space of ten years. Few men have prospered so rapidly, and few 
men have shared their prosperity so freely and unstintedly with the community in which they 
lived. 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 553 

This work of charity and liberality has by no means ceased, but is nobly 
and loyally carried on by his wife, though often so quietly as to be known 
only to those who are personally benefited. "No member of the House of 
Eepreseutatives shared more largely in the esteem and confidence of the 
other members of that body than Mr. Horton ; and no speaker was listened 
to with closer attention." 

" He had his failings, and none knew them better than his friends, but his 
virtues far out-weighed them, and endeared him to the hearts of most with 
whom he came in contact." His death occurred in one of the world's awful 
tragedies, and it left a wide gap in the ranks of our active, worthy citizens, 
a vacant place kt hard to fill." 

Gideon M. Horton. the third son, was born September 26, 1839. Like 
his brothers, he attended the town schools, which were his only means of 
instruction, and like the two older ones he entered the army, serving in the 
Tenth Rhode Island Battery. He was one of the original members of the 
firm of Horton, Angell & Co., and became a prosperous business man. He 
manifested his public spirit by erecting, at a cost of fully 636,000, the busi- 
ness block bearing his name, for, while it and its fellows are primarily 
business enterprises, they adorn their surroundings, and this one especially 
adds to the attractive appearance of the village of Attleborough. 

Mr. Horton was a member of Bristol Lodge of F. and A. M. ; of King- 
Hiram Chapter of Attleborough Council, and of Bristol Commandery ; of 
the Royal Arcanum and Pennington Lodge, A. O. U. W. He was also a 
member of Orient Lodge, I. O. O. F., its first Noble Grand, and a member 
of Naomi Encampment of Taunton. He was a trustee of the Farmers and 
Mechanics Association and an active and efficient member, a director of the 
First National Bank, and belonged to the Merchants and Manufacturers 
Association and to William A. Streeter Post, G. A. R. "For some years 
he had been detailed on Memorial Day with his friend and companion, Mr. 
Fred. Newell, to decorate graves in some of the districts difficult to get at, 
and it will be with genuine grief, that his comrades, on next Memorial Day, 
will place the flag and flowers above his grave." 

For some years previous to his death he had been interested in stock- 
raising, and was one of the owners in a large cattle-ranch in Dryden, Pecoe 
County, Texas. This ranch contains some 6,000 acres, and has on it about 
5,000 head of cattle and 1,000 horses. Mr. Horton owned and controlled 
a fourth part. About twelve or thirteen years ago he began to experience 
the first admonitions of failing health, but no very serious results followed 
until three or four years since, when the presence of disease in the lungs 
unmistakably manifested itself. After this time he took extended journeys 
in various directions, in that way avoiding the rigors of New England winters 
and receiving some degree of benefit from these changes, the climate of such 
places as Mexico, California, and the Sandwich Islands proving agreeable 



554 A SKETCH OF THE 

and in a measure restorative. More imminent danger to life became assured 
a few months before his death and lie was ordered to leave New England as 
soon as possible. Delays from one cause or another, however, occurred, and 
when at last he was ready for the necessary journey it was too late to expect 
any lengthy or decided improvement. Mr. Horton was himself aware of this, 
but realizing that it is everyone's duty to live as long as he possibly can, 
he made all the necessary preparations, arranged his business affairs, and 
bravely started to meet the death he felt soon awaited him, but might be a 
little longer delayed in a milder clime. The man who cheerfully speaks part- 
ing words with his dearest friends, and, looking for the last time on familiar 
scenes and loved faces, turns from them hopeless, yet with a smile, to seek 
the almost impossible lengthening of his life, has in him something of the 
heroic, and Mr. Horton did this. He had attained success at middle life ; 
he had made for himself a beautiful home, and he could rightly look forward 
to many years of enjoyment in it and to years of usefulness in his com- 
munity, in the sharing, as he did generously, of the results of his industry 
with those about him. To give up such hopes requires courage, and he pos- 
sessed it, for he fought out the fight, and could say to his friends calmly, even 
cheerfully, in view of the end. that it was well. 

Accompanied by physician and intimate friend he pursued his journey 
south and arrived safely at San Antonio, Texas. Here he rallied sufficiently 
for the doctor to leave him, but very soon after the last fatal symptoms 
appeared and the end came speedily. He died in San Antonio, December 
16, 1886. His body was brought home, and the funeral services attended at 
his late residence on December 23 following. Agreeably to his wish the 
ceremonies were very simple, but the attendance of people was general and 
the mourning sincere. His pastor, Rev. H. A. Philbrook, conducted the 
services, assisted by Rev. Walter Barton, and he was buried at Woodlawn. 

November 21), 1865, he married Helen F. White, of this towu. She died 
August 28, 1885. Their two daughters, Mary and Mabel Horton, survive, 
and reside in town. 1 Mr. Horton was highly esteemed as a public-spirited 
and useful man, and he was a man of many friends. His nature was retiring, 
and he was entirely without ambition for public preferment, but always shared 
liberally in whatever way he could iu the advancement both of his community 
and town. He was generous in the societies to which he belonged, and in 
supplying the wants of the needy around him. Probably no man in town did 
more quiet, unseen deeds of real charity than he. One writes thus: "It is 
easy to say the familiar words, that it is hard to find a man that will be more 
missed when departed, but in the case of Gideon M. Horton the words have 
a literal application. It is hard to speak too strongly of Mr. Hortou's excel- 



1 The former married Samuel H. Smith, a lawyer, and resides in Arlington, this State; the latter 
married Dr. Jose Ourdan, of Providence. She is now a widow. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 555 

lence, or of the estimation in which he was held by all who knew him. He 
made all feel as though he was interested in them, and seemed to be eager 
for an opportunity to help. A good and a useful man has gone. It will be 
a long time before the town will have a better man, or a better citizen." 

James J. Horton, the youngest of these four brothers, was born in 
Providence, October 19, 1841, during a temporary residence of his father 
in that city. His birth occurred under the old charter granted by King 
Charles the Second to the " Rhode Island and Providence Plantations." 
This last charter was granted in 1G63 and continued to be the constitution of 
the State for a hundred and seventy-nine years, until 1842, when after the 
Dorr insurrection it was given up. In that year Mr. Horton returned to his 
former residence in this town, James being then about a year old. Like 
his brothers he received his education here, but he had the pleasure of being 
a pupil of Mr. Bailey, under whom and Mr. Allen his schooldays were 
finished. After this he worked for a year on his father's farm, but for some 
time subsequent he was unable to eugage in work of any kind, owing to the 
failure of his health, and his courage and determination to conquer his 
feebleness and the disease that attacked him have been remarkable, and many 
prophesied impossible. 

Upon recovering in a measure he started in mercantile business in 
Providence, but finally entered the jewelry business in this town, where he is 
a member of the firm of Short, Nerney & Co. Like his brothers he has 
been prosperous, and like them be makes good use of his money. He is a 
member of Orient Lodge, I. 0. 0. F., and a director in the First National 
Bank. Mr. Horton's disposition is, like his brother Gideon's, retiring, and he 
deprecates prominence for himself in any way, for the sake of prominence ; 
but he fulfils the duties that devolve upon him with fidelity. He has made 
for himself an excellent reputation as a man of integrity and reliability in 
business affairs, — one of good judgment and equally to be trusted in all 
other matters, — while his courteous manners and affable bearing make him 
an agreeable social companion and friend. January 12, 1869, he married 
Emily Howland Clark, of Middleborough, Mass. They have no children. 

It is somewhat singular that these four brothers — the entire family — 
should all have settled for life in their native town, all finally have engaged 
in the same business, and all become successful in it. It is singular too that 
all made homes for themselves on the same street, within " a stone's throw " 
of the, old homestead and of each other. The site of this homestead is 
occupied by the residence of James, the old house having been moved away, 
but not destroyed. It is still kept and well cared for, valued as a relic of 
the past, and especially prized for its many personal associations. There 
are, too, rather peculiar similarities and contrasts in the men themselves. 
The two older ones were bold and fearless, men of "push" and stirring 
vigor, characteristics which their experiences of army life doubtless inten- 



556 A SKETCH OF THE 

sified : while the two younger ones were unobtrusive and shrank from all 
public or prominent activity, though neither was lacking in courage or 
determination, which both could show in a more undemonstrative way. The 
two middle ones are gone, while the oldest and youngest remain and live 
side by side. In these days of restless longing to get far away from home 
to seek fortune it is a pleasure to note one family of boys that grew up 
together who were loyal enough to their native place and to each other to 
attempt life there together, and it is a pleasure also to note their success. 

HUNT. 

Rev. Samuel Hunt was horn at the village of Lanesville, in this town, 
March 18, 1810. The family were of English origin, the members who 
came to this country settling first at Weymouth. Some of them came from 
there to Rehoboth among the early settlers of that town, and one of the 
name was the owner of one of the original shares of the Rehoboth North 
Purchase, and no doubt some of his descendants came to this town. Mr. 
Hunt's father was Deacon Richard Hunt, of the Oldtown Church, and in his 
family, which consisted of four sons and one daughter, he was the oldest. 
He assisted his father on the farm in his boyhood days : but he had been 
consecrated by that father to the ministry and his education was therefore 
commenced and completed with that end in view. He was educated partly 
at a classical school at West Attleborough, kept by a Mr. Wheaton, a 
graduate of Brown University. It was here that he commenced the study 
of the languages, and while in this school — in the long past — the writer of 
this brief memoir recalls that he sat for most of the time by Mr. Hunt's side. 
After this he completed his preparatory studies at the Wrentham Academy. 
He entered Amherst College in 1828, and graduated in the class of 1832. the 
first graduate from this town at that institution. 

He commenced teaching at the early age of sixteen, and continued this 
occupation, in which he was most successful, through his college course 
and for some time after his graduation. He taught in the academies :it 
Southampton. Mass., and Southampton, L. I., and after this commenced his 
theological studies at Princeton, completing them with Rev. Dr. Ide, in West 
Medway. He was licensed to preach in August, 1838. and after supplying 
the pulpit at Mansfield, the adjoining town, he was installed as pastor over 
the Congregational Church at Natick, in this State. Here he remained eleven 
years. In December, 1850, he was installed over the church in Franklin, 
where he was pastor about fourteen years — over the same society where the 
eminent Dr. Emmons officiated so long. After this Mr. Hunt retired from 
the pastoral ministry and became engaged in the service of the American 
Missionary Society, and labored for three years in establishing schools for 
the education of the freedmen. He worked with persistent and conscientious 
zeal in the temperance cause, and every mission work found in him " an 
earnest advocate."* 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 557 

From a published notice of his death the following extracts are made : — 

" In the early years of his ministry he accepted the doctrines of the 
Abolitionists and became the outspoken friend of the slave ; and that, too, 
at a time when it meant much, even personal persecution and violence to 
espouse the cause, and openly oppose the claims of the slave-holding States. 
It was in this connection that his friendship with Henry Wilson arose, wdien, 
as young men, they commenced laboring together for the overthrow of 
slavery." 

" In 1868, Mr. Hunt accepted the position of clerk of the Senate Com- 
mittee on Military Affairs, of which his old friend Henry Wilson was 
chairman. He retained this position until Mr. Wilson became Vice- 
President, when he became his private secretary. With Mr. Wilson he 
remained until the former's death. With him he planned and wrote the Rise 
and Fall of the Slave Power in America, a work requiring great research and 
years of patient labor. This work was not completed when Mr. Wilson 
died. The writing of the third volume with the arrangement of the index 
devolved upon Mr. Hunt alone." 

After finishing this work he made preparations to publish a collection of 
Henry Wilson's writings and letters, with a sketch of his political life, and 
had projected and worked upon several other books. While in Franklin he 
compiled and published the "■Puritan Hymn and Tune Book," and for many 
years previous to his death he had written much for the public press. 

Mr. Hunt married Mary Foster, daughter of Major Josiah Foster, of 
Southampton, L. I., who died in that place December 20, 1849. They had 
five children: M. Agues, Samuel C, Benjamin F., Abby C, and Eliot, of 
whom only the two daughters survive. Samuel was a soldier of the Civil 
War — enlisted in Franklin, was a sergeant in Company C, Forty-fifth Regi- 
ment, Massachusetts Volunteers, and died in Phoenix, Arizona, July 9, 1877. 
On April 11, 1853, Mr. Hunt married Mrs. Abby B. Slocum, who died in 
Franklin, April 24, 1862. His third wife, w r hom he married June 12, 1877, 
was Mrs. R. T. Homer, of Boston, who survives him. After his last mar- 
riage he resided in Boston, where he died July 23, 1878. "In his private 
life he was respected by all who knew him for his quiet, dignified and gentle- 
manly bearing. Dying, he leaves a large circle of friends who hold him in 
the highest esteem. His life closed with nothing left undone ; with nothing 
done to be regretted." His funeral services were attended in the church at 
West Attleborough, of which he was a member, by Rev. John Whitehill, the 
pastor, assisted by Rev. Jacob Ide, of Mansfield, and thus he returned to 
his old home to sleep well, after life's fitful fever was over. 

Eliot Hunt, son of Samuel and Mary Foster Hunt, was born in Natick, 
this State, May 22, 1847. His name was in memory of that famous apostle 
to the Indians, John Eliot, who was one of the early settlers of Natick. 
Mr. Hunt's boyhood was passed at Franklin, where his father was for so long 



558 A SKETCH OF THE 

a time the pastor of one of the churches. From the schools of that town he 
went to the academy at East Hampton, Mass., and later to that in South 
Berwick, Maine, at which place he completed his education. Iu 1866 his 
father returned to the old homestead in the south part of this town and 
Kliot and his two sisters accompanied him. Here the young man assumed 
entire charge of the farm, and during two winters taught school at South 
Attleborough. In November, 1*72. he left home to accept the position of a 
teacher in the school he had formerly attended at South Berwick, but 
returned to town the following spring, when he became connected with the 
( 'kronicle. 

October 14, 1*74, he married Stella M., a daughter of Carlos and Cynthia 
Barrows, of South Attleborough. She died in March, 1885, surviving her 
husband less than two years. The two children, Carl and Shirley, are both 
living, the former with his maternal aunt and grandmother, at South Attle- 
borough, the latter with her father's two sisters at Somerville, this State. 
Mr. Hunt had purchased a residence in East Attleborough, which he occupied 
directly after his marriage, and thus established himself as a citizen of that 
village so far as his domestic interests were concerned, though he was always 
iu the highest and best sense emphatically a citizen of the town. 

What he was to his paper, to his friends, and to the town is best told in 
the words of the Chronicle, from whose columns of September 15, 1883, we 
quote the following : — 

It becomes our painful duty to announce to our readers and the public the death of the pro- 
prietor and publisher of this paper. His pen is laid aside; his busy brain is still; his work is 
done, his long struggle ended, and Eliot Hunt has passed to his final resting place. Long and 
desperate as had been his illness, and his demise, therefore, to beexpected,it does not yet seem 
possible that he is gone — that his familiar figure will never again be seen on our streets, his 
hearty grasp of the hand never again stir the pulse of friendship, his opinions no longer influ- 
ence the acts of his fellow-townsmen. He has left us, and, his family aside, the regret for his 
Idsx is most keenly felt where the affections of his heart were most firmly centred, in the 
office of the Attleborough Chroxicle. 

We have lost a friend, upright, generous and sympathetic; a cherished adviser — a man of 
pure motives, wide experience and correct ideas. He has dropped from our ranks; it is for 
those who may remain to advance and realize his noble purposes. This cannot be lightly done. 
His idea of what a newspaper should be was a high one, and demands for it> realization the 
choicest effort of mind, the broadest sympathies of heart and an unfaltering resolution to suc- 
ceed. He who would attain to it. must subordinate himself to the interests of his paper and 
!"• even more jealous of its reputation than his own. He must, as did our late co-worker, keep 
the welfare of his paper close to his heart night and day. He shall not plead weariness as an 
excuse for errors or delinquencies ; the public shall have its news at any cost. He who is 
unwilling to give such a devotion to his journal and cannot add thereto the offices of a keen, 
"Well-disciplined mind and a style of composition remarkable for directness and force, will not 
presume to till the place of Eliot Hunt in the newspaper fraternity. Mr. Hunt's interest in the 
CHRONICLE ceased only with his life. Its issue of last week contained an item of news for- 
warded from his bedside by telephone late Friday evening. But on Saturday he had entered 
the valley, and for the first time did not ask to have the paper read to him. He stood on the 
confines of another world, and the affairs of this life no longer concerned him. 

The death of this, her representative journalist, is a great loss to Attleborough. For years 
he had studied her institutions and her needs. He knew the tendencies of her people 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 559 

and could comment intelligently upon local questions. He was acquainted with all. He had 
assisted at their weddings and paid the last sad tribute of respect to their dead. There are few 
men in town with whom he had not at sonic time been brought into intimate relations. The 
files of the CHRONICLE for the past ten years testify how intimately Eliot Hunt has been asso- 
ciated with all the local events and questions of that period — how much bread he had casl upon 
the waters to he found after many days, too often without any recognition from the finder. 
Yet he was esteemed in life and honored in death, a circumstance that weighs more in the case 
of a journalist than with any one else, because his vocation leads him sooner or later to reveal 
to the public all of his character. Every selection he makes, every line he writes discloses 
something of himself. Hence the high place Mr. Hunt held in the community was richly and 
securely won. He had stood the critical test of a public half-knowledge of him, and as he 
became the more thoroughly known was the more thoroughly beloved. He who would suc- 
ceed to his place must first be tried as by tire to prove whether or not he shall likewise be 
worthy of public confidence. 

It should be observed that for six seasons Mr. Hunt experienced and shared all the vicissi- 
tudes in fortune, and all the hardships of the fanner's life, and so was ever after in sympathy 
with fanners as a class, and interested in their calling. He was connected with the Attleboro 
Farmers and Mechanics Association from its beginning in 1868; his name stands fifth among 
the signers to its constitution, and he served as secretary during the first four years of its exist- 
ence. We can well believe that his affection for this institution, fostered for five years in the 
ranks of practical agriculture, did not lessen when his position on the Chronicle gave him 
opportunity for a wider influence. It is safe to say that no man during the fifteen years the 
association has been organized has had its interests more closely at heart or done more by voice, 
pen and hand to promote them than Eliot Hunt. Year after year, the columns of his paper were 
devoted to making each annual fair a success — suggesting new attractions, urging better appli- 
ances, pointing out its claims to patronage, and when it was over, deducing from its merits and 
defects lessons for its future conduct. He worked as zealously as he wrote. In the meetings of 
the association, on committees and at each exhibition he was never too busy or too feeble to 
give to the uttermost both of his time and his strength. And he was not without his reward, 
for no member will deny that the present excellent standing of the Farmers and Mechanics 
Association is a monument to his memory. 

He became connected with his paper " soon after it entered on its second year, and its issue 
of April 12th, 1873, bears at the head of its local column : ' Eliot Hunt, local editor.' The files 
show that the amount of news in his department doubled almost immediately." The paper 
passed through several hands, and finally March 1, 1S79, " the firm became Eliot Hunt & Co., 
and so continued without variation, either in style or constitution, until the death of the lead- 
ing partner." Mr. Hunt made several important changes, and improved the facilities " for 
business by enlarging his paper from a folio to its present quarto form. A steady growth has 
characterized the paper since his connection with it. He was interested with Mr. Greene in 
originating and publishing the humorous Benjamin Franklin Primer, which has been read, 
laughed over and imitated throughout the land. 

Mr. Hunt had a remarkable love for the town of Attleborough. He admired its people and 
institutions. He rejoiced in its prosperity and was ever jealous of its reputation. Anything 
reflecting on its fair name found quick and sharp refutation in the columns of his paper. But 
if there was one part of the town that he loved more than another it was the section when- he 
and his ancestry had found a home. He loved the farm that his father and grandfather had 
tilled, and where he, too, had woven, in the mystic web of daily toil, ties of affection for every 
stone and tree and field. He loved the little church at Oldtown, the church where his grand- 
father was deacon for more than forty years and his father nurtured for the sacred offices of 
the Christian ministry. The yearly fund pledged by his grandfather for the support of the 
gospel in that place was. at his father's death, assumed by him and paid regularly to the last. 

" It follows without saying that such a man had a deep affection for family and kin," an affection 
tender and measureless for wife and children. His " immediate circle of relatives had been so 
afflicted that he was the only young, able man remaining. They found him a ready adviser, and 
prompt to assist where age or sex imposed its hindrances. How often he lifted perplexity and 
care from the brow of age and laidthein willingly upon his own strong but overburdened heart. 



560 A SKETCH OF THE 

we may never know, — He best can tell who shall hereafter say : 'Inasmuch as ye have done 
it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.'" 

But the cirele of Mr. Hunt's ministration and affection was not limited by the ties of kinship. 
He was a model friend. When once there was established between him and his fellow-man the 
sacred bonds of friendship, they were never loosened by any neglect or remissness on his part. 
He was as true as steel himself and not apt to suspect others of duplicity. If he erred at all. it 
was in a too great devotion to the men whom he called by the fond name of friend. His devo- 
tion awakened a kindred feeling in their hearts, as was evidenced by the solicitude for him 
during his long illness. Scores of men inquired for his welfare as anxiously and persist- 
ently after he had been confined to his house for months by a lingering disease, as if he had 
been suddenly stricken by some accident. This proves how large a place he filled in some 
hearts and how deeply he must be mourned today. He was connected with the Attleboro 
Council No. 36G, Royal Arcanum, and as a member of Orient Lodge, No. 165, 1. O. 0. P., lived 
true to the triple virtues of " Friendship. Love and Truth." 

As a man among men, a citizen, it is not necessary in this town, and especially in these col- 
umns where he has week by week and year by year laid bare his motives and his very heart, to 
bestow extended eulogy. We all knew him. We remember him as he first came to town, full 
of the vigor and high spirit of early manhood; we saw him enter upon a successful career as 
a journalist, and watched his plans for advancement bear fruit under his hand ; we noted the 
insidious approach of consumption, the disease that had swept away his mother and a brother; 
we heard his heroic avowal that if he died it would not be because he was frightened to death ; 
and we have followed his brave, hopeful struggle for life — a heart that never quailed, a hope 
that could not be unseated. We have learned how, in the quiet of a Sabbath morning, he 
"rested from his labors," and looking over the record of his life we have said: "This was 
' an honest man. the noblest work of God.' " 

Mr. Hunt died September 9, 1883, "aged 36 years, 3 months and 18 
days." Friends bore him for the last time into the Second Congregational 
Church, where the funeral services were held, and from thence he was carried 
to the cemetery at South Attleborough, where, near his loved home, with 
beautiful flowers laid upon his casket by the hands of his two little children, 
he was gently placed in his last earthly resting-place. Though the lettering 
above his grave indicates that he had lived out only half the time allotted to 
man, yet in the labors he had accomplished he had lived a long and estima- 
ble life. Though his days were few, his good deeds were many. Men like 
Eliot Hunt call to mind Leigh Hunt's beautiful poem, " Abou Ben Adhem 
and the Angel." They each one by their lives speak to the recording angel. 

saying,— 

" I pray thee, then, 
Write me as one who loves his fellow men." 
And if that vision comes again 
" With great awakening light, 
Showing the names whom love of God has blessed," 
Lo ! those of such true men as he 
Shall lead "all the rest." 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 561 



CHAPTER XVII. 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, CONCLUDED. 

HON. ELISHA MAY, a short sketch of whom may be found on a 
preceding page, was the first of his name in town. He came from 
Barrington and settled in the west part of the town. He had eleven children, 
of whom the youngest was named Tully and was born May 24, 1787. He 
was a farmer like his father, but unlike him was a quiet, retiring man, show- 
ing no disposition for publicity or any kind of official preferment. This was 
simply lack of desire, not because he was wanting in capacity. It is said 
" he had strong political preferences, being an old-fashioned Whig." His 
wife was Hannah Gay, who was born October 6, 1791, and died March 28, 
1875, at the advanced age of eighty-four. Mr. May died June 19, 1872, 
having attained the age of eighty-five. They had four children : Cynthia, 
Mrs. Carlos Barrows, widow; Elisha G. and Henry F., all residing in 
West and South Attleborough ; and Catherine, deceased. 

Elisha Gay May was born October 6, 1812. He was brought up on a 
farm with the expectation that he would become a farmer, and he received 
only the amount of schooling given at that time to the average country boy 
— an amount that was comparatively little more than the ordinary knowledge 
of " reading, writing, and ciphering." When he became of age and had the 
right to decide for himself he made up his mind to learn a trade, and fixed 
upon that of button-making. He followed the calling of a journeyman in 
that line for three years, and then returned to his father's farm and took up 
again the old occupation, which he followed for a number of years. In 1854 
he entered the firm of William II. Robinson & Co., which was engaged in 
the manufacture of plated and gilt jewelry. Four years later this firm was 
dissolved, and once more Mr. May became a farmer, this time permanently ; 
and he has been a good and successful one, though his farm is not large. 
His comfortable, typical New England home is -near the Oldtown Church, 
and its pleasant ''yard" has been the scene of many social gatherings and 
entertainments arranged with some charitable end in view. 

In October, 1839, he married Ann Janette, the daughter of James and 
Sarah Perry Draper, of this town. She was of a family whose tracings can 
be followed back for many generations, even in New England. As a citizen 
Mr. May has always been worthy of the confidence and esteem of his towns- 
men, and he possesses both in a high degree. The same uprightness of 
principle and integrity of character for which the grandfather was distin- 



562 A SKETCH OF THE 

guished are maintained in the life and character of the grandson, though he 
inherits too a goodly share of his father's retiring nature, in that he seeks 
no publicity : but if placed in any office, he gives himself with fidelity to the 
performance of its duties. He has held several of the various town offices, 
and several times, such as selectman, assessor, overseer of the poor, etc. 
He has been vice-president and treasurer of the Attleborough Agricultural 
Association, under one or both of its names, and was one of the first mem- 
bers of the Board of Health ; he still holds several of these offices, and has 
been a justice of the peace for fully forty years — in all instances meeting 
the approval of those who placed him in the various positions he has occu- 
pied. In his church and society he is one whom both pastor and people 
depend upon in cases where a large heart, good judgment, and a liberal hand 
are needed, sure that in all these regards he will not fail them. In politics 
he is a Republican. 

" Kind hearted and generous, both Mr. and Mrs. May have been liberal 
supporters of church organizations and beuevolence, and the suffering and 
distressed have often been relieved by their unostentatious ministrations." 
They have no children. 1 

Henry D. Merritt was born in Hartland, Vt., January 16, 1826. He 
had no advantages in the way of an education beyond the common schools 
of his native town, but through his own energy and resolution " he acquired 
by reading and reflection a good practical education." When about eighteen 
" he left home to seek his fortune." We find him first in Boston, learning 
the tailor's trade, and then in North Attleborough, as clerk to H. M. Richards, 
in which capacity " he was industrious and faithful, proving to be one of the 
most successful salesmen in Mr. Richards' employ." In 1.S58 he became 
himself a jewelry manufacturer, and his first partner was Joseph B. Draper, 
the firm name being Merritt & Draper. After a few years the business 
was removed from North Attleborough to Mansfield, and after a time Mr. 
Merritt retired. His successor was John Shepardson, and in time Mr. Mer- 
ritt entered into partnership with him, under the name of H. D. Merritt & 



1 Mrs. May died August 11, lSiiO, and Mr. May January 28, 1S92. Not long subsequent to this event 
their homestead was sold to the present owner, Mr. M. C. Lathrop, whose wile, it is interesting to 
note, is a lineal descendant of the original owner of the house — Captain John Stearns, who was 
very prominent in public affairs in Revolutionary times. Captain Stearns was born in 1711 and died 
A ugust 15, 1792, in his eighty-lirst year. The exact date of the building of the house cannot be deter 
mined, but it was probably about 17-11, over one hundred and fifty years ago, and members of the fifth 
and sixth generations from the first owner now reside in it. It is pleasant to record such a fact as this, 
and to find now and again a house where family links still bind the present to a far-away and honor- 
aide past. About 1700 Captain Stearns built a house in the vicinity of his own for a daughter upon 
her marriage with a Mr. Stratton. This house with the land belonging is now occupied by Mrs. Abby 
S. Kent, his great-granddaughter. The two places have recently been divided into building lots, aud 
received the pretty and appropriate name of Kentston Park. It is the intention of the family in the 
near future to develop the trad and make of it a place of residence— a plan easy of accomplishment, 
as there are many attractions to those wishing for pure air and quiet homes in the midst of real 
country scenery and surroundings. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 563 

Co. This was in 1870, and in 1872 this firm came to North Attleborough, 
where they did a successful business and one which constantly increased. 
During the latter years of his life Mr. Merritt spent a considerable portion 
of his time in New York in connection with his business, but he purchased a 
home in North Attleborough, and his family resided there. His wife was 
Marietta Aldrich, by whom he had two children — Clara R. 1 and Henry 1). 
''As a business man, Mr. Merritt was very successful. He carried into 
every department a methodical mind, untiring industry, and sterling honesty. 
In private life he was a man of quiet, unassuming manners, unexceptionable 
habits, and upright in his intercourse with others." 

Alfred Pierce is a descendant of the Pierce family of Rehoboth, who 
were among the early settlers of that town. Barnard Pierce was a well- 
respected citizen there. Jeremiah, his son, was born there August 29, 17-%. 
He was a successful carpenter and farmer, " honorable and upright, aud a 
useful, much loved citizen." He married Candace Wheeler, November 9, 
1806, by whom he had eleven children, ten of whom are still living. Mr. 
Pierce died in 1837 and Mrs. Pierce in 1882, she " having attained the 
remarkable age of ninety -three years and eighteen days." [One or two of 
the children have since died.] 

Alfred, the son of Jeremiah and the subject of this sketch, w r as born in 
Rehoboth, December 31, 1821. Its schools afforded his only education and 
at fifteen he was apprenticed " to learn the carpenter's trade." He com- 
menced life for himself at the age of nineteen, as a carpenter, in Pawtucket. 
After staying there about four years he went back to his native town and 
engaged in farming in connection with the work of his trade. He w r as 
occupied in that way for two years, when he came to Attleborough and 
attended exclusively to the business of carpentering until 1851, wdien the 
•'gold fever" attacked him and he went to California. He worked in the 
mines there for a year and a half, and then went to Melbourne, Australia. 
Here he worked in the mines about ten months, aud met with the same 
comparative success he had had in California. At the end of that time he 
started for home, stayed a few weeks in Aspinwall on the way and did some 
carpenter work, and then came back to this town. Since then he has 
remained here, with the exception only of eighteen months passed in Illinois. 

In 1869 Mr. Pierce associated with himself Arthur B. Carpenter, of this 
town, forming a firm to conduct the business of lumber merchants and coal 
dealers. Pierce & Carpenter have been and still are successful, and for 
many years have been doing quite an extensive business in their lines. Mr. 
Pierce is himself quite a large real estate owner. He built one of the busi- 
ness blocks in East Attleborough, one in which some of the most attractive 



1 Slie married Mr. Horace P. Kent, of Portsmouth, N. H. He is now a resident of North Attle- 
borough. 



564 -4 SKETCH OF TEE 

stores in the village are located and which may be decidedly called a " village 
improvement. " On December 6, 1865, he was married to Martha R. Wil- 
liams, the daughter of Thomas and Polly Richardson Williams, of this town. 
Their only child is Marion W. Pierce. [Now Mrs. Miles Carter.] 

Burrill Portkr, Jr., is a native of Charlestown, N. H., where he was 
born February 22, 1832. "His paternal grandfather was Asahel Carpenter 
Porter, a farmer from Coventry, Conn., and his maternal grandfather was 
John Garfield, a lineal descendant of the Garfields who early settled in 
Spencer, Mass. He is a son of Burrill and Susan Garfield Porter, and is the 
oldest of a family of nine children, all of whom reached the age of manhood, 
and most of whom are now living industrious and useful lives." Mr. Porter 
was brought up on his father's farm, attending the public schools of Langdon, 
N. H., and preparing for college at the academies in Westminster and 
Saxtoifs River, Vt. In March, 1853, he entered Dartmouth College more 
than a year in advance of his class, and graduated in 1856. 

He chose a most arduous but equally honorable profession, that of a 
teacher, and followed it with success for twenty-three years. "During this 
time he was principal of academies at Canaan. Alstead. and Swansea, N. H., 
teacher of public schools in Cleveland and Fostoria, Ohio, and principal of 
hi"-h schools in Braintree and this town, (in Massachusetts). He was the 
first principal of the North High School, and held that position twelve years 
and a half, during which time there were graduated from the school one hun- 
dred and thirty students." He resigned this position in 1879. During that 
year "he was elected selectman and assessor, and appointed collector of 
taxes." In 1880 he was selected as overseer of the poor. " He was elected 
representative for the First Bristol District — which includes the towns of 
Attleborough, Norton, and Mansfield — in the Legislature of Massachusetts, 
for the year 1881, when the public statutes were adopted." He was a 
member of the first committee which served when the North Attleborough 
Library Association was formed and became a member of the prudential 
committee of the Union Improvement District, which now supports the 
library "as a free and public" institution. Mr. Porter is connected with 
the First Universalist Society in town, has beeu on its parish committee and 
treasurer of its funds. He was one of the building committee of the parish 
during the erection of the new church and parsonage four or five years ago. 
He received the appointment of postmaster for the village of North Attle- 
borough several years since and continues to occupy the position. 1 He has 
identified himself thoroughly with the town and her interests, taken up the 
duties of a good citizen with intelligence and performed them with fidelity. 
He prepared a very interesting chapter on the rise and progress of the town 



1 His successor, who has been appointed since the town was divided, is J. D. Richards (1888). 



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HISTOEY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 565 

schools, etc., in Attleborough, which was published in the sketch of our 
history in the History of Bristol County, and various quotations from it are 
made in the similar chapter of this work. 

PRICE. 

Edward Price was born in Birmingham, England, November 19. 1776. 
He came to this country in 1794, and either immediately after his arrival or 
in a very short time, to this town, for it was only two years after, in 1796, 
that he married Sarah, the daughter of Daniel and Sarah Woodcock Daggett, 
of Attleborough. He had been a button manufacturer iu his native country 
and skilled in the trade. He brought machinery with him from England, and 
was the first to make buttons in these parts, if not in all America. He lived 
in the East village for a while, doing business near there, and then returned to 
North Attleborough. In 1811 he was induced to engage in cotton manu- 
facturing, but it proved an unsuccessful venture. Subsequently he became 
a large real estate owner. 

George Price, the second sou of the above, was born in North Attle- 
borough, November 14, 1806, probably in a house that then stood on the site 
of Wamsutta Block. " The early death of his father made the boyhood of 
George Price a laborious one. From the night when the father was suddenly 
stricken down, and he ran out, jacket in hand, after a physician, his life was 
one of care, activity and responsibility. One year in the common school 
constituted his educational advantages. He carried on the farm in his early 
years, and found time as well to work at brass-founding." When the jewelry 
business became prominent and promising in town he decided to engage in 
that, and began by serving an apprenticeship with the firm of Draper, Tifft 
& Co. In time he became a manufacturer and the first known partner was 
Calvin Richards. He built the shop which still stands opposite his late 
residence — a pretty spot not far from the centre of the Falls village on a 
road leading over Mount Hope hill. This was the third jewelry shop ever 
built in town, and though now a small one was then considered very large. 
His partner in the new shop was S. 8. Daggett and their specialty fire-gilt 
jewelry. Mr. Price continued there for six years, but retired in 1856 and 
resumed the care of his farm, to which meanwhile he had made large additions. 

He was now fifty years old, and up to this time had held no public offices, 
but from this time forward until his death he was constantly in one or more 
positions of responsibility. " His career shows that twenty-five years after 
fifty is just as long as twenty-five years before, and that some men can employ 
both to equal advantage." In 1855 the question as to the advisability of 
dividing the town arose and Mr. Price was chairman of a committee to con- 
sider and report upon the matter. The report was favorable — the reason 
given that the voters numbered over a thousand and were therefore not easy 



5(16 A SKETCH OF THE 

to manage properly ; but Mr. Price considered division even in view of that 
fad unwise, and he declined to sign tlie report. From 1856 to 1860 he was 
selectman, assessor, and overseer of the poor, and the three following years 
town treasurer. He was reelected to the latter office in 1869 and kept it 
during the rest of his life. In the winter of 1877-78 he was a representative 
at the General Court. He was most earnest and active in the formation of 
the Farmers and Mechanics Association and held the office of its president 
from the commencement in 1869 until 1 s 7 7 . He was among the first to take 
the necessary steps toward securing permanent accommodations for the uses 
of the association, and to him it was largely indebted for its present fine 
grounds and commodious buildings. He labored earnestly to relieve the 
association of its debt, devoting much time and money to that purpose. He 
entered the Washington Rifle Corps as a private and rose through every grade 
of rank to that of its captain, and was the last who held that office. 

One says : " If we were to select any traits of character for which Mr. 
Price was especially remarkable, it would be his activity, honesty, and fidelity 
to what he believed to be right. His mental activity was wonderful, and 
ceased only with his life. His honesty made him not less exacting with 
himself than with others. His accounts were always correct, his dealings 
always square. Crookedness in others he considered absolutely without 
excuse, and dishonesty of any kind he despised beyond measure. He was 
not hasty in his judgments, but a conclusion once reached by what seemed to 
him sufficient data was rarely abandoned. He was faithful to his convictions. 
This is illustrated by his adherence to the doctrines of the old Whig party ; 
he voted the Republican ticket as the least objectionable alternative ; but at 
heart he was a loyal Whig to the last." He ic upheld the fundamental princi- 
ples of Christianity,' - ' but did not accept the peculiar dogmas of any special 
denomination. 

In October, 1829. lie was married to Martha Galusha Grant, of Swansea, 
Mass., and this union lasted above fifty years. They had nine children: 
Martha S., Mrs. J. I). Pierce, deceased; George G. ; Sarah A., Mrs. S. N. 
Newcomb ; William M. ; Corisande, Mrs. George A. Brock, deceased ; Mary 
(i.. deceased; Edward R. ; Caroline T., Mrs. Roswell Blackinton, of this 
town : and Alice M. Mr. Price died July 19, 1882, having lived a long and 
useful life, and leaving a stainless record to be cherished, not onby by his 
sons and daughters, but by his community, and the whole town whose best 
interests he had at heart, and for which he labored dining many years. 

Edward R. Price was born October 9, 1846. After attending the public 
schools here he entered the Green Mountain Institute at South Woodstock, 
Vt., where he completed his school education. At the age of nineteen, in 
1865, he entered the Attleborough Bank as clerk, remaining in that position 
for five years. In 1870, when but twenty-four years of age, he was elected 
cashier of the bank, a significant fact, one which in a word gives his char- 



HI8T0BY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 567 

acter, capacity, and reputation. Id April, 1872, he became the treasurer of 
the Attleborough Savings Bank, and these two positions he still retains, the 
former as that of the North Attleborough National Bank under a new 
charter m-anted in 1885. He holds these positions now, as always, with the 
perfect confidence of those associated with him officially, and of the entire 
community and town. Mr. Price seems to have inherited in large measure 
the strict integrity and unassailable honesty of his father, and the same per- 
fect correctness in business dealings and operations. No stronger proof of 
this could be given than the statement of his election at so early an age to a 
position of large financial trust, and his retention of the same through so many 
consecutive years, especially when, as is the case, those years have been full 
of alluring temptations in the money-getting line, when thousands of fortunes 
have been made in a day, though in ways the fathers never dreamed of. 
Really the men of to-day who resist the temptation to make money a little 
faster than the old legitimate methods enable them to do, particularly when 
they have the constant handling of large sums, even though these belong to 
other people, deserve great credit, and Attleborough can point to the record 
of her two cashiers with no inconsiderable degree of confident satisfaction. 

Mr. Price holds various local offices ; is clerk of the First Universalist 
Parish, treasurer of the North Attleborough Water Company, etc., and he 
is also vice-president of the Manhattan Cattle Company of Cheyenne, 
Wyoming Territory. He is a member of Aurora Lodge, and prominent in 
Bristol Lodge F. and A. M., and is one of its Past Masters. He is 
thoroughly interested in this ancient organization and in all that pertains to 
its history. Through his instrumentality the valuable old charter of the lodge 
has been suitably and carefully framed and thus perserved from destruction. 
He is, too, thoroughly interested in his town, in her reputation and status, both 
past and present. He wished these to continue single, not double, and he 
did all he could to prevent division. He is to be ranked among Attle- 
borough's best citizens. His courteous manners make him agreeable as an 
associate and friend; his business experience makes his judgment worthy 
of reliance ; and his character commands and obtains the respect of every- 
body. 

December 29, I860, he married Ella M. Jillson, of South Attleborough. 
Their only child is a daughter, Mary Daggett Price. 

READ. 

The Read family traces its genealogy back many hundreds of years to 
1139, when one "Brianus de Reed " was "a noted man of Lincolnshire, 
England." From his two sous, " Robert of Reed, and Thomas of Reed- 
dale," the family has descended. The records mention one " William Rede 
an eminent mathematician, who in 1369 was made Bishop of Chichester." 
One John Read, born in 1598, with a brother, William, born in 1596, came 



568 .1 SKETCH OF THE 

to this country in Governor Winthrop's fleet in 1(!20. John lived in Dor- 
chester, Braintree, and Weymouth, and in 1643 came to Rehoboth. He was 
a freeman, probably the one admitted in 1040, and had held responsible 
positions in Massachusetts Colony. He was one of the original proprietors 
of Renoboth and a man of substance, for he was ''taxed on three hundred 
pounds, a very large estate for those days." He held various offices of trust, 
was an active and influential man in both civil and religious affairs, and from 
the first "a leading citizen." He attained great length of days and died at 
the age of eighty-seven. It is said of his numerous descendants that " as 
a body, they are thrifty, law-abiding, and industrious, doing honor to their 
noble pioneer ancestor." John had a son Daniel, and a grandson of the 
same name who came to this town, about 1716, with five children. By his 
second wife, whose name was Ide. he had eight children, of whom the oldest 
was also named Daniel. He had a son Levi, of the fourth generation from 
John, who was born in 17<>2. He was an honest, industrious farmer and led 
a quiet, unpretending, but useful life. He was a deacon in the First Con- 
gregational Church at Oldtown for sixty years ; was earnest and faithful in 
church affairs and generous towards all objects of benevolence. His wife 
was Nancy Hunt, of this town, and they had eight children. Mr. Read 
died in 1853, "having attained the remarkable age of ninety-one years, and 
left the record of an untarnished life of Christian activity and good works." 

Henry Clifford Read is a descendant of this family, the son of Levi, and 
he was born May 8, 1810, on the spot where he now lives. He received 
only a common-school education, " taught two terms," and was a farmer at 
home until he was about twenty-one. He learned the trade of a machinist 
and worked at it about three years in Worcester and Providence. When 
quite young he married Eunice D. Tyler, of this town, by whom he had two 
children, both of whom, with the mother, are dead. Many years ago Mr. 
Read went to Illinois and spent ten years in that State as a farmer. Then 
he returned to his old home here, the place which has been in the family since 
his grandfather's time. January 3, 1856, he was married to Mrs. Abbie H. 
Sherman, daughter of Shadrac Davis, of New Bedford, Mass., by whom he 
has had two children, Henry C. and Rufus C. 

Like many of his townsmen Mr. Read was a Whig, and is a Republican. 
He has been a selectman and a member of the State Legislature. He has 
discharged the duties of these and other positions well, thereby proving him- 
self a worthy citizen and gaining the respect of his fellow-citizens. He 
shows himself ready to aid every good work. He formerly held the " faith 
of his fathers," but of later years has accepted the doctrine of Spiritualism. 
He and his father's family have been strong temperance men, using neither 
liquor nor tobacco in any form. 

A sou of Mr. Read by his first wife, Samuel T. Read, was captain on 
General Butler's staff at the beginning of the war of the Rebellion, at 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 569 

General Butler's own request. He raised a company in Boston, entered the 
service, and reached the rank of colonel. After the war he married and 
settled in Natchez, Miss., where he died in 1880. 

Clement O. Read, an older brother of Henry C, "was the pioneer in 
the screw business." His first essay was in the manufacture of wood screws 
in the mill called " the City Factory," or the " Attleborough City Mill," once 
owned by Daniel Read & Co., and with machinery of his own invention. 
•'His pecuniary means being limited, he associated Rhode Island capitalists 
with him, and removed his works to Providence, at the corner of Hewes and 
Charles streets, where the American Screw Company's mills are now. The 
difficulty of putting a new article upon the market at a price within the 
reach of the consumers was an obstacle that the company could not over- 
come, and Mr. Read suffered the loss of what money he put into the busi- 
ness. But this enterprise has since grown, and the screws manufactured by 
the company that grew out of this effort of our worthy and ingenious towns- 
man have acquired a world-wide reputation." 

Mr. Read was a thorough mechanic, and the inventor of a large number 
of useful pieces of mechanism. He lived a " long, exemplary, and useful 
life." He died at Perth Amboy, New Jersey, to which place he had some 
time previously removed, at the age of seventy-nine, a man who had been a 
good citizen and true friend, and one " whose memory will be revered and 
loved by all who knew him." 

RICHARDS. 

Thomas Richards was the first of this name known in this country, and 
he was born in Dorchester, England, about the year 1590. According to a 
history of the family, he " was a mau of standing in the mother country, 
and one of the principal men in the new. He was a merchant, and dignified 
by the title of 'Mr.,' a high honor in colonial days." He was a descendant 
of James Richards, of Somerset County, and of Sir Richard Richards, 
" Lord Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer and often President of the 
House of Lords," who was possessor of a manor-house which is still standing 
in Wales, and whose family were called "ancient possessors" as early as 
1550. Thomas Richards had several children. A son, John, " Worshipful 
and Major," and an eminent man of his time, married a daughter of Gov- 
ernor Winthrop ; one daughter, Mary, married Thomas Hinckley, Governor of 
Plymouth; another, Alice, married Major William Bradford, Deputy Gov- 
ernor of Plymouth ; and there were other children. 

Edward Richards, from whom those in this town are descended, was a 
nephew of Thomas, and settled in Dedham about 1635, being one of the 
"principal planters" of that town. He was a prominent man there, a free- 
man, a blameless church member, and a man of large property. He was 
elected selectman nine vears consecutively. John, the son of Edward, was 



T)7(l A SKETCH OF THE 

born, married, and died in Dedham. His son John married there also, and 
lived on his father's homestead. One of his sons was a physician, a colonel, 
and a leading citizen of that town. Another son, John, married Abigail 
Avery, and two of their sons, Edward and Nathan, were the first of the 
name who came to Attleborough. All the records show that the family were 
for many generations the possessors of wealth and high social position. 
They were gentlemen by birth, education, and association, and manifested 
the advantages of these inheritances and possessions by the eminence they 
so often attained. 

Edward Richards, the first in this town of his name, was born in Ded- 
ham in 1724, and in 1756 he married Mary Fisher, of that place. The date 
of his removal to this town is 1760, and he at once took a prominent position 
in its affairs. He served "most faithfully in the many positions of trust" 
which he was called to fill. His name appears frequently upon the records 
of Revolutionary times as a member of the important committees of " Safety 
and Correspondence," and it stands first upon the list of the five gentlemen 
first chosen as such a committee in 1774; "and among the judges of the 
Superior and Inferior Court created by the town," his name is also to be 
found. During this time " he was either first, or among the first." He had 
four sons, some of whom he probably brought with him when very young to 
this town, and all of whom settled here. One of these, Calvin, was of a 
different mold from many of the family, for of him it has been said: " He 
was a quiet, peaceful citizen." He had seven sons : Hervey, who died at an 
early age ; Manning, Peyton, Calviu, Spencer, Ira, and Ichabod : and two 
daughters. 

Manning Richards became a farmer, but not on a large scale, and after 
a time he added a manufacturing business to this occupation, for he was of 
"a mechanical turn of mind." He turned his attention to jewelry soon 
after that manufacture was commenced in town, built a shop on his farm 
about two miles from the village of North Attleborough, and had for a 
while and for that time a considerable business. Subsequently he removed 
to the village, and " opened a variety store and public house," on the site of 
T. E. Hancock's store. Reverses came, however, and he lost a large portion 
of the property he had accumulated. His death occurred in 1826. 

Hon. Hervey Manning Richards was the son of Manning and Susan 
Everett Richards, and was born on his father's farm July 11, 1812. He 
must have had only scant opportunity for a school education, as he was 
but fourteen years of age when his father died, and the loss of property 
which the father had sustained caused him to be left with the responsibility 
of becoming the support of his mother and two sisters. The outlook does 
not seem to have discouraged him, lad as he was, for he went to work at once 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 571 

and manfully. He learned the jewelry trade, as an apprentice to his uncle, 
Ira Richards, managed withal to save a little money, and, "while yet a boy 
in his teens," commenced business for himself, his energy and industry 
taking the place of reserve force which is usually given to capital. " His busi- 
ness career of nearly sixty years is remarkable for the enterprise displayed, 
and the signal reverses met." 

He had scarcely begun to prosper in his first venture when his shop was 
burned. Directly he formed a partnership with George Morse, as Morse & 
Richards. Mr. Morse was an excellent mechanic, so he took charge of 
the manufacturing, and Mr. Richards tried the to him new line of a sales- 
man's position, proved a success, and the firm prospered. In 1833, when 
just twenty-one, he was joined by his cousin, Edmund Ira Richards, who was 
just eighteen. They " bought copper cents from a firm in Taunton, which 
also sold to the government, and stamping them with a caricature of Gen. 
Jackson, and the motto ' I take the responsibility,' put them on the market." 
These were at once in great demand, and purchasers, finding they could be 
passed as money, proceeded to pass them ; but Government soon vetoed the 
enterprise. This young firm had such marked success that Ira Richards was 
persuaded to retire from the firm of Draper, Tifft & Co. "and go into 
business with ' The boys.' " This occurred in 1834, and the firm thus 
formed was Ira Richards & Co., one well known, and "second to none" in 
the jewelry business. The amount of capital was $2,000, and at the end 
of twenty weeks the proceeds were $20,000. 

In 1836 H. M. Richards retired from this firm. He bought out W. B. 
Franklin, who was then at work in the first jewelry-shop ever known in the 
village of North Attleborough, but remained there only a short time, when 
he went to Philadelphia and opened a manufactory in that city. He took 
with him some skilful workmen from here, among them W. 1). Whiting and 
Otis Stanley. For some years he was successful, but then, having engaged 
in some large speculations (*• the mulberry tree speculations ") which resulted 
unfavorably, lie lost his fortune and returned to his native town. He was 
then only thirty-nine and was for the third time where he started — at the 
bottom of the ladder and without money. He was in reality worse off than 
at first, for he had already tasted of the fruits of success ; but he had lost 
none of his inborn energy and courage, and he began again with the timely 
assistance of his uncle Ira, and with unabated determination to compel 
fortune to his will once more. "He went to Plainville, bargained for the 
whole village, and opened a factory there," and at the same time took up 
his residence in that place. 

" Unfortunately, before he had paid the money, a larger offer had been 
accepted," and this compelled him to change nil his plans and "to go else- 
where." He then located in North Attleborough, in a shop that stood nearly 
opposite his late residence. From this time he grew wealthy with great 



572 A SKETCH OF THE 

rapidity, and foreseeing far more clearly than any one else at that time the 
possibilities of both Attleborough Falls and his own village, he made large 
investments in real estate in both places. l - He once owned all the east side 
of Washington-street from Elm-street to and including the site of Codding's 
block ; and on the west side from Guild's block to Richards-avenue [exclusive 
of the Universalist church and the land where F. E. Hancock's store now is, 
with ten or twelve acres directly in the rear of this frontage] — namely : includ- 
ing the estate of the late Simeon Bowen, Dr. F. L. Burden, W. W. Albee, 
A. E. Codding, E. D. Sturtevant, Dr. Foster, — and Kendall's grove. The 
mill property at Farmers' village was bid off at auction by him in 1854, and 
soon after he exchanged property with Handel and Homer Daggett, who 
owned the cotton mill at Attleboro' Falls. He built the present stone mill 
of the Gold Medal Braid Co. in 1855 for a jewelry factory. He later pur- 
chased the ' Peck farm ' in the rear of the Falls village, including ' Peck's 
mountain,' and all the property lying between the Braid mill and the river, 
where it crosses Chestnut-street near the Union Power Co.'s shop. He built 
the residence of Mrs. Simeon Bowen, and lived there a number of years. 
He also owned and resided in what is known as the ' Round house,' now the 
property of the St. Mary Society, and had other estates of less value and 
note. The road from Elm-street to the Falls railroad-bridge was built by 
hiiu."' 

He had but just acquired this great property when the crisis of 1857 came 
on and brought more or less of disaster to almost all of the jewelry firms in 
town, and indeed in the country. Mr. Richards became embarrassed, and 
his efforts to realize advantageously on his real estate were unavailing and 
it finally was disposed of to the Providence Land Company and by them 
divided and sold. Henry L. Kendall bought a large portion of the property 
in North Attleborough, and H. N. Daggett the mill, etc., at the Falls. It 
went at a ruinous sacrifice so far as Mr. Richards was concerned, and his 
purchasers naturally realized the profits which should have been his. In 
1863, then fifty-one years of age, he bravely set out once again and for the 
fourth time to make a fortune. This time he went to Boston, and with his 
son E. H. Richards established himself in the jewelry business there. The 
firm name was H. M. Richards & Co., and the location at No. 7 Green 
Street. Here too he met with success, but not to such a degree as previ- 
ously. In 1876 he retired from active partnership, and in 1880 sold his 
share in the concern to his son, who continues, but under another name. He 
then returned to his home on Washington Street, North Attleborough, not 
far from the railroad station, where he resided till his death. 

Mr. Richards was a very public-spirited man, active in all matters relating 
to the advancement or benefit of the town, and a liberal member of the First 
Universalist Society. He was a member of Bristol Lodge and prominent 
also as an Odd Fellow — a member of Howard Encampment and Aurora 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 573 

Lodge, No. 107. In 1856-57 he was Representative, and in 1862-63 Senator 
in tbe State Legislature. He was in I860 one of the signers of the petition 
for the charter of the Attleborough Savings Bank, and "the prime mover 
in the establishment of the North Attleborough Gas Co. aud its works." 

His first wife was Juline, the daughter of David Capron, and they were 
married June 3, 1833. Having no children of their own they adopted two: 
Eugene H. and Marion Fell Richards, the latter Mrs. C. A. Gilchrist, of 
Boston. In November, 1857, Mr. Richards married again — Mrs. Anjanette 
P. Balcom, a daughter of Remember Carpenter, of Pawtucket, R. I. They 
had no children. In the spring of 1882 Mr. Richards was attacked severely 
with paralysis. Still he was not disheartened or dismayed — his indomitable 
will and dauntless courage prevailed even here — and for a long time he 
refused to be conquered Iry a disease whose power is calculated to make the 
strongest spirit cower. He partially recovered his strength, and his deter- 
mination enabled him to go about, though one side of his body was almost 
helpless. He walked, and alone, because he would do so, but repeated 
shocks subsequently followed and his frame was finally compelled to yield. 
He became physically quite helpless, but there was never any diminution of 
the mental powers. His death occurred July 19, 1886. 

The funeral took place at his late residence and was largely attended, and 
he was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery with the impressive rites of Odd 
Fellowship. One speaks of him thus: "Mr. Richards exemplified in his 
life the virtues of industry, perseverance, and fortitude of purpose. Viewed 
as a business man, he had a genius for making money rather than tenacity in 
keeping it. He believed that money was to be used, and used in developing 
the resources, and promoting the welfare of the community in which it was 
made. He was one of those meu, who, placed on a barren rock, would cast 
about him and make a fortune in a few years, and then spend half of it in 
trying to make the rock something more fruitful and attractive. He was 
greatly esteemed among his fellow citizens, especially those who knew him 
when he was most active in North Attleborough. Such an enterprising, able, 
and public-spirited man the public heart remembers tenderly and honors in 
his last, long sleep." 

Eugene H. Richards, adopted son of H. M. Richards, was born Novem- 
ber 17, 1843. Immediately after his graduation from Tufts College, in July, 
1862, he eulisted as a private in Company H, Fortieth Regiment, Massa 
chusetts Volunteers. On August 15 following he received a commission as 
second lieutenant, and on July 2, 1863, that of first lieutenant by promotion. 
He was with his regiment in all the battles in which it was engaged, was a 
good soldier, and served his country faithfully and creditably, receiving in 
186 1 an honorable discharge. He was at once on his return home employed 
by his father in the business he was then carrying on in Boston and in 1870 
became a partner in it. In 1880 he bought his father's share aud changed 



574 A SKETCH OF THE 

the firm name to E. H. Richards & Co., under which title he still continues 
with success. He is a prominent member of the Masonic Order and holds 
important offices in York and Scottish rites, which are eligible to Masons 
only of very high degree. He was married October 18, 1869, to Frances A. 
Jordan, of Boston. They have no children (1887). 

Ira Richards, :i younger brother of Manning Richards, was also a pio- 
neer in the jewelry business and became famous in it. Previous to entering 
upon it, however, he and two of his younger brothers — Calvin and Spencer 
— were associated in several kinds of business. They formed the Richards 
Manufacturing Company, which carried on quite a large business in the making 
of brass doorknobs and " ketches," or fasteners. He became a member of the 
firm of Draper, Tifft & Co., but retired after a few years, when he became 
the founder of the second famous jewelry firm in the town, historically, the 
one just named being the first. He gained an enviable reputation as a busi- 
ness man. It was universally said of him : " His word is as good as his 
bond," and this association with his name is remembered and referred to 
even at the present time. It is also said : ''He was very reserved and stern, 
but so notably a just and honored man, that matters of dispute among his 
neighbors, if unable to be settled peacefully, were invariably left to his 
decision." He was one of the directors of the old State Bank of Attle- 
borough, and among the most prominent men in the First Universalis! Church, 
"being the prime mover in changing its location from Oldtown to North 
A ttle borough." He married Fanny Draper, of this town, granddaughter of 
Dr. Bezaleel Mann, and she lived to a very great age. Mr. Richards died 
in 1845. 

Edmund Ira Richards, elder son of Ira and Fanny Richards, was boru 
in North Attleborough, November 27, 1815, in a large two-story house now 
on Grant Street, theu in front of Mr. Abiel Codding's present residence on 
Elm Street. His boyhood was, however, spent in the house built by his 
father soon after his birth and well known to most people now as the 
residence of the Doctors Foster, father and son. Mr. Richards commenced 
his business career at a very early age, for, as has been seen, when but 
eighteen he made his first venture with his cousin, H. M. Richards, in the 
stamping and selling of copper cents, which operation was only allowed a 
short, though it had proved a very successful, existence, when it was 
summarily stopped by a governmental order. In 1834, being joined by his 
father, Mr. Richards became one of the founders of the famous firm known 
by the father's name for many years. This partnership proved an equal 
success with the first for two years, or until 1836, when Mr. Richards became 
of age. Some changes were then made; further ones occurred in 1841, and 
others in 1845, the date of Mr. Ira Richards' death. At that time the 
partnership between Messrs. E. I. and J. D. Richards and Abiel Codding, 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 575 

Jr., was formed ; and these three gentlemen, with equal interest, carried on 
business together, under the original name, for thirty years and made for 
themselves wt a national reputation." 

Some difficulties arose in 1875, which made it expedient to dissolve this 
firm ; but a new one was at once formed and called, after the chief partner, 
E. I. Richards & Co. His death occurred in 1882, but the firm is still in 
existence and carries on its business under the same name. 

In October, 1850, Mr. Richards was elected a director of the Attleborough 
State Bank. " He soon conceived the idea of removing the bank from 
Attleborough to North Attleborough. Mr. Richards and his associates, from 
August 1855 to December 1856, succeeded in controlling a majority of the 
stock, and he presented the matter of removal to the Senate so convincingly, 
that, with Oakes Ames for the opposition, the change was allowed." Judge 
Wheaton, the founder of Wheaton Seminary at Norton, was president of the 
bank. About that time he retired from the office and at a stockholders' 
meeting held February 11, 1856, Mr. Richards was chosen his successor and 
he retained the office until January 27, 1875. On July 6, 1857, the stock- 
holders voted to remove the bank to North Attleborough, and its stock 
increased threefold in value during the twenty years of Mr. Richards' presi- 
dency. Mr. Richards initiated the movement to establish the Attleborough 
Savings Bank in 1860 and w r as one of the four signers of the petition for 
a charter. 

kt In war time he was one of the most hopeful in the darkest hours, but he 
was too much absorbed in business to feel under ordinary circumstances much 
interest in politics. In the winter of 1865-66, however, he yielded to the 
wishes of his friends, and represented his district at the General Court." 
Though well fitted for a public career, he seemed to possess no desires or 
aspirations in that direction. He found his home, which was a beautiful one, 
the most attractive and satisfactory place, and the chief part of his time 
which was not occupied with the active pursuits of his business was spent 
with his family. He was " a business man of the greatest energy, shrewd- 
ness and foresight." His remarkably enterprising spirit manifested itself 
at a very earl} 7 age " and his career shows what brains and push can do for 
any man's advancement." 

" Many of the jewelry and other firms in North Attleboro' were aided by 
the counsel, and backed by the money of Mr. Richards when they started. 
He was remarkably tenacious of his purpose ; and this tenacity showed itself 
not only in pushing the business of his own firm, but in supporting the venture 
of any man he assisted. If he decided that a man ought to succeed in an 
enterprise, and advanced him the money, Mr. Richards would not admit that 
failure was a possibility. It was by seconding new business ventures, as 
well as in forwarding their own, that Edmund Ira Richards and the firm with 
which he was connected have done much, in their long career, toward building 



576 A SKETCH OF THE 

up the business prosperity of North Attleborough. Oue of the best acts of 
Mr. Richards in connection with public enterprise, was the subscription of 
$5,000 toward building the new Uuiversalist church." 

May 10, 1841, he married Lucy Maria Morse. She belongs to the Tingley 
family, several brothers of which became distinguished merchants, some of 
them being associated with the famous house of Brown, Ives & Co., of 
Providence. They had four children, of whom the following three are living : 
Anna Leslie, wife of John Augustus Tweedy, of Brooklyn, N. Y. ; Harriet 
Tingley, and Edmund Ira Richards. The latter is a member of the old firm, 
but resides chiefly in Brooklyn, having charge especially of the business as 
connected with the New York office. 

Mr. Richards died at his home, May 15, 1882. In a sketch of his life iu 
the Chronicle, already quoted, are these words: kt When a man has lived for 
nearly threescore years and ten, a prominent figure in social and business 
circles, it seems idle to enlarge upon his qualities of mind and heart, for he 
has written his eulogy line by line in a book read by all men, and nothing 
that can now be said will add or detract. And yet this sketch would fail of 
its purpose without some tribute to the character and abilities of the deceased. 
He was not, as one has expressed it, a ' quiet' man. He was a man of the 
most stupendous energy, of indomitable will, of the firmest self-reliance ; 
these qualities, united with a comprehensive grasp of mind, great foresight 
and decision, made him a business man of the very highest ability." 

Josiah D. Richards, younger brother of the above, was born July 7, 
1827. Upon his father's decease, as has been stated, when only eighteen 
years of age, he took the place made vacant in the firm of Ira Richards & Co. 
He continued a member for over thirty years, retiring in 1876, and from that 
time has discontinued all active interest in business. He, however, takes 
active interest in all that has connection with the general prosperity and 
improvement of the town. Personally he has a great fondness for flori- 
culture, especially for the cultivation of roses. Of these he has something 
like a thousand varieties, which he grows with great success on his large 
grounds and in his spacious greenhouses. They are grown for pleasure, not 
profit, and their beauties are shared by his friends not only in a general but 
in a personal way. 

June 19, 1848, Mr. Richards was married to Harriet E. Draper, daughter 
of John Draper, a jeweler of this town. 1 They had two children, one of 



1 Mr. Draper was born and died at the old Draper homestead on Washington Street, North Attle- 
borough, but he resided for some time in New York, and there his two daughtors, Harriet E., Mrs. 
Richards, and Sarah A., Mrs. C. E. VV. Sherman, were born. Mrs. Draper was Harriet Tisdale, and 
she was born in Assonet village, Freetown, a place famous in our Revolutionary annals. Mrs. Draper 
subsequently married Mr. Warren Aldrich, for many years a resident of the Falls village, and their 
daughter, Marietta Aldrich, is Mrs. H. D. Merritt, of North Attleborough. Mrs. Richards died 
January 11, 1891, after a somewhat lingering illness caused by paralysis. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 577 

whom is deceased. Ira Richards, their sou, was born March 5, 1852. 
Shortly after completing his education at Phillips Academy, Andover, he 
entered into partnership with Messrs. Sandland and Capron, of North 
Attleborough, to manufacture jewelry, and is still connected with that firm. 
On January 2, 1879, he married Lvdia R., daughter of William H. Reynard, 
of New Bedford, this State. They have several children and a charming 
residence within the ample grounds of Mr. Richards, the father. 1 

RICHARDSON. 

The family of this name were originally of Scandinavian origin, but emi- 
grated to America from England among the early settlers of both Massachu- 
setts and Plymouth colonies. Members of several different families of this 
name, so far as they are traced, came to Attleborough, and among them four 
brothers, Stephen, John, William, and Seth, who had previously settled in 
Woburn, this State, and probably came directly from that town to this. Of 
these brothers, Stephen had a son (Daniel?) w T ho was born about 1741-42. 
He married Sarah Read, and they had three sous. The youngest of them 
was Noah, and he was born June 27, 1780. He owned a farm on the east 
road running from Attleborough to North Attleborough, adjoining in part 
a farm still owned and occupied by a family of the same name, though not 
of near relationship. He was a farmer and a nail-maker. He was quiet 
and unpretending, but a good and respected citizen, and liberal toward 
works of usefulness or benevolence as far as his very limited means would 
allow. He died when fifty-five, but his wife, whose name was Irene Bacon, 
survived him for many years, and reached the age of eighty-four. Both 
were buried in the Old Kirk Yard, but their remains were subsequently 
removed to Mount Hope Cemetery. They had seven children : Sylvester, 
Alfred, Silena (Mrs. Charles P. Day), Stephen, Charles B., Eliza (Mrs. 
Angus McDonald), and Mary C. 

Stephen Richardson was born November 10, 1815, in the house now 
known as the " James Foster house," the farm connected with it being prob- 
ably in whole or in part his father's. The first fifteen years of his life were 
passed at home, in the same manner no doubt as those of other boys in simi- 
lar circumstances, the time filled up by work on the farm and a few months 
of '•'schooling" in the winter. When somewhat past fifteen he went to 
North Attleborough and entered the employ of Calvin Richards, whose fac- 
tory was on the grounds adjoining the Richards homestead, now owned and 
occupied by Mr. Abiel Codding. Mr. Richardson spent several years in this 
factory learning the trade of jewelry-making, and he acquired both a thor- 



1 Mr. .losiah D. Richards died July IS, 1S90. He was returning in his carriage from a hunting 
expedition, taken for the pleasure chiefly of his little grandson, when the accidental discharge of his 
gun killed him. 



578 A SKETCH OF THE 

ough and practical knowledge of it. In 1836 he commenced manufacturing 
with Abiel Codding as his partner. This firm existed only a year, meanwhile 
occupying two different shops. After Mr. Codding's retirement, Mr. Rich- 
ardson continued alone for a time, but later David Capron became associated 
with him. as Stephen Richardson & Co. These gentlemen continued in part- 
nership for several years, manufacturing their goods, and then, according to 
the general custom of that time, traveling about the country to dispose of 
them, sometimes making regular sales, that is, for money, sometimes barter- 
ing them for other articles. ''They were fortunate. They made good work, 
were lucky in their designs, which were quite popular, and made money. 
On one ' hit,' a new style of ring, they made about ten thousand dollars." 
Their success made the quarters they then occupied too limited, and in 1848 
a new factory was built. The same year Mr. Richardson built the residence 
which he occupied during the remainder of his life, and which then was as 
fine as any, if not the finest, in the place. At this time the number of hands 
employed by this firm was forty, and it was doing the largest business in 
town in its particular line, and very soon a further enlargement of manufac- 
turing room was required. Mr. Capron finally retired, and Mr. Richardson 
continued alone, or in connection with Samuel R. Miller, up to the year 1856. 

Following that of traveling here and there, the custom hail arisen amouo- 
manufacturing jewelers generally to have representatives in New York City, 
and through them to exhibit their goods in the Western Hotel there, in rooms 
"well remembered by those iu the trade of those days." About this time — 
1856 — Mr. Richardson among the very first made a new departure and 
opened a separate office, where a constant supply of goods was to be found, 
a departure soon followed by others, and now the almost universal fashion. 
Such an office in that or some other city, and sometimes in more than one,, 
is the usual adjunct of the various firms. At first Mr. Richardson made 
rings, pins, and chains in great variety, but afterward engaged in making 
what are termed " novelties," his firm being " perhaps the very first to depart 
from the legitimate jewelry business," for the purpose of taking up this line 
of manufacture. In addition to the goods made by themselves this firm 
"handled" those of one establishment at the Falls, one at Wrentham, and 
two at South Attleborough. They were also great importers, employed •• a 
resident buyer in Paris, and became one of the largest, if not the largest 
importing house of French jewelry in America," and besides the New York 
office, opened first on Maiden Lane and later at 177 Broadway, they opened 
an office in Philadelphia. 

From 1856 till 1859 Mr. Richardson was alone, and occupied himself with 
••domestic goods" only, and relinquished the importing branch of the busi- 
ness to others. On the first of July of the last-named year his son Clarence 
been me his partner under the same name of Stephen Richardson & Co. They 
soon employed in the factory over a hundred hands, and many others engaged 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 579 

in work for them outside. The business was very successful and very remu- 
nerative for many years. In 1870 it received a check in the burning of the 
factory, but in the hands of so able and determined a man as Mr. Richard- 
son this was not allowed to be more than temporary. ik After the fire, with 
characteristic energy and promptitude, he took rooms in the Whiting Man. 
Co.'s building, and in ten days' time was at work in those quarters, and 
immediately began a new building on the site of the burned factory." This 
work of construction was vigorously pushed on to completion, and on Febru- 
arv 1, 1871, scarcely six months after the old one was destroyed, the new 
factory was occupied with one hundred and thirty-five hands. This was 
rapid work, to erect a building 150 feet long, 33 feet wide, and three stories 
high, with machinery set and everything in readiness for manufacturing to 
begin, complete in less than a hundred and fifty days. There was no abate- 
ment in the prosperity of the firm, which continued steadily successful, and 
also •' established a large export trade in Cuba, and European ports." The 
senior partner continued his active interest for six years, until the time of his 
death. 

In 1837 Mr. Richardson married Ann Janette F. Richards, daughter of 
Manning and Susan Everett Richards, of North Attleborough. They had 
four children : Clarence H. ; Frank ; Janette Everett, who married Eugene K. 
Dunbar, of Machias, Maine, the founder of the Attleborough Chronicle and 
now a resident of Boston ; and Stephen, who died young. Mrs. Richardson 
died in July, 1862. In 1868 Mr. Richardson married Mrs. Sarah M. 
Richards, widow of Egbert S. Richards, of this town. 

Mr. Richardson was equally an excellent man and citizen, and manifested 
much interest in the welfare of the town, doing his full share in all enter- 
prises for its benefit. He invested quite largely in real estate and erected 
various buildings which necessitated the opening of new streets — notably 
East and Foster — and so made marked improvements in the village in which 
he lived. " He was one of the promoters, and a director of the N. A. Gas 
Company ; also of the Branch Railroad ; was also stockholder, and for many 
years director of the Wrentham Bank ; was a stockholder of the Northern 
Bank of Providence ; and purchased the site, and, with his fellow-members 
of the N. A. Building Asso. erected the Wamsutta Block." 

Mr. Richardson died March 1, 1877, when but little past the prime of life. 
The following extract is from an article written by Mr. H. N. Daggett, whose 
knowledge of him was that of an intimate friend, and it well describes the 
man. Mr. Daggett says : " He received from his parents, who were in 
humble circumstances, no property, and was compelled to struggle during his 
minority for the support of himself and parents. He was schooled in all the 
trials of poverty and want in his youth, and arose, unaided, superior to both. 
He was truly and in every sense of the word a self-made man. His early 
educational advantages were limited in the extreme, compared with the 



580 A SKETCH OF THE 

advantages and facilities of the present day. Notwithstanding these depri- 
vations, he acquired, by contact with the world and self-culture, a good 
business education. He possessed good natural abilities, a mind active and 
evenly balanced, a kind and generous disposition. At his majority he became 
anxious to rise in the world and improve the talents God had given him. 
Without money or friends to help him, by dint of energy, perseverance, and 
honesty of purpose, he succeeded in attaining a fortune and a good name. 
He used his wealth for his own and others' good. He possessed one virtue 
which was preeminent, charity. He was truly benevolent and generous to 
a fault, and was a dispenser of charity all the days of his life. Many a poor 
plodder of earth will sadly miss his beneficence. He was unostentatious in 
his distributions to the poor and needy. Of these he kept no record on earth, 
but are they not recorded in the book of God's remembrance? His fellow- 
citizens, reposing confidence in his integrity and honesty, selected him for 
places of honor and trust. For nearly twenty years he was a director of a 
banking institution, and held many other offices. As a friend, he was con- 
stant and sincere ; as an adviser, he was conscientious and true ; as a neigh- 
bor, kind and obliging. No business man has gone from earth leaving a 
purer record, a nobler work finished, a name more beloved, or a character 
more unblemished than he." 

Abiathar Augustus Richardson was the only son of Abiathar Richard- 
son, of this town. The name has long been well known in town and the 
family numerous, for besides the four' brothers previously mentioned as 
coming here there were several others of the same name who immigrated here 
in early days. The connection between these various families has not been 
traced, but no doubt they all originally sprang from the same stock even 
though — as seems to be the case — at a period much earlier than their 
appearance in America, and even though relationship is not at present 
claimed between them all. One man of the name, William Richardson, 
many years ago had a house on the site of Mr. Hartford Babcock's box 
factory and he owned considerable land in that vicinit} T . 

The subject of this short sketch finished his education here in towm, it is 
said, at the Attleborough Academy. 1 His health was not sufficiently robust 
to permit him to engage in severe physical labor such as was required by 
nearlv all the men in town at that time, for they were chiefly farmers, and 
after leaving school he went to Virginia. He sailed from Providence in a 
brig. This change was partly to benefit his health and partly to make a busi- 
ness venture. This was the time when in the popular estimation the raising 
of silkworms was or might be made profitable in this country, and Mr. 



1 The Academy building was not erected until a period when Mr. Richardson would have been 
too old to be a pupil there, though an academical school may have been previously kept in the East 
village. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 581 

Richardson established a plantation of mulberry trees in Virginia with this 
object in view. The enterprise did not, however, in his case prove success- 
ful and so he returned home. This must have been one of the so-called 
" mulberry-tree speculations" in which Mr. H. M. Richards also took part, 
and disastrously. 

Mr. Richardson died of consumption at the early age of thirty years. He 
was possessed of a considerable fortune and as he never married and had no 
direct heirs he adopted the cause of public education in his own community, 
and by will left nearly all of his entire estate — of which the farm subse- 
quently owned and occupied for many years by the author was a part — to 
the common, free schools of the East parish. The value of the donation 
was then $11,000 and it has since more than doubled. It was a most gener- 
ous and noble gift, one for which the giver's name should be held in grateful 
and everlasting remembrance. He was buried in the Old Kirk Yard, where 
a o-ranite monument — a plain shaft — was erected to his memory, containing 
the following simple but expressive and appropriate inscription : — 

" Abiathar A. Richardson, 

born Dec. 30, 1813, died Feb. 13, 1843. 

His legacy to Common Schools is his best 

epitaph and his most enduring monument." 

ROBINSON. 

Six brothers of this name came here from Rehoboth previous to 1730. 
They were descendants of George Robinson, of that town, whose name may 
be found on the list of the proprietors of the Rehoboth North Purchase as 
the owner of one share therein. Those of the name in town to-day are also 
his descendants. 

Colonel Obed Robinson was a pioneer among the manufacturers of 
Attleborough. He was at first a blacksmith, but the breaking out of the 
Revolutionary War presented him with an opportunity to make a change in 
his occupation and he commenced manufacturing gunlocks for weapons for 
the use of the Continental army. This he did under a sub-contract, and for 
that reason chiefly perhaps the business proved unremunerative, so upon the 
close of the war he abandoned it and took up that of clock-making — for 
kitchen use. These tall, "old-fashioned" timepieces are no longer humble 
" kitchen clocks," but are promoted to the best rooms and the present chief 
places in the house. How many of those made by Mr. Robinson are still 
extant it is not possible to say, but the one made in 1797 for Hon. Ebenezer 
Daggett when he was married and went to housekeeping is still in existence x 
and in excellent condition. It is thoroughly to be depended on for correct- 
ness in noting the passing hours, and is highly prized both as a family 
treasure and because it was made by a native of Attleborough. 



1 In the possession of the Editor. 



582 A SKETCH OF THE 

The making of clocks was in turn abandoned after some years, and in 1807 
Mr. Robinson began to make jewelry, having in his employ one David Brown, 
u a skilled workman in the art." Five years later, in 1812, he began the 
manufacture of buttons, and this became a very large business both in 
variety and extent. At different times his three sons, Otis, Richard, and 
Willard, all having learned the trade of him, were associated with him in this 
business, and for many years great prosperity was experienced. A few years 
previous to his death, which occurred in 1840, Mr. Robinson retired from all 
active business owing to his enfeebled health, lie was too greatly advanced 
in years. He was at one time colonel of a regiment in the Massachusetts 
Militia. 

Otis, the oldest son, removed finally to Southington, Conn., where he was 
engaged in active business — in manufacturing — up to the time of his death, 
in 1843. Richard, the second son, died in 1887, while a member of the firm 
of Robinson, Jones & Co., of this town. 

Willard Robinson, the youngest of these three sons, was born June If). 
1799. Like many of the prominent men of the generation just passing 
away, he had very few opportunities of acquiring an education so far as 
school instruction was concerned, the public advantages then offered being 
so far inferior to those of the present day in town. But mere book-learning 
is by no means the most important part of an education. That the knowledge 
gained by reading, observation, and experience of the world is of far more 
practical value, and that the man subjected to that method of instruction 
may in reality receive a thorough education and be thereby fitted to attain 
the highest kind of success, is evidenced by the life of the subject of 
this sketch. 

About the time, or a little later, that Mr. Robinson's father and eldest 
brother became associated in the manufacture of metal buttons he and his 
brother Richard became apprentices to the firm, and both of them speedily 
developed enterprise and great ingenuity. Willard especially showed great 
skill and aptitude for this mechanical business. He remained for some years 
in the employ of his father or Richard, who appears at one time to have 
been in business for himself, or to have conducted the affairs of the original 
firm alone, and to have then employed the younger brother. In 1823 the 
firm of Richard Robinson & Co. was formed for the purpose of manu- 
facturing glass buttons, and Willard became one of its members. Subse- 
quently changes were made both in partners and firm name, but for twenty 
years Mr. Robinson continued to be a member, and to him was largely due 
the remarkable success which followed the initiation of this enterprise. His 
busy mind was constantly employed in thinking out changes and making 
additions to the facilities for manufacturing. He constructed new dyes, 
invented new machinery, and introduced many improvements. He saw a 
button called the "iris-button," and by his cleverness he discovered the 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 583 

method of its production and at once set to work to manufacture it, crivino- 
to his product the name of "opal-button." Later gilt buttons were added 
to the varieties made. 

Up to this time the latter had been imported from England, but those 
manufactured by the Robinsons, being superior in style and finish, commanded 
rapid sales and good prices and the firm soon controlled the market. The 
fashion of bright metal buttons for gentlemen's coats was a prevailing one 
fifty or more years ago, only professional men wearing black coats with 
cloth-covered buttons ; and it is easy to realize that this firm's business must 
have been a very extensive and equally lucrative one. For many years a 
large proportion of the buttons used by the army, navy, and police were 
made in this establishment at Robinsonville, and a great quantity of fancy 
buttons besides. About 1843 the universal fashion suddenly met with a 
change and the gilt buttons gave place to covered ones, except for military 
clothing; his market closed, therefore, and in that year Mr. Robinson, who 
had for five years been conducting the business alone, was obliged to 
suspend operations. 

Previous to this time John Hatch, a skilful mechanic in his employ, had 
conceived the idea of constructing a machine for making trowsers buttons, 
which should receive the material and complete the article in one continuous 
process and should be self-acting and self-adjusting. Mr. Robinson appre- 
ciated the promise contained in this idea and his quick intelligence grasped 
its feasibility, and he turned his attention to working it out. He and Mr. 
Hatch studied and experimented together, until they succeeded in making a 
perfect machine. The patent for this machine was issued to Willard 
Robinson February 20, 1845. It continued for fourteen years, and then an 
extension was obtained for seven years additional. Mr. Hatch became a 
partner with Mr. Robinson for the manufacture of these patented buttons 
and a very large and profitable business ensued. His death occurred in 1849, 
and Mr. Robinson carried on the manufactory alone for more than twentv 
years, with almost exclusive control of the market. "He received five 
medals from different exhibitions, testimonials of value to the merits of his 
goods." He continued to be actively engaged in this business up to the time 
of his death and since that time it has been conducted by one of his sons, 
Arthur B. Robinson, who purchased it. 

October 25, 1825, Mr. Robinson married Rebecca W. Richards, daughter of 
Edward and Amy Richards, of this town. They had five children : Ellen R., 
who married John C. Douglass, of Leavenworth, Kan., and is now deceased ; 
Jarvis W. ; Isabel E., Mrs. Joseph Cushman ; Arthur B. j 1 and Adelaide R., 
Mrs. M. B. Mackreth. Mrs. Robinson survived her husband for nearly nine 
years and died August 16, 1888, in the eighty-fourth year of her age. 



1 Jarvis W. and Arthur B. Robinson are both deceased (1893). 



584 A SKETCH OF THE 

Mr. Robinson lived a wise and useful life, one valuable to his town and 
especially to his community, and died full of days, December 26, 1879. He 
was a tall, fine-looking man ; his face had a somewhat grave expression, but 
it was withal kindly, as was his manner. He was a thoroughly self-contained, 
self-controlled man, reserved and undemonstrative in his nature, but none 
the less deeply true and sincere ; a man of few words, but those he spoke were 
words of common sense and of perhaps uncommon wisdom. Instinctively 
it would be said of him : He is a man to be trusted. He was a very kind 
husband and father, and while it was in his home and by his family that his 
loss was most deeply felt, his death was a bereavement to a large circle of 
friends and to the whole town. 1 " He was not only a representative manu- 
facturer, he was more. He made his mark in every sphere with which he 
was connected. A public-spirited citizen, he did much to benefit and 
improve his town. The pretty village of Robinson ville is largely indebted 
to him for its growth and prosperity, and had he been willing to sacrifice 
private interests for public positions, he could many times have occupied 
them, for he was often urged to accept them." Politically he was a Whig 
and then a Republican. He was an earnest defender of the Union during 
our Civil War ; he was zealous in the cause of humanity " and a firm supporter 
of law, of order, and of justice." 

" He was widely known as one of the most enterprising, generous and 
noble-hearted men in his remarkably enterprising community. A chapter of 
eulogy would fail to enumerate or do justice to his generous deeds, of which 
hundreds have been the recipients." 



Sergeant Abraham Bailey Savery was the oldest son of Dr. Phineas 
and Sally A. Bailey Savery and was born in this town May 23, 1837. The 
father was for many years the leading physician of the East village, in the 
central part of which he resided. He had one son by his first wife — Phineas 
Savery, Esq., a lawyer in Baldwin, Miss. — and the following seven children 
by the wife above mentioned: Hope B., Mrs. Waterman; Abraham B. ; 
Cyrus B. ; Job B. ; Nancy M., Mrs. Ryder; Amy B. ; and Henry O. ; of 
whom Mrs. Ryder, uow r of Wareham, this State, is the only survivor. 

Abraham spent his boyhood in this town, receiving a high-school educa- 



1 Many people iu recalling Mr. Robinson will, no doubt, think of him as he appeared passing- 
through our streets iu his carriage, and they will remember the old white horse he drove for so many 
years about the town. The creature's record was so unusual that it does not seem out of place to 
mention it in this connection. He lived to be over thirty years of age, which is about three times the 
average life of a horse, and during almost all those years he served this one master faithfully and 
intelligently. He was so remarkable for his age that he was known all over town, ami doubtless 
outside its limits. He became a great pet with the family and as long as he lived he received the care 
and attention of a humble trusty friend. Such instances of longevity are very rare, but two similar 
ones known to the writer were of gray or while horses, who, like this one, retained their strength and 
speed for considerably more than a quarter of a century. — Editor. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 585 

tion. When the war broke out he was among the first to enlist, and was a 
member of Company I, Seventh Massachusetts Regiment. He faithfully 
discharged all his duties in his company and regiment as long as he lived, 
" as a loyal Christian soldier." In the latter part of 1862 he came home to 
recover from the effects of a severe illness he had contracted in the army. 
Before his strength was fully restored, however, his furlough expired, and, 
though he was unable to do so, he cheerfully returned to his duties in the 
field, the severity of which he fully realized, for by this time the glamour 
and illusion were gone and the war had become a stern and determined 
reality. His health could not long endure the terrible strain of such experi- 
ences as our brave " Seventh" had, though his death was caused by an acute 
attack of disease. He died December 16, 1863, of pleurisy, after an illness 
of eight days' duration. His remains were brought home and the funeral 
services were held on December 24, at the Second Congregational Church, 
and he was buried with military honors. 

A memorial of him was published soon after his death, and the various 
extracts from his letters to a friend, which were printed in it, show how 
conscientious he was as a soldier. He enlisted, " counting the cost." His 
motives were the highest and noblest, those of true Christian patriotism. 
Que or two quotations from his letters may well be giveu here. As early as 
October, 1861, in speaking of several deaths which had occurred in the army 
or elsewhere he says : — 

" I have lost a brother and, ere the close of the war, my mother may be grieved again at the 
loss of her first-born son. For her sake. 1 would that I might live, that I may be her support 
in the later years of a life that has been spent for the comfort and good of her children. 'T is 
a fearful retribution that has fallen upon us for permitting the curse of slavery to rest so 
long upon the land. The tears and suffering of the poor slaves for more than two centuries 
are now to be expiated by the blood of their task-masters, and those whose hands were idle to 
stop the sin. Efforts are now making to have us placed in the most advanced position of this 
army, and I hope they will be successful. I am willing, if it will give the death-blow to 
slavery, to give my blood upon the field of battle." Again, a year later, he writes: " In the 
mercy" of God my blood has not yet been called for. Thousands more worthy of life, lie low upon 
the battle-fields, while I am still safe from harm. Surely they who return from the war ought 
to be patriots in life of the highest excellence if our country is restored to its former integrity 
ami harmony; for the blood of Patriot-Martyrs that has already consecrated anew every letter 
and word of the ' constitution and laws,' of this once happy and peaceful land. Can it be that 
much more is to be shed? Apparently we are little nearer a peaceful solution of this vexed 
question than ever, and battles are yet talked of soon to come, even more bloody than their 
predecessors. I think now, as I always have, that so long as a man is owned by his fellow-man 
upon this soil, we can never again be a united country, and if I must remain here or run my 
risk in battling for the remainder of my three years, I had much rather do so than have 
another slavery compromise patched up." Again, in speaking of the cause of the war: "But 
a reckoning time has come now, and will come again, if the evil be not rooted out entirely 
from the land." He was always confident of victory in the end, for under the same date he 
says : " Unless one has faith in the Almighty as ruler of all the nations of the earth, the aspect 
of everything is dark at present ; — but Hope has not yet left me ; the struggle may be long, but 
ultimate success seems certain for us. The fervent prayers of Christians will not fall unheeded 
round the Mercy Seat. Were everything we desire gained by the mere wish, without struggle 
on our part, 't would be soon forgotten ; but who will lightly estimate the blessings of Peace 
and Union when this strife shall terminate." 



586 A SKETCH OF THE 

We quote also from the funeral .sermon preached by his pastor. Rev. W. W. Belden, on the 
occasion of his burial. He says: "We look for the true soldier, 'first in the man.'' What 
is it thai wins love and makes the world take its noblest sons to its heart and cherish them 
profoundly? Manliness — true Christian manliness. It is this, and not fame nor rank 
that awakens lasting admiration. Emperors have gone down to the grave from heights of 
power, blazing in gold and purple without a mourner; but when a max DIES, humanity 
mourns. I come, my hearers, to bring you a cluster of rose-buds for your cypress wreath — 
to speak to you, tenderly, of one with whom you are all familiar, from your childhood. I can 
tell yon only what you so well know. Noble by nature, nobler by education, we can all say 
w itb his commanding otlicer, — ' I bear eager testimony not only to the efficiency of the soldier, 
but to the oenuineness of the man..'' Slight in form, frail in health, impulsive in spirit, of an 
active, inquiring, cultivated mind, attaining a higher intellectual position than many men of 
his age. with a high sense of honor, modest aud unassuming, never appreciating his own 
powers, diffident and distrustful of himself, he had an unaffected modesty which in these days 
i- -o rare a jewel, therefore so precious — a real diamond of character. Always truthful, 
conscientious, generous in disposition, kind of heart, capable of noble purpose and lofty plans. 
Such a man was Abraham Savery. The first sound of an assault on government developed the 
manly and heroic nature which dwelt in the soul of the magnanimous boy. He gave himself 
-to his country at once, with the same self-denying spirit that had characterized him ever more. 

"Iain reminded that he was an affectionate and dutiful son. The death of his father, the 
• beloved physician of Attleborough,' ten years since, devolved upon Abraham, for the most 
part, the support of his remaining parent. His kindness and love for this widowed mother 
were remarkable. He was unwearied, and diligent in his devotion to that afflicted parent, doing 
so much to smooth and to brighten her rugged ami sombre way. Patriotism was a ruling 
principle in his soul. He went to the war from noble motives. We thank God for the record 
of such lives, — the hallowed memories of our soldier-dead running back from pews in this 
house of prayer to graves in yonder cemetery. Their spirit shall never die. It shall outlive 
the ruins of empires, and of eras, and passing through the web of time, a shuttle in the hands 
of the Almighty, shall weave the bright colors of self-denial, loyalty to God and liberty, into 
the mighty fabric of human souls, which shall be unrolled at the judgment anil then hung up 
as the golden tapestry of heaven. The Christian hero dying for his country is a matchless 
martyr." 

The preacher closed with a beautiful appeal to comrades in age of the dead : " Young men — 
I have portrayed before you the life of a beloved youth — your friend and mine. I hold him 
up for your emulation. His last battle has been fought; his last inarch made; his last victory 
won; no drum beat will ever rouse him from his slumbers — he has gone to that genial clime 
where war is unknown — where the peace of God fills the soul. Prom that soldier's coffin 
there rises an appeal far more eloquent than human voice can make. That pale face — those 
mute lips appeal to all your manhood — to all your patriotism — to all your immortality, to 
prepare to meet death as your comrade has done. Then can you follow where this young hero 
so nobly led — to the battle-field — to victory and to the grave of the Christian soldier whose 
soul is marching on to rest in the bosom of his do,/." 

Job Bailey Savery, a younger brother of the above, was born January 
24, 1841. The common schools were his only means of education, and when 
but sixteen years of age he went West, tempted no doubt by the stories of 
great possibilities in the way of making money which were extant about that 
then less well-known portion of our country. Mr. Savery did not, however, 
try business or farming, but spent the larger portion of the time he remained 
as a teacher in the States of Illinois and Wisconsin. At the end of five 
years the war broke out aud he returned home. On the first of September, 
1862, he enlisted in Company II, Fortieth Regiment Massachusetts Volun- 
teers. He was sergeant in this company, and was always faithful to his 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUdH. 587 

every duty, whether as an officer or a soldier. He was with his regiment 
- k from Gettysburg to Richmond." As long as he lived " he always retained 
a strong love for his companions in arms, and was one of the regiment's 
executive committee after the disbanded veterans had reunited themselves 
as an association for mutual assistance and good fellowship." He remained 
in the service for three years and received his discharge on June Hi, 1865, 
when the war was over. 

On his return home he became bookkeeper for R. Blackinton & Co. at the 
Falls, and remained with that (inn until 18(38. During that year he returned 
to his native village and became associated with Oscar Thayer in jewelry 
business. The firm was Savery, Thayer & Co., but not long after Mr. 
Thayer sold his interest, and this was purchased by Charles Mason, with 
whom Mr. Savery continued until 1872, when the firm was dissolved Then 
Mr. Savery with his brother Henry entered the grocery business under the 
name of Savery Brothers. In 1873 he was chosen town clerk, was reelected 
to the same position every subsequent year of his life, a period of fourteen 
years, and was holding the office at the time of his death. In 1875 he relin- 
quished his grocery business, and from that time on devoted himself exclu- 
sively to the duties of various public positions. 

When he first accepted the position of town clerk (he office was kept in the 
old depot building, later in a small building on South Main Street, and for 
several years previous to his death it had occupied its present commodious 
room in Sturdy's Block. During the period of his clerkship the town largely 
increased in population — nearly doubled — and increased largely also in the 
extent of its manufactures, in its wealth and importance, and this brought a 
corresponding increase in the " extent, variety, and importance of the duties 
of his office." Mr. Savery soon became thoroughly conversant with the 
requirements of his position, and showed a special adaptability to it. He 
had doubtless become better acquainted with the history of the town during 
the years of his service than any other man, and this rendered his presence 
at public meetings of marked value. Able from knowledge and ability to 
form correct opinions upon questions which came up, lie was always willing 
to present them when requested to do so, though he never forced them 
forward He expressed them when occasion required with clearness and 
precision, and not infrequently they served to settle matters of importance. 
As the years passed on he grew to be more and more valuable to the town, 
a fact which was well understood and gladly acknowledged by his fellow- 
citizens who when he died felt they had sustained an irreparable loss. 

In 1880 he was elected selectman and assessor, serving on that board 
until 1885, and the following year he was again elected assessor. In 1884, 
when the Board of Registrars was created by statute, he was made its clerk 
for this town and retained the office until his death ; and he was clerk of the 
Attleborouo-h Water District until it became united with the Fire District, of 



588 A SKETCH OF THE 

which he was also clerk. He was an active member of the Young Men's 
Christian Association and clerk of the Second Congregational Parish. He 
belonged to William A. Streeter Post. G. A. K. ; was one of the ex-command- 
ers of Company H of the Fortieth Regimental Association ; secretary of the 
Royal Arcanum ; collector of the American Legion of Honor ; and treas- 
urer of the Temple of Honor. " These varied positions brought him in close 
relations with every class of people, to all of whom he proved a friend and 
adviser, and while no one's life is really necessary for the work of the world, 
it will be impossible to find those who can at once take up all the matters 
which he kept well in charge." 

November 10, 1869, he married Isadora E., the daughter of Mr. William 
Briggs, of this town. They had four children, of whom three are living: 
Willie B., Grace A., and Job L. Mr. Savery was a most devoted husband 
and father. Small things often show most clearly a person's character. It 
is said that whenever returning from North Attleborough, as the train passed 
his home, he always gave a signal from the car window to his children and 
had an answering one from them. No matter how busy he might lie he 
never omitted this pleasant little ceremony. 

He died October 3, 188G, after an illness of some weeks' duration which 
was not considered of a serious or alarming nature until shortly before his 
death. The funeral took place in his own church on the fifth instant. 
Business was very generally suspended and a large number of people 
attended the service, which was conducted by his pastor. Rev. Walter Barton, 
assisted by Rev. W. A. Luce, of the Methodist Church, and Rev. M. Can- 
field, a former pastor in town. Colonel J. A. Dalton and Captain Litchfield 
of Mr. Savery's regiment were present with the Grand Army, and there were 
delegations from the organizations to which he belonged. lie was buried at 
Woodlawn with the special service of the G. A. H. 

In the course of his most appropriate discourse Mr. Barton said : " There 
are empty seats all around us which none but the familiar forms can fill. 
There is a vacant place in the ranks of the Grand Army, a vacancy in the 
Y. M. C. A., a faithful public servant is not here ; the causes of education and 
temperance have lost a friend : the Sunday-school misses one of its best 
teachers ; the church has one less ardent attendant and supporter. Let us 
imagine what the world would be if, like him who lies here, every parent 
were seen on Sunday morning wending their way to the sanctuary with their 
family; if, like him. we were devoted to what is good and true, and right. 
If the world were filled with men like him, how different it would be." 
Another said : " Mr. Savery was a man of sterling character, firm in his 
adherence to what he deemed right, yet tolerant with those who disagreed. 
He was never too busy to attend to those who sought him, and never known 
io have other than a calm and pleasant manner." 

lie was a devoted and zealous Christian. He was for many years a mem- 



HIST OB Y OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 589 

ber of the Second Congregational Church and a teacher in its Sunday-school, 
and he organized the Sunday-school out of which the Central Church at the 
Falls village grew. His religion had no bigotry in it, and it was of a cheer- 
ful, practical kind such as brings happiness to the heart and shines brightest 
in the affairs of everyday life. He was a good man ; there can be no higher 
encomium bestowed upon him. The following testimonial was kk elegantly 
engrossed and handsomely framed," and presented to his family : — 

We, the members of the Board of Registrars of the town of Attleboro, desire to add our 
testimony to the high moral worth, gentlemanly character, courteous deportment and amiable 
disposition of our late associate, Job B. Savery. His genial disposition and uniform affability 
has ever rendered our labors pleasant, his painstaking and familiarity with the duties of the 
Board has done much to make accurate work, and we feel that his death is a great loss to our 

body. 

We wish to express our sympathy to the heart-broken family of our esteemed friend in 
their great affliction, and with them sincerely mourn that he, whose life was so full of present 
usefulness and future promise, has been suddenly and early called from the scenes of busy life 
to the rest that remains for those whose life, whether long or short, has been so perfectly 
rounded by conscientiousness and good works as to deserve the plaudit, " Well done, good and 

faithful servant." 

Signed John W . Cody, \ Board 

Patrick F. Grady, \ of 

Fred. B. Byram, ' Registrars. 

No more fitting inscription could be placed above Job Savery than a few 
lines from a poem which a friend quoted in a notice of him : — 

" The good he did cannot be hid 
From those whom he befriended. 
His useful clays will speak his praise, 
A more enduring story 
Than stone or bust above his dust 
Could tell to give him glory." 

Charles Edwin Wallace Sherman was born in Plympton, Mass., August 
1, 1827. His paternal grandmother was a descendant of Captain Miles Stan- 
dish, " of Mayflower fame," her father, Jonathan Standish, being the sixth in 
descent from that doughty Puritan warrior. Mr. Sherman's father, William 
Sherman, was a dyer and a manufacturer of woolen goods. He was born 
in Plymouth, the son of Thomas Sherman, a hatter in that place. He lived 
in several towns in this State — Plympton, Dighton, and Halifax, and died 
at the age of seventy-three. He had four children, of whom Charles was 
the third. 

When but a boy, he, Charles, worked in his father's factory at Dighton, 
learning and working in nearly all parts of the manufacture of wool, from 
its natural state tk in the fleece, to the finish." This kind of work proved to 
be too severe for his strength, however, and he was obliged to give it up for 
some lighter and easier occupation. Through the assistance of friends he 
obtained a place in one of the jewelry shops in this town and spent two years 
in learning the trade of an engraver. April 1. 1848, when about twenty- 



590 A SKETCH OF THE 

one, he came here and settled, working at his trade for six years. At the end 
of that time he formed a copartnership with George K. Davis, "the firm 
being George K. Davis & Co., gold and silver refiners, assayers, and smelt- 
ers." At the end of two years, in 1856, Mr. Sherman built a shop and 
conducted a business of this kind on his own account until 1875, when he 
took his son William TV. Sherman into company with him and the firm thus 
formed is still in existence. Mr. Sherman has worked hard during his whole 
life of sixty years. He has amassed a comfortable fortune and deserves the 
success he has attained, as the just reward of his care and industry. He 
has been strictly a business man and has not cared to interest himself espe- 
cially in public affairs. He is much respected by his friends and as a citizen. 

SMITH. 

Stephen Smith was born in Mansfield, in January, 1796. He came to 
this town, when quite a young man probably, and bought the Joel Read farm, 
which contained about eighty acres and cost him some six or seven hundred 
dollars. Here he took up his residence and became quite a successful 
farmer. By his industry and thrift he accumulated what in those days and 
for one in his occupation was quite a handsome property, its value at his 
death being six thousand dollars. He was active in both town and county 
affairs. He was a member of the Free Soil party when its adherents in town 
numbered only three or four. He was a Calvinist Baptist, and rigid in his 
belief in the doctrines of that peculiar faith. He was ; ' a prudent, temperate, 
reserved man, of few words, honest in his dealings, and of sterling integrity." 
His first wife was Ruth Hodges, by whom he had one son, Stephen N. His 
second wife was Mercy S. Ide, a daughter of Nathaniel and Hannah Daggett 
Ide, whose father was Colonel John Daggett, of Revolutionary fame. She 
was named Mercy Shepard from her grandmother, wife of Colonel Daggett 
and daughter of John Shepard " the ancient." They had six children, five 
daughters and one son, all of whom are deceased with the exception of the 
latter, the subject of the following sketch. 

Theron Ide Smith was born on his father's farm in the Read and Ide 
neighborhood, April 9, 1836. He worked on the farm till he was eighteen, 
obtaining what education this life of a farmer's boy enabled him to get in 
the common schools. The prospects this mode of life then afforded him 
were not sufficient to satisfy his ambition and he decided to learn the trade 
of jewelry-making. He went to North Attleborough and apprenticed him- 
self to Ira Richards & Co. At the end of a year business was dull and in 
that establishment he could only get six cents an hour and eight hours' work 
in the day. He then tried for employment elsewhere and found it with J. T. 
Bacon & Co., in Plainville, where he was paid a dollar a day for "chasing." 
He was such an excellent workman that his employers soon raised his pay to 
a dollar and a quarter a day, but at the end of six months he was obliged to 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 591 

give up chasing entirely, and indeed all work for some mouths, on account of 
his health. When able to work again he was employed for a short time •' at 
the bench" by Barrows & Sturdy, iu 1856. Not long afterwards he began 
to work for Merritt & Draper, and remained with them until June 1, 1850, 
when he joined with D. D. Codding and they started manufacturing kt in 
a small way" on the first floor of the building they now occupy. 

A year from that time these gentlemen moved to Mansfield Centre, where 
they carried on a very moderate business until the breaking out of the war, 
which had such an unfavorable effect upon their affairs that they were obliged 
to discontinue operations altogether. They could not get their pay for goods 
they had sold, which compelled them to leave their tools idle, and in May, 
1861, these were burned with the building in which they were, and the firm 
thus lost everything. Mr. William Boyd, of Mansfield, was at that time 
making cap-boxes for the army and Mr. Smith entered his employ and 
stayed until better times gave him encouragement to try his former occupa- 
tion again. During the spring of the following year he returned to North 
Attleborough, and from July, 1862, till July, 1865, he had charge of Merritt 
& Draper's shop. At this time he entered business again with his former 
partner and C. H. Ames, as Codding, Smith & Co., and for two years this 
firm met with moderate success. Then Mr. Ames withdrew and A. E. Cod- 
ding entered the firm, the name remaining the same. From this date, 1867, 
for six years the firm was very prosperous and then Mr. Smith purchased the 
interest of each of his partners and continued alone for a year. Then he 
sold a half -interest to D. D. Codding and thus formed his present firm of 
T. I. Smith & Co. This firm has been uninterruptedly prosperous, the only 
change since its formation being the admission of a former salesman, H. H. 
Curtis, as a third partner. 

May 16. 1856, Mr. Smith married Emily C, the daughter of Abiel and 
Chloe Daggett Codding. They have one child, Eva C, Mrs. Henry H. 
Curtis. ki Mr. Smith has always been in the ranks of intelligent and inde- 
pendent thinkers. He has always been in accord with Republican principles, 
and cast his first presidential vote for Lincoln. Steady and reliable in his 
business, pleasant and affable iu his intercourse with others, unassuming and 
modest in his demeanor, he is considered one of the town's solid citizens, 
and a man of unobtrusive worth." 

STANLEY. 

The first of this name who emigrated from England was one Matthew 
Stanley, who settled in Martha's Vineyard. Some members of his family 
went to Connecticut Colony, and some to Topsfield, this State, and from the 
latter branch came the ancestors of the Stanleys in this town. Six men came 
here from Topsfield very early. They were Thomas, Nathaniel, Joseph, 
Samuel, Jacob, and John, the last three being brothers. The first and the 



592 A SKETCH OF THE 

fourth are known to have been here in 1707, and all settled near the Falls. 
Jacob, one of the three brothers mentioned, came here about 1717. He 
married Elizabeth Guild and had ten children. Of these Benjamin was the 
second son and child. He married Abigail Spear aud had three children. 
Stephen, second son and child, and born here in town, was a farmer, a 
cabinetmaker, and for a number of years the agent for the Falls Manu- 
facturing Company. He was an energetic and a successful man, and he 
lived to a good old age. His wife was Martha, the daughter of Jonathan 
and Martha Pond Stanley, and the} 7 had three children. 

Stephen Olney Stanley, again the second son and child, and one of the 
last-mentioned three children, was born June 11, 1801, kt in the house oppo- 
site No. 5 school-house." He had a common-school and academic education, 
but when quite young he entered the "Company's store" at the Falls as 
clerk for his father. He was occupied there for several years and in addition 
had farmwork to attend to during the summer months. Later he and his 
father " closed their connection with the company," and then Mr. Stanley 
turned his attention wholly to farming. At first he took charge only of his 
father's farm, but finally became its owner. After his marriage he had lived 
at his old home aud it remained his residence during his life. It is the 
general idea that the ordinary farmer in New England can get nothing more 
than a living from his acres. This was the case with Mr. Stanley, though he 
labored very industriously. "He was a perfectly just man, fair and honor- 
able in all his dealings," and of him it was often said in the familiar phrase, 
"He was too honest for his own good." He had no doubt too humble an 
opinion of his own powers to assert himself in the way which seems necessary 
now to ensure a man's financial success, but he had what was better than that 
alone : the success of a life of duties conscientiously done; and there can be 
no better or higher. If his duties were simple, he was content to do them as 
they came to him without craving something more prominent or striking in 
the eyes of the world ; he had no desire for publicity, though had circum- 
stances demanded he would have proved himself capable of holding office 
acceptably. What he said of himself shows, though he was unconscious of 
it, what he really was — a good man. He believed in the principles of true 
religion but never became a church member, because, as he said, he did not 
think himself good enough. The men who fee! like that are often the best 
fitted for the places they are too modest to take ; but no matter how retiring 
they may be their influence for what is highest and best in life cannot be 
confined within the narrow limits they themselves prescribe for it, but is felt 
in the community about them in a far wider aud more enduring manner than 
they in their unobtrusiveness dream possible. Mr. Stanley w r as, as some 
one has said, " an unassuming and useful member of society, reserved in 
demeanor, and enjoyed the esteem of all," aud of him it could probably be 
said : "He had not an enemy during his entire life." 



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BIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 593 

September 28, 1830, he married Betsey S., the daughter of Artemas and 
Betsey Daggett Stanley. Mrs. Stanley was a member of the same family as 
her husband, Jacob, their first ancestor in town, being their common great- 
grandfather. Her family lived in the west part of the town. Her grand- 
father was prominent there in the First Congregational Church, and her father 
in 1841-42 was Representative to the State Legislature. Mr. Stanley died 
about 1875. He had five children, of whom three are now living : Martha 
(Mrs. Edward C. Knapp), Benjamin, and Stephen. [First named is dead.] 

The latter left home in 1861 to enter the army. He enlisted as a musician 
in the Seventh Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers, and after fourteen 
months' service was discharged, as other musicians were. After a short stay 
in town he went to Taunton, this State, then to Yonkers, N. Y., where he 
worked in an armory, then to Waterbury, Conn., where he learned the 
machinist's trade, and later he worked as a toolmaker in a brass factory. 
In 1871 he returned to the Falls and formed a partnership with his brother 
and brother-in-law to manufacture jewelry. The latter has retired from the 
firm, but the two brothers continue the business together, and they have 
enjoyed a very considerable degree of prosperity. 

The Stanley family has been a numerous one and there have been many 
branches of it here in town and many of its members have been prominent 
here and elsewhere. The most prominent of the name now in town is Lyman 
M. Stanley, resident in the east part. He has for several years been very 
active in town and especially in district matters. To him chiefly perhaps is 
due the rise and in large measure the continuance of the division movement 
of 1886-87. He never from the first doubted its ultimate success, and he 
worked enthusiastically and persistently — in the face of adverse criticism, 
which was both abundant and severe — to bring the question to a speedy and 
final issue. He is as sure of the future increase of prosperity in that portion 
of the town still named Attleborough as he was of the result of the old 
town's action before it took place. Dr. William Stanley, previously men- 
tioned, also belongs to this family, whose members, whether they have been 
agriculturists or business or professional men, seem always to have been 
distinguished for their industry, intelligence, and honesty of purpose. 

Mr. Edward O. Stanley, w r ell known to many in town and formerly a 
member of the publishing firm of Stanley & Usher, of Boston, is a member 
of this family, and an Attleborough man. 1 

STURDY. 

The founder of this family in town and in the country was John Jenkins, 
who was born of a very good family, in Cardiff, Wales, February 9, 1791. 



1 The Editor wishes to acknowledge her indebtedness to him for many valuable suggestions he has 
made in regard to the attempt to bring to completion this work, and to express her gratitude for the 
.assistance he so courteously rendered. 



594 A SKETCH OF THE 

When but fifteen years of age the sergeant of a pressgang, cither by strategy 
or force, induced him to enlist in the British Navy, and, though he was 
under the prescribed age. •• his parents were powerless to rescue him after 
he had signed the agreement." The discipline in the navy of Great Britain 
was at that time, as is well known, extremely severe, and after serving some- 
thing more than two years young Jenkins made up his mind to escape. His 
first attempt was made at Land's End, no great distance from his home, but 
he was captured and taken back to his ship. Before twelve months had 
passed, however, he made a second attempt, and this time he was successful. 
While his ship was •- weighing anchor off the coast of Palermo, Sicily," he 
let himself through a porthole and swam three miles to the shore. An 
American captain smuggled him on board his ship and carried him to the port 
of Leghorn, in Italy. An American sailor had recently died in the hospital 
there, and for the sum of live dollars Mr. Jenkins bought his " Protection 
Paper." The personal description it contained suited the purchaser fairly 
well, and he of course assumed the name of the deceased sailor — William 
Sturdy. This is by no means a singular case, for many like it occurred at 
that period. There are persons now residing in town whose ancestors, it is 
said, for similar reasons changed their names, taking whatever sobriquet 
suggested itself as a surname and a means of preventing the dreaded iden- 
tification and consequent forced return to the hard service from which they 
were trying to escape. 1 This impressment of seamen iuto her navy by 
England was not confined to English subjects but it extended to American 
citizens as well, and was one of the special causes of the War of 1812. 

William Sturdy then shipped on an American schooner, lying at Leghorn, 
and bound for the United States. He finally landed on June 9, 1809, at 
Beverly. Mass., and thus became an American citizen, and of this Common- 
wealth. From the port of Beverly he made several voyages as mate of 
American schooners, but finally abandoned the seas. Meanwhile, " at twenty 
two years of age," he married Clarissa Whittemore, of Beverly. Her father 
had come to this town, and when he left the maritime service Mr. Sturdy 
and his wife followed him, and they all at first settled at k ' Attleborough 
City." Mr. Sturdy subsequently bought a farm lying on the west shore of 
the Falls pond. He resided there until 1827, and there ten of his fourteen 
children were born. About that time, 1827, " the initial efforts in cotton man- 



1 It is a little singular that the ancestors ol both Mr. ami Mrs. George A. Adams should have had 
experiences similar to the one just related. In the case of the former a change of name did not prove 
to be necessary, but in that of the latter it was so. A young man by the name of Newton was at one 
time with a friend attempting escape from this hated naval service. Being in imminent danger of 
capture, to the question, " Who are you? " one answered, "I am Going," and the other, "I am 
Coming," so-and-so, and these quickly assumed names became their permanent surnames, the old 
ones being discarded. From the latter the Cummings, of Medway, and from the former the Gowens, 
of Franklin, are descended, those of the last name residing in town being from that place. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOROWtIL 595 

ufacturing on the Blackstone river had opened the way for the employment 
of minors," and Mr. Sturdy availed himself of this opportunity because it 
had become impossible for him to procure a proper subsistence for his large 
family from his farm. He resided in several of the manufacturing villages 
of Rhode Island, and finally settled in Blackstone, then in the town of Men- 
don, Mass. Here he died, October 16, 1834. l 

After the lapse of something over twenty years from the time he went 
away, one after another of his sons returned to this town to settle, until six 
of the eight became residents, and four of these remain still as permanent 
citizens. 

John F. Sturdy is the oldest of these four. He was born in this town, 
and was probably not more than five or six years old when his father removed 
to Rhode Island. As a boy and youth he worked in the cotton mills in the 
several villages where his family resided. He began business for himself in 
Providence, in 1848, with his brother James. They made dies, cutters, and 
tools for jewelers' use. After continuing this occupation for a few months, 
the manufacture of jewelry was added to it and both continued for a short 
time, when the brothers decided to remove to this town. In 1849 the business 
was located at Robinsonville, with a third partner. The Sturdys had "dis- 
covered the process of making what is now known as rolled or stock plate," 
and their firm of Draper. Sturdy & Co. was the first to introduce this stock 
into Attleborough and to manufacture here rolled-gold plate jewelry. They 
also made known their process of making this plate to some other jewelers, 
and the result was a very general adoption of their method. Mr. Sturdy had 
several partners during the first twelve or fourteen years of his residence 
here, but from 1862 until 1875 he was alone in business. During the latter 
year one of his sons became associated with him, and subsequently two 
others, and the firm then assumed its present name. 



1 For the benefit of the younger members of the present generation, who know nothing of mill 
operatives except as they are to be found to-day, it should be said that in the early days of cotton 
manufacturing the people who sought employment in the factories were of a totally different class. 
So-called " skilled labor" Is not required by the improved machinery in our cotton mills at the present 
time, but the fact which most fully explains the change that has taken place in the class of em- 
ployees is that sixty years ago the avenues of industry open in New England villages to people of 
intelligence, those of skill of mind as well as hand, were very limited in number as compared with 
to-day, and such as then presented themselves had of necessity to be made use of until others more 
desirable and suitable could be found and entered upon. To a certain extent what was true in cotton 
has been true in our own greater manufacture, jewelry. Very much is now accomplished by machinery 
which could formerly be done only by clever men by handwork, and therefore a large proportion, 
comparatively, of the employees in the shops are unskilled. A class has sprung up in our communi- 
ties scarcely known a half-century ago, when the sons of the settlers of the soil, our solid and sub. 
stantial citizens, who in their turn became our worthiest and leading citizens, began life as workers 
" at. the bench." It can readily be seen then that the first employees in the mills were from among 
the best people in their various communities. To the capable, intelligent, and ambitious, as notably 
in the case of the Sturdy family, and indeed in others in our own town, this occupation was but the 
first stepping-stone to great advancement and to the gaining of most excellent positions In after life, 
positions calculated to satisfy high ambitions. 



596 A SKETCH OF THE 

Mr. Sturdy's residence is at Robinsonville, now a part of the Falls, and 
at no great distance from the spot of his birth. He is interested in the 
improvement and beautifying of this pleasant little village, and many years 
ao-o took steps in that direction by making an attractive home for himself, 
which he surrounded by well-kept grounds. The brothers are alike in this 
respect. The firstfruits of their success are expended in making for them- 
selves suitable and beautiful homes, which can always be sustained in a suit- 
able manner and strictly within their means. But they do not stop here ; 
the comfort of the family properly secured, they turn their attention to works 
of general improvement and benevolence. 

Mr. John Sturdy is no exception in this respect. He is a liberal man in 
matters of charity. He was especially generous in his gifts to the Central 
Church society, and was one of the unusually efficient building committee 
when its edifice was erected. All that he does is done quietly, for anything 
like ostentation is unknown to him ; but he does his full share of what per- 
tains to one in his position, that of a highly esteemed man and citizen of 
ample means. 

James H. Sturdy was born in this town September 26, 1823. In 1827 
the family left town. Twenty-two years afterward, in 1849, he returned, 
and, as has been stated, commenced manufacturing jewelry at Robinsonville 
with his brother, J. F. Sturdy, and H. M. Draper, a pioneer in making 
rolled-gold plate or stock. He left this firm at the end of a year and went 
to the Falls, then a village distinct entirely from the other, and there formed 
a partnership with H. F. Barrows, with Ira Richards & Co. as silent partners. 
This arrangement lasted about three years, the firm meanwhile moving to 
North Attleborough to a shop owned by the Richards. Previous to the 
expiration of the term of copartnership Mr. Sturdy sold out his interest 
to Mr. Barrows. He then formed another copartnership and went to Shel- 
donville, where he built a shop. At the end of some two or three years 
inducements were held out which decided him to remove to Wrentham Centre. 
It had been difficult to procure tenements for help, these being in many cases 
held by the larger firms, and in Wrentham Centre advantages in this direc- 
tion were offered. There Mr. Sturdy again built a shop, and he was the first 
jewelry manufacturer in that town. He remained there until 1860. 

About that time his firm met with financial difficulties, and, soon after, the 
breaking out of the war caused a general prostration of business. These 
were the causes of the dissolution of the firm, and Mr. Sturdy came to East 
Attleborough and took up his residence. He there soon engaged in making 
badges for the use of soldiers, and for a year or two this was the principal 
business in that village, the demand being very small for goods in the regular 
lines of jewelry business. After the peculiar disturbances which were caused 
by the outbreak of the Rebellion had subsided and the country had settled 
itself to a long state of war, business generally gradually came back to its 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 597 

regular lines, and badge-making after a time gave place largely to the former 
ordinary kinds of ornament manufacturing, which increased very largely. 

Mr. Sturdy remained alone until 1867, when he associated with himself 
Fred. I. Marcy, who had previously been acting as his salesman, and the 
business of this firm was carried on in Providence. This business was pros- 
perous, and the firm continued unchanged for ten years. At the end of that 
time, in 1877, the senior partner sold his interest to the junior and retired 
from active business. While carrying on his manufacturing in Providence, 
Mr. Sturdy retained his residence in this town, and still continues to do so. 

Charles H. Sturdy was born in Slatersville, R. I., June 28, 1828. 
When but eight or nine years old he began to work in a cotton mill and 
continued to do so to a greater or less extent for some ten years. Then, 
when about eighteen, he left home and found employment for a time in Fall 
River. His childhood stories of the father's former occupation may have 
been alluring to his imagination, for in 1846 he went to sea. A voyage of 
seven months was sufficient to remove all glamour, if there had been such, 
and on his return home he went to Blackstone with his brother William and 
there learned the painter's trade. After this he worked in Connecticut for 
a while, both in a factory and at his trade. Very naturally, however, his 
attention became turned toward Attleborough and the jewelry business, and 
about 1850 he came to Robinsouville and learned that trade in his brother's 
establishment there. This done he went to Plainville and there became 
foreman for Draper, Tifft & Bacon. 

In 1859 he came to East Attleborough and entered into business with his 
brother Albert. The shop in which they were located having been burned, 
the firm went temporarily to Mansfield. The manufacturing was brought back 
to East Attleborough in 1861, and from that time until 1863, during his 
brother's absence in the army, Mr. Sturdy had entire charge of the business. 
He was a member of the firm until 1871, when he retired. He had shared 
in the misfortunes and dull times of its early days, and he remained long 
enough to share in its prosperity during the years immediately following the 
close of the war. Soon after his withdrawal Mr. Sturdy took up coal busi- 
ness, and has continued it ever since, and is one of the largest dealers in town. 

In 1868 he married Eliza J. Hodges. They have two children: Ella J., 
Mrs. James E. Blake, residing in town, and Charles A., just completing 
his education. [He is married and resides in town.] 

Albert W. Sturdy is the eighth and youngest son and the thirteenth 
child in his family. He was born in Blackstone, March 4, 1831. The first 
seventeen years of his life were spent in that place and in Manville, a village 
in the town of Smithfield, R. I., on the Blackstone River. He was able to 
attend school only until he was ten years old, and then he began to work 
in the factories as a bobbin-boy. After a few years the opportunity for 



598 A SKETCH OF THE 

learning an excellent trade was offered in his brother's shop here, and at the 
age of eighteen he came to Robinson ville, where for two years, from 1849 
till 1851, he worked as an apprentice for Draper & Sturdy. At the end of 
that time, "having by over-work and strict economy, saved a sufficient 
sum of money," the young man determined to possess himself of what he 
had learned to know was of the highest value and for the lack of which he 
realized nothing else could fully compensate him — an education. He entered 
Thetford Academy in Vermont, aud remained two years. This was a course 
of action which cannot be too highly commended, one whose good results 
make themselves patent to everybody, aud all youths in similar circumstances 
would do well to follow Mr. Sturdy's example. 

After completing his studies, as he had planned to do, he returned to this 
town and took the place of bookkeeper for Barrows & Sturdy. Early in the 
year 1856 he went to New York City to act as salesman for J. H. Sturdy 
& Co., and remained in the employ of this firm until 1859, when he again 
returned to town and with his brother Charles formed the partnership 
previously mentioned and known as Sturdy Brothers. The first two years 
of this firm's existence were trying ones, though during that time its members 
had succeeded in establishing a business ; but the breaking out of the war 
for a time prostrated everything. 

Mr. Sturdy, like many others, felt that the outbreak would soon be quelled 
and business would therefore soon again resume its normal condition — a 
widespread hope which was soon dispelled. On hearing the news of our 
defeat at the first battle of Bull Run he enlisted, aud on July 23, 1861, he 
enrolled himself as a private in Company I, Eighteenth Regiment, Massa- 
chusetts Volunteers, the recruiting for which was being carried on at 
Wrentham Centre. This regiment was attached to the Fifth Corps of the 
Army of the Potomac and served through the Peninsula, General Pope's and 
Maryland campaigns. After the battle of Shepardstowu, Va., which 
occurred September 20, 1862, Mr. Sturdy, with other members of the 
reoiinent, was detailed to return to Massachusetts "on recruiting service." 
Ou reaching Boston he found a commission as second lieutenant awaiting 
him aud he was transferred to Company K of his regiment. He remained 
at home in the discharge of these recruiting duties about six weeks and then 
returned to the front. His regiment was at Falmouth, Va., aud he joined 
it in time to participate in the battle of Fredericksburg, on the thirteenth of 
December, 1862. He was in command of a company and in the second 
charge made by the Eighteenth on Marye's Heights " he received a gun shot 
wound through the middle of his left foot." He was taken to Seminary 
Hospital at Georgetown, D. C, and kept there for six weeks. During that 
time he received a commission as first lieutenant from Governor Andrew. 
He was finally able to reach home, by the aid of crutches, about February, 
1863. His leave of absence was uecessarilv extended several times, his 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 599 

progress toward recovery was so slow; and in April, under a ''General 
Order " issued by the War Department, he returned to Washington, there 
to be examined as to his ability to again perform active service withiu a 
certain stated time. The Surgeon-General, after the required examination, 
" placed him on the list for permanent discharge," and this was obtained 
April 22, 1863. It was a great while before he apparently recovered from 
the effects of his wound, and some of these are probably felt even now and 
always will be ; but no man can regret a disability sustained in such a 
service or fail to be proud of so honorable a scar. 

Mr. Sturdy very soon resumed his place in his firm, and just at that time 
there was a general revival of business throughout the North. Until the 
close of the war there were large orders for army badges of all kinds 
received by this firm ; but for some time before, the legitimate lines of jewelry 
had been gaining ground and were subsequently taken up exclusively. From 
1866 till 1870 Mr. Sturdy resided in Brooklyn, as during those years he 
assumed that portion of the business connected with the firm's New York 
office. He retained his active interest in the concern until 1885, when he sold 
it out, but became a special partner for a limited term. 

October 4, 1862, while at home on special detached service, he was married 
to Fidelia Page Thorp at her birthplace, South Boston. They have had three 
children : Irene Thorp, Mrs. Frederick Paul Hill, a widow ; Clara Page, Mrs. 
Alfred F. Simmons ; and a son, Albert W., Jr., who died at the age of four. 

Mr. Sturdy was the pioneer in building handsome houses on South Main 
Street, as he commenced his just in advance of his nearest neighbor, Mr. 
Dean. He is a promoter of public improvements and of good works. He 
was one of the organizers of the Murray Parish and lent efficient aid in the 
building of its edifice. He has recently presented the society with a fine 
organ, which is called by his name, and to which gift he attached a very 
commendable condition, namely, that, should it be so desired by a proper 
number of persons in the village, the church should be opened for a course 
of lectures each winter season. He is secretary and treasurer of the Attle- 
borough Gas Light Company and a director in the Attleborough Mutual Fire 
Insurance Company. He is a charter member of William A. Streeter Post, 
G. A. R., and a member of Ezekiel Bates Lodge of F. and A. M. He 
favored town division because he believed the resulting effects would prove to 
be beneficial to both portions, but he advocated its being brought about by vote 
of a majority of the citizens and in no other way. He disapproved entirely 
of the course suggested by some, of carrying the matter to the Legislature 
for further authoritative action in the event of the failure of favorable 
action on the part of the town. If the vote of July, 1887, had been against 
instead of for division, he and others who believed as he did would still have 
advocated the avoiding of any further public action for a time and have 
uro-ed the wisdom of waiting until the idea, which seemed to be steadily 



600 A SKETCH OF THE 

gaining ground, should reach that point where it would naturally have voiced 
itself again. In other words he joined with those who were willing to have 
the " good result" delayed in order to have it effected by the desire of the 
majority of the people of the town. 

The Sturdy family is a striking illustration of what ability and determina- 
tion can accomplish. These were their chief, indeed their only inheritance, 
and the result marks them as of more value than lands or gold. The sons 
fouo'ht bravely against the adverse ci-rcumstances of their early life and came 
out of the contest signally victorious, by their own inherent energy compel- 
ling the very disadvantages themselves to work in their favor, until by their 
own efforts they attained the positions to which by character and talents they 
were justly entitled, and which they fairly earned. The name assumed by 
chance, if there be chance, was especially appropriate to the father, who had 
need of and showed sturdy boldness, obstinacy, and " pluck" in the adven- 
turous life which circumstances compelled him to enter in his early youth, and 
he needed great sturdiness to enable him to meet the many difficulties of some 
of his later years. There must too have been a spirit of unusual firmness 
and resolution in the mother, who was left when comparatively young to rear 
her little family alone. Such traits have enabled these sons to meet life and 
conquer it financially ; and that is much, but that is not all. Having reached 
positions worth struggling for, they make use of the wealth meanwhile acquired 
in ways tending to improve and benefit the communities where they live. It 
is a o-ood thing for Attleborough that the family settled within her limits and 
that so many of them have found a permanent home here. 

THACHER. 

The ancestors of this family who early came to this country from England 
have been mentioned in the account of the Rev. Peter Thacher, so long the 
exemplary and honored pastor of the Second Congregational Church in this 
town. Rev. Mr. Thacher had ten children, of whom Peter was the second 
child and oldest son. He was bom in Attleborough October 21, 1753, and 
died December 4, 1814. He married Nanna, the daughter of Captain John 
Tyler, of this town. They had four children, of whom Peter was the oldest. 

Deacon Peter Thacher was born March 30, 1779. Like his father, he 
was a farmer and lived on the place still in the possession of the family and 
used as the residence of one of its members. The house was built by the 
minister grandfather. At the proper season he had a house "raising," when. 
it is said, " he got upon the roof, and made a fervent prayer, dedicating it to 
God." l Deacon Thacher, as he was almost always familiarly called, was a man 



1 Up to the present time— August, 1894— nothing positive was known of the time when this house 
was built, but an old letter found by a member of the family Axes upon the date with some degree of 
certainty. < >n September 15, 174!t, Mr. Thacher, in writing to his " Hon'd & Dear Mother," says : " 1 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUi.il. 601 

who commanded the entire respect of everybody. Many who did not know 
him personally can recall his tall, dignified form crowned with its covering of 
white hair, moving slowly up the aisles of the church of which he was so 
long a consistent member, and where he so long — even for fifty years — 
ministered in the deacon's office. His contemporaries have all passed away, 
but some remain who knew him in his middle life and as an old man, and all 
can testify to the esteem in which he was ever held. 

He was a man of excellent judgment both in church matters and in general 
affairs. That his integrity was trusted and his judgment relied on is demon- 
strated by the fact that he was called upon to settle many estates and to 
become the guardian of many children. He was a conservative man. He 
took a very decided stand upon all questions, and having carefully and delib- 
erately made up his mind he was sure to abide by his decisions. He was 
stern but just, and strictly honest, literally kt his word was as good as his 
bond." It is related that upon one occasion a business man of this town, 
one whose property was doubtless worth several times the amount of Deacon 
Thacher's, had met with some difficulty in effecting a loan. It being neces- 
sarv for him to have some money at once, he applied for assistance to Mr. 
Thacher, whom he found plowing. The good deacon left his plow, went to 
the bank, and had no trouble whatever in getting the required sum, his credit 
was so good. He was the first president of the Bristol County Agricultural 
Society and was treasurer of many different societies in the course of his life. 
During the War of 1812 he was frequently employed in carting specie for 
the government, another proof of his trustworthiness. 

He married first, on May 7, 1804, Saloma, the daughter of Abial Dunham, 
of this town. Their children were four in number, only one of whom is now 
living, Anne Tyler Claflin, widow of Deacon Harvey Claflin, of this town. 
His second wife was Susan Carpenter, of Foxborough, by whom he also had 
four children: Susan, John, William, and Calista, three of whom are resi- 
dents here. He died at his own homestead September 20, 18(33, aged eighty- 
four years, five months, and twenty days. Mrs. Thacher was for a great many 
years the earnest and devoted superintendent of the Infant Sabbath-school 
in the Second Congregational Church. She taught the simple truths of the 
gospel to many little ones and turned many feet toward the paths of right- 
eousness. Her good face and kindly eyes, beaming mildly through her spec- 
have put my house and Ten acres of the best land upon my Farm to sale, but if I sell shall reserve 
the use of the House till the Year comes about, ami in that time if God spare my life endeavor to site 
a New One." The date, then, was probably about 1750, and may be deemed more certain from the 
fact that he married shortly after the letter quoted was written. The searching of some old deeds 
has recently brought to light one or two interesting facts relating to the stream running by the 
Thacher homestead and now called Thacher's Brook. Iu olden times it was evidently called Wolf- 
britlge Run, frequent mention of that run being found in transfers of laud in the vicinity, and in one 
place reference is made to a sawmill upon it. There are indications of a mill to be found on the 
brook near the road bridge over it, where a fence uow runs down into the water, but no mention of 
any owner has as yet been found. 



602 A SKETCH OF THE 

tacles upon the upturned faces as she stood in the little room and talked to 
her scholars, are among cherished memories of childhood, not only in the old 
parish itself, but far outside its limits. Mrs. Thacher outlived her husband 
for twenty years, and for a considerable portion of the time she remained at 
the old home. She finally removed to the village, where she lived with her 
two daughters, at Avhose house she died June 8, 1883, at the age of eighty- 
seven. 

Peter Thacher, eldest son of Deacon Peter and Saloma Thacher, was 
born July 20, 1812, and was the only sou by the first wife. He was the 
seventh in direct descent from Thomas Thacher. who was the first minister 
of the Old South Church in Boston, and was the eighth of the name Peter, 
iu different generations, known to the family. His education was limited, for 
his schooldays ended in 1828, when he was sixteen. The two previous years 
he had spent at the academies of Wreutham and Amherst, and the following 
year he was a worker on his father's farm. In 1830 he left home determined 
to achieve fortune for himself. He went to Taunton, where his first engage- 
ment was to a house carpenter for a year, kl for forty dollars and board," and 
this proved to be the foundation of after success. He remained in Taunton 
two years. In 1834 he found employment with the Boston & Providence 
Railroad Company as a mechanic. By his ability he won the confidence of 
the company, and he was promoted to the responsible position of superin- 
tendent of construction, a position which he filled in a thoroughly satisfactory 
manner. 

For the next thirteen years — from 1836 to 1849 — three years excepted 
he was engaged as a contractor in the building and as a superintendent in the 
putting into operation of some thirteen different railroads, and always with 
success. The Stonington, the Norwich aud Worcester, the Taunton and New 
Bedford, the Vermont Central, aud the Hudson River railroads are among the 
number. During the three years 1843-44-4f>, he was occupied in the con- 
struction of Forts Warren and Independence iu Boston Harbor. Mr. Wright, 
then superintendent of engineers at Fort Warren, said of him at that time : 
" He possesses a thorough acquaintance with his business, and combines great 
intelligence with an uncommon degree of faithfulness in the discharge of 
duty. I feel assured that whoever is so fortunate as to command his services 
will esteem him a great acquisition." 

Iu 1850 Mr. Thacher gained control of the Howe patent bridge. He asso- 
ciated himself with two other gentlemen under the firm name of Thacher, 
Burt & Co., and soon after this removed to Cleveland, Ohio. He became 
one of the leading bridge-builders in the West and constructed bridges on 
most of the original railroads in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Kentucky. 
In 1862 lie rebuilt that bridge over the Cumberland River at Nashville, Tenu.. 
which was destroyed early iu the war. It was his firm which erected the 
Union elevator in Cleveland with such marked success. In 186") he withdrew 



HIST OB Y OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 603 

from the firm. Later he became engaged in other enterprises, and in these 
success always attended him. 

Mr. Thacher was a man who never sought preferment, but he held various 
public offices of importance and trust in the city of his adoption and lie was 
also an officer in several literary and historical associations there and else- 
where. He always took an active interest " in public institutions, churches, 
schools, and charitable associations, his purse and influence being always at 
command to advance the cause of education and benevolence." He was a 
prominent member of the Masonic fraternity of Cleveland, holding the 
highest honors of the craft in Lodge, Chapter, Council, and Commandery. 
He was one of the organizers of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in Cleve- 
land, which is a highly prosperous and respected body. For the eighteen 
years previous to his death he was treasurer of the Grand Commandery of 
Knights Templars of Ohio, and as a mark of respect for him his name was 
given to a Chapter and Lodge in Cuyahoga County in that state. He died at 
Cleveland, February 12, 1880, and was buried in that city with the impressive 
ceremonies of the Masonic fraternity. "At his decease each Masonic body 
with which he had been connected adopted resolutions testifying to his faith- 
fulness to the institutions, and theh- deep sorrow at the demise of one who 
could truly be called an honest man." 

May 6, 1849, Mr. Thacher married Sarah Adams Estabrook, of West 
Cambridge, now Arlington, Mass. They had three children : Annie, who 
died at an early age ; John, the younger son, who resides in Cleveland ; and 
Peter. He became blind when about fourteen years of age, and now with 
his mother resides near Sanford, Fla. [He died there during the winter of 
1890-91.] 

William T. Thacher was the youngest son of Deacon Thacher and was 
born in this town April '26, 1830. He attended the public schools here and 
finished his education at Wrentham Academy. He was among the first to be 
attacked by the gold fever, and in '49, when but nineteen years old, he went 
around the Horn to California and remained there six years. Soon after his 
return home he married Anna, the daughter of Rev. James O. Barney, so 
long the pastor of the Congregational Church at Seekonk. He went to Hyde 
Park to reside and was one of the pioneers in the settlement of that pretty 
suburb of Boston. He was a member of the large real estate and brokerage 
firm of Blake, Bradbury & Thacher there. He soon acquired a handsome 
competency and made for himself a beautiful home, where his many friends 
always found a hospitable welcome. Subsequently reverses came upon him 
ami he lost his property. 

He entered the army in the Civil War and during his service was wounded. 
The last four years of his life he resided in Boston, where he had organized 
and built up an extensive business. "Force," says one, " was the key-note 
of his character. Nothing could daunt him, no reverses could dishearten. 



604 A SKETCH OF THE 

In youth he was of a roving disposition, and always a man of resolute will 
and restless energy." This force and independence of character — legitimate 
inheritances — developed themselves at a very early age. When only six 
years old he went one day with his father to Providence and there bet aim' 
lost. The father and hired man, each supposing him to be with the other, 
drove home. The father at once started back to the city to search for him . 
and have him " cried " by the town crier. His efforts were unsuccessful, and 
he was finally obliged to turn homeward again without finding his son, but he 
was met on the way by the man with the joyful intelligence that the boy had 
reached home safely. The little fellow, on finding himself lost, still "kept 
his head," as the common phrase expresses it, and tried to find his father. 
As he stated it himself, he " inquired for Deacon Thacher, and nobody did n't 
know Deacon Thacher." Not discouraged or frightened he then inquired the 
way to the railroad station, knowing that the railway passed near his house, 
" and trudged along manfully, till he reached home." Not many boys at 
that age could have shown such good sense or have had the courage to take 
a walk of eleven miles at nightfall. 

Mr. Thacher's last illness was one of great length and characterized by 
intense suffering, which he bore with extreme patience and cheerfulness. He 
had in his later years become so strong an advocate of temperance that he 
could hardly be persuaded to take the necessary stimulants during this long 
sickness. He died in Boston, July 15, 1884, leaving his wife and one son to 
survive him. At his special request he was buried by the side of his mother 
in the family lot in the Old Kirk Yard here. 

John Thacher, the oldest son by his father's second wife, was born 
November 4, 1828. After the common-school course in town he attended the 
famous Phillips Academy at Andover, Mass. After completing his studies 
there he taught school for some time, but finally took up the occupation his 
father and grandfather had followed, and became a fanner on the same old 
homestead place, where he has always resided. He has been tax collector 
for the town for many years, is treasurer of the Second Congregational 
Parish and of the Agricultural Association. Careful and correct in all 
financial matters, he fills these positions well. His loug continuance in 
offices of this kind is the best proof of his strict honesty, and this has been 
a striking family trait for many generations. He is not a stern man, like his 
father, though he is none the less a man of good judgment, able to form 
correct opinions and to express them clearly and decidedly but without 
severity; and he is none the less a just man and perfectly honorable in all 
his dealings. He is altogether an unassuming man, but equally kind-hearted 
and considerate. He is continually doing thoughtful deeds in a kindly, quiet 
way, which the recipients remember pleasantly and gratefully. Whatever 
work falls to his lot to do is well done. He leaves no loosened ends for 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 605 

others to pick up and finish. He fills an important place in his community 
and the town, the place of a faithful, useful man and citizen. 

In 1876 Mr. Timelier married Ida Bullock, of Smithfield, Penn. She is a 
descendant of the family of that name in Rehoboth. They have two 
children : John Judsou and Carroll Clark Thacher. [Mrs. Thacher died 
December 21, 1893.] 

TIFFANY. 

Three brothers of this name came to this country from England at a very 
early period, and five generations of the family have resided in this town. 
The first to come here was James, who settled on what is still known as the 
" Tiffany farm." There have been three houses built on this place and 
occupied by the family. The original one was on a little knoll to the 
northeast of the site of the last one ; the second occupied a position to 
the south of this; the third and last one was burned in 1875 and had stood 
a hundred years. Those who lived at the old homestead were, after James, 
Ebenezer, his son ; Joseph, his graudson ; and Joseph Albert, his great- 
grandson. A brother of the first Joseph, Comfort by name, went from here 
to Killingly, Conn., and engaged in the business of manufacturing cotton 
there. His son, Charles L. Tiffany, is the founder of the great house 
of Tiffany & Co., which, besides its magnificent establishment in New York, 
has others in London, Paris, Geneva, and elsewhere, and is probably the 
largest house of its kind in the world. Louis C. Tiffany, of New York, the 
artist of high rank and extended reputation, is the son of Mr. Charles Tiffany. 

There was a Comfort Tiffany, second, a nephew of the first, who was born 
here, and though he early removed from town he was during his entire life 
a frequent visitor to his native place. He had two sons, O. H. and C. C. 
Tiffany, who became clergymen of repute, one in the Methodist, the other in 
the Episcopal Church. These brothers were at one time settled in the city 
of New York over churches whose yards joined. Many of the members of 
the Tiffany family are buried in the little cemetery not far from the old 
home, the burial place lying just beyond Dodgeville, as one journeys 
towards Hebron ville. 

Joseph Albert Tiffany, above mentioned, married Eunice Capron Bradfield, 
of Smithfield. Her father was a privateersman and was at one time taken 
prisoner. He had his initials pricked on his arm while on board the "old 
Jersey prison-ship." Mr. Tiffany had seven children: Julia A., Mrs. George 
W. Bliss, of Rehoboth; Charlotte M., Mrs. Lewis L. Read, of this town; 
Ebenezer C, long a resident of this town and vicinity, and now located at 
San Mateo, Fla. ; J. Osmond ; William H., who married Lydia, oldest 
daughter of Zenas B. Carpenter, of this town, and who resides here ; 
Frances P., who married Erastus Jacobs, of Dudley, and now resides in 
Providence; and Laura B. Tiffany. [Mr. Ebenezer Tiffany died in Boston 
recently.] 



606 A SKETCH OF THE 

Joseph Osmond Tiffany was born at the old homestead (as were all his 
family) on January 23, 1835. After going to the public, then called the 
district, schools of his vicinity he attended the Attleborough Academy, then 
under the charge of Mr. James H. Bailey. He was there prepared for 
college, and he entered Amherst, graduating in the class of 1859. After 
his return home he soon commenced teaching. His first school was in 
Mansfield, where he remained one winter. Subsequently he taught at East 
Attleborough in the academy, where he had previously received instruction. 
At that time the school properly embraced two districts, the pupils from 
which had free attendance, but those who came from other parts of the 
town or from out of town paid for their tuition. Mr. Tiffany's next position 
was as a teacher in the grammar school at North Attleborough, where he had 
one hundred and thirty-nine scholars and but one assistant. Happily school 
committees have learned that the mental and physical organization of 
school teachers is much like that of ordinary people and has its limit 
of endurance, and that arrangements like the one in question are unprofitable, 
because a teacher can do justice neither to his pupils nor to himself if he 
has charge of so large a number. Before he gave up his vocation of teaching 
permanently Mr. Tiffany saw many great strides taken here in town in the 
way of improvements upon the old system under which he began. Following 
his experience at North Attleborough he taught for a year at the academy in 
Richmond, Maine. Then he returned home and entered business. This was 
not particularly agreeable to him nor did it prove especially profitable, so it 
was relinquished after a few years. 

In 1872 he became principal of the East High School and retained the 
position for twelve years, when he resigned it. This action was greatly to 
the regret of his pupils and to that of the community at large. Mr. Tiffany 
is a man well fitted by character and acquirements for the office of an 
instructor. Versed in both classical and general lore, he is capable of giving 
instruction in the highest branches. He has the faculty, which is by no 
means too common, of imparting knowledge intelligently, in clear, concise 
terms, and he has also that important requisite — a taste for such work. 
These characteristics made him a successful teacher. He had the right idea 
of placing pupils upon their honor and of making them do all the work 
possible as the only means of real development, though he never withheld 
needed assistance. An experience related by one of his High School grad- 
uates here will illustrate his method. A task was set to a certain class 
during its graduating year, which seemed to the members to present unusual 
difficulties. However, they went to work, studied hard, and tried to do their 
best; but they had many discouragements, and, what was hardest of all, 
they felt uncertain as to whether they were doing well in the e} T es of their 
teacher. Finally the obstacles were overcome and the task completed. 
Then the teacher warmly commended their efforts, praised the manner in 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 607 

which they had worked and the quality of the work they had accomplished, 
told them he had been watching their progress with pleasure and satisfaction, 
and gave them credit for a greater degree of success than he had expected. 
The surprise and pleasure thus given to the class were sufficient to "more 
than make up for all the trials, and disappointments, and hard work." 
Another scholar said : " Mr. Tiffany rarely praised us, but when he did 
we felt we deserved it, and were more than compensated for all the 
discouragements and criticisms that had come to us before." 

While a student himself Mr. Tiffany was always particularly interested in 
astronomy, chemistry, and studies of a similar nature, and has during his 
life kept up a special interest in them. Some time since he purchased a six- 
inch telescope, and this has given his pupils great pleasure and been profitable 
to them as well. He has also at times given lectures, using his telescope in 
the way of illustration. Since resigning his position as principal of the High 
School in the spring of 1884, he has not been engaged in any special 
occupation. On December 5, 1865, he married Caroline French, of this 
town. They have no children. [He is at present superintendent of schools 
in Attleborough.] 

WALES. 

General Nathaniel Wales, of England, was the paternal ancestor of this 
family. His son Nathaniel came to this country in 1635 with Richard 
Mather. The progenitor on the maternal side was Thomas Thacher, rector 
of St. Edmund's Church in Salisbury, England, who also emigrated in 1635 
and later became pastor of the Old South Church in Boston. Nathaniel 
Wales died in Boston, May 20, 1665. He had a son Nathaniel, who was a 
general. Rev. Atherton Wales was the son of General Nathaniel, and his 
fifteenth child. He was born March 8, 1704. He graduated at Harvard 
College in 1726 and became pastor of the Second Church at Marshfield. He 
died in 1795. He was married three times: first, to Mary, daughter of 
Rev. Samuel Niles ; and, second, to Mary, daughter of Rev. Peter Thacher, 
of Milton, son of the pastor of the Old South Church. (The name of 
the third wife is unknown to the author.) General Atherton Wales was 
their son. 

Deacon Atherton Wales was the son of General Atherton and was born 
in Portsmouth, R. I., May 24, 1806. His mother died when he was but 
seven years old, and his father when he was but fourteen. When he was 
sixteen he left home and bound himself as an apprentice to Mr. James 
Shaw, of Newport, R. I., to learn blacksmithing. He served his time for 
three years, until he was twenty-one, and then went to Pawtucket, then in 
Massachusetts, where he worked a year for William Fisher at horseshoeing. 
In 1828 he removed to this town. He was then twenty-two years of age. 

In 1830 he married Louisa R. Tyler, a daughter of Dr. Abijah W. Tyler, 



608 A SKETCH OF THE 

by whom he had four sons and two daughters. One child was unnamed ; the 
others were : Elizabeth Francis, deceased ; Henry Atherton ; Abijah Tyler ; 
Louisa Tyler, Mrs. Thomas S. Nye, deceased ; and Charles Nelson, deceased. 
Subsequently he was married three times, but never had other children. 

In 1832 he became a member of the Second Congregational Church and 
was chosen one of its deacons November 3, 1848. During the year 1836-37 
Mr. Wales resided in Providence, R. I., for about eight months. With that 
exception he has lived in this town since he first settled here. He died at his 
home on County Street, where he had resided for forty-seven years, on August 
2, 1888. 

One writing at the time of his death says: "For forty years connected 
with the second Congregational church as one of its Deacons, no one was 
better known in all its services ; and though some time has transpired since 
he has been missed from its active duties, since his voice has been heard in 
prayer or praise, many have recalled the force of his words and that he was 
ever steadfast in all times of trial in his duty to its best interests. Though 
he might not rashly put out his hand and ' touch the Ark ' he walked beside 
it in his own integrity of purpose, firm and undaunted. He was well versed 
in the Scriptures which gave him great power as an instructor in the Sabbath- 
school, where he had a large class for successive years. He was a man of 
marked individuality of character, of methodical habits in his home and busi- 
ness, a kind husband and good father. He was not afraid to stand alone 
when in the right, as was evinced by his being one of six who cast the first 
Abolition votes in this town." He attended to all the obligations of life with 
fidelity. He was honest and upright in all things. He was decided and firm, 
but tolerant; outspoken, but not dictatorial. For more than a generation he 
performed the duties of his deacon's office. His judgment in church affairs 
was deemed wise and his advice prudent to follow. He was often the pecu- 
liar reliance of both pastors and officers of the church ; as it has been expressed, 
''Often during times of trouble, Deacon Wales has been the rudder and 
dependence." 

"By reason of strength " he attained to and passed the period of fourscore 
years. He lived long, he labored hard, but ever with contentment of spirit. 
He ended his active life in the occupation with which he began it, satisfied 
with the moderate compensations of his hard, but honest daily toil. He 
never desired to change or enlarge the sphere in which he was placed, but he 
desired to do his duty " in the fear of God." In striving to gain the 
approval of his Maker, he gained what all desire, the approval of his fellow- 
men. His example is worthy of imitation, and his death was the peaceful 
termination of a useful life. 

Henry A. Walks was born in this town, at the Falls. April 16, 1832. 
When the father first came to town, he worked at his trade in a shop at 
" Blackintonville," later going to the Falls, where several of his children 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 609 

were born. After residing there for some years, lie removed to Providence, 
where he remained for some months, and then returned permanently to this 
town. With the exception of this short period during his very early childhood, 
and of about a year's time during 1850-51, when he was again in Providence 
learning the watchmaker's trade, Henry lived here up to the time he was 
twenty-seven years old. He received the preparatory education necessary to 
fit him for college in the academies of the town, but his health did not per- 
mit him to enter upon such a course of study. In 1852 he entered the Nor- 
mal School at Bridgewater, but again his health interfered with his wishes, 
and he was obliged to leave before completing the prescribed course. He 
was a boy and youth of unusual talent in many directions. He was clever 
at his books and a remarkably good reader and speaker, in every way adapted 
to thoroughly appreciate and enjoy the pleasures and benefits to be derived 
from an extended course of study. 

At the age of twenty-two he commenced teaching and has continued that 
vocation in various departments ever since. He was principal of the Black- 
stone schools in 1859 and of those in Central Falls in 1863. Having 
decided to enter the ministry, he began about that time to make special prepa- 
rations for the work and in 1865 entered kt the old East Windsor Hill 
Theological Seminary at Hartford, Conn.," and in the autumn of the follow- 
ing year, 1866, " was ordained at and installed over the Elm wood Congrega- 
tional Church, (now Providence.)" He remained there five years and then 
resigned. In 1868 he was professor of elocution in the well-known Mowry 
and Goff School in Providence. In 1871 he accepted the pastorate of the 
Congregational Church in Stonington, Conn., where he continued three years, 
resigning in 1874. During the same year he was settled over the Congrega- 
tional Church at Leominster, Mass., where he also continued three years, 
and then withdrew from the pastorate because of some changes in his belief 
with regard to the orthodox creed. 

During 1877 he removed to Cambridge and lived there for a year without 
any pastoral charge, and in 1878 he commenced to preach for the Universal- 
ist Society in Biddeford, Me. In 1879 he was there elected a member of the 
State Legislature. Having still further modified or changed some of his 
religious views, he began in 1880 to preach in Biddeford as an Independent 
preacher. This course he pursued for four years, and then went to Big 
Rapids, Mich., where he became preacher to the Unitarian Society in that 
place. Still again ill health compelled a relinquishment of work in which he 
was engaged, and in 1888 he resigned this charge, thus far his last ministerial 
one. Since that time he has been engaged in literary work. 

Since he was a young man Mr. Wales has been more or less occupied with 
literary, journalistic, and editorial work of various kinds. He was at one 
time professor of belles-lettres in Cincinnati, Ohio, while holding a position 
in D. Appleton & Co.'s office there, and during that time he edited Appleton's 



610 A SKETCH OF THE 

"Cyclopedia of Biography." He was a special writer for the Big Rapids 

Daily Pioneer while he resided in that city, and now, having returned to his 
former place of residence in Maine, he is special writer for the Biddeford 
Daily Journal. This brief statement of facts shows that his life has been 
one of frequent changes. Many of them were no doubt forced upon him by 
the state of his health, which often obliged him to give up some interesting 
and absorbing work or relinquish some cherished purpose. The facts show 
that he yielded to these physical mandates only so far as urgent necessity 
compelled him to do, by making some alteration in his manner of work, but 
he never allowed himself to be conquered for any length of time by physical 
ills, no matter how T severe. The facts show too that the promise of his youth 
has been in great measure fulfilled, and that his talents, which are of " no mean 
order," have been recognized, for they have caused him to be placed in honor- 
able positions. Brought up, as so many New England boys of his day were, in 
the strictest requirements of a rigid orthodoxy, he, like many others who 
chafed under the same exacting rule, in later years has radically changed his 
views upon various points, accepting doctrines broader and freer than any 
the fathers knew ; and, unlike many, he has not been afraid to frankly acknowl- 
edge these changes of belief, but has ever had the courage of his opinions. 

[In 1S5T Mr. Wales was married in Milford, Mass., to Miss Harriet Louisa Williams, of this 
town. They have had four children : Henry A., born in 185.8, and died at the age of four and 
a half years ; Genevieve, born in 18G0, married in 1881 to Envin S. Gowen, of Biddeford. Maine, 
and has two sons; Harry B..born in 1865, married in 1892 to Miss Henrietta Pitt, of Muskegon, 
Mich.; and Jessie Atherton, born in 1867. married in 1887 to Charles Myron Wiseman, of Big 
Rapids, and has one daughter, born in 1891. 

In adding to a sketch previously prepared of Mr. Wales it is very pleasant to record the fact 
that he has accepted the invitation of the committee in charge to be the orator of the Bi-Cen- 
tennial celebration of October. 1894, both because he is a native of the town and because he 
is well fitted to fulfil the duties of the position.] 

Abijah T. Wales, the next younger son of Deacon Wales, was born at the 
Falls June 21, 1838. He had no advantages in the way of a school educa- 
tion beyond those afforded by the town, and of those he could avail himself 
only until he was fourteen years of age, at which time he entered his father's 
shop to learn the trade of a blacksmith, the trade which he made his busi- 
ness and followed for about thirty years. All that he has attained beyond 
the scanty book learning the few short years of his school life afforded has 
been the result of his own exertions and gained by intelligent reading, by 
contact with men, and by participation in public affairs. He eviuced a genu- 
iue interest in public and political affairs before he reached the age of 
eighteen, "and by ardently urging the claims and arguments of the Anti 
Slavery and Free Soil parties during the years between 1850 and 1860 he was 
regarded as a radical by both old parties, and on the birth of the Republican 
Party became one of the foremost of its supporters in the town." Since 
that early period he has frequently been called upon to take prominent places 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 611 

for his party in its conduct of local political concerns. At the age of twenty- 
three he "was elected by the republicans of Attleboro' to represent them 
in the State convention at Worcester," and that year, 1856, he cast his first 
presidential vote for John C. Fremont. 

He enlisted on August 9, 1862, as a private in Company H, Fortieth Regi- 
ment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, declining to accept a commission 
which was proffered him. He was immediately detailed on recruiting service 
by Adjutant-General Schouler, his duty being to raise recruits in this town 
and vicinity. Having performed this service according to orders, he joined 
his regiment in Virginia about the middle of November following. On the 
twenty-fourth of December, the same year, at the request of Governor 
Andrew he was transferred by special order of the War Department to the 
Second Massachusetts Cavalry. He served iu that regiment until his term 
expired by reason of a general order of the War Department, which dis- 
charged at a certain time all soldiers who enlisted previous to October 1, 
1862. The last year of his service in the army he was farrier in charge at 
Cavalry Reserve Brigade Headquarters in the cavalry corps of Sheridan's 
command in the Shenandoah Valley. He was discharged from this position 
ta Clouds Mills, Va., June 22, 1865, and returned home. 

Within three months of that time he decided to locate in Middleborough, 
this State, and carry on his farmer business there. He made the necessary 
preparations and removed with his family to that place in September, 1865. 
He not only took up his former occupation, but resumed his former interest 
in political and general matters as well, and while a resident of Middlebor- 
ough he was actively engaged in its public affairs. He organized the Grand 
Army post in that town, the eighth organized in the State. He was elected 
its first commander and subsequently reelected during three successive years. 

In September, 1872, Mr. Wales returned to this town, conducting his busi- 
ness at his father's old shop on County Street in the East village and resid- 
ing with him in the old home. This he continued to do for sixteen years, 
caring for his father during a long period of constantly increasing infirmity 
of both body and mind. He still resides there, but no longer conducts the 
business. Iu 1873 he was elected to the board of selectmen, assessors, and 
overseers of the poor, and in 1874 was chosen commander of William A. 
Streeter Post. He very soon again became prominent in the political con- 
cerns of the town, and held among other positions that of chairman of the 
Republican Town Committee. He was " elected from the 1st Bristol 
Representative Dist, as a member of the State Legislature in 1878." 

In 1881 he was appointed postmaster at Attleborough. He took charge 
of the office on June 7 of that year, and after the death of President 
Garfield he was recommissioned by President Arthur. This commission was 
dated for four years from October 14, 1881, but Mr. Wales contiuued to hold 
the office for some time after its expiration. He gave possession to his 



Q12 A SKETCH OF THE 

successor, appointed by President Cleveland on June 18, 1886. This appoint- 
ment was the natural consequence of a change in the party in power and 
was not hastened by any expressions of dissatisfaction on the part of Mr. 
Wales' political opponents in town. He performed the duties of postmaster 
to the satisfaction of all citizens generally. In 1886 he was one of the 
town assessors and in 1887 again a representative to the State Legislature. 
("He was " re-elected in 1889 and 1890 ; during each of these years serving 
on the Finance Committee of the House, and the latter year as Chairman of 
that committee."] 

• k During his service in the legislature he became somewhat conspicuous 
bv his determined efforts for the division of the town." He deemed that the 
true welfare of the two sections would be augmented and their best inter- 
ests promoted by a separation, and he therefore advocated that course. He 
has been active in public life for many years and has served well in those 
positions of responsibility which he has been called upon to occupy by his 
townsmen and others. He is a man who forms positive opinions upon 
all points, and he expresses the same decidedly and publicly if occasion 
demands. In these respects he is like many who are by nature inclined to 
be strono-ly partisan and somewhat radical in their beliefs, but unlike many 
he recognizes the fact that others possess the same rights of opinion he 
claims for himself, and does not condemn as totally wrong those who differ 
with him. He has proved himself worthy of high positions, and his many 
friends can but wish him a long continuance in an honorable public career 
and act their part toward giving him the due reward of still higher degrees 

of success. 

Mr. Wales early evinced a talent for reading and speaking and from the 
time of his youth up has continued to exercise that talent in a more or less 
public wav." He and his brother both possessed considerable dramatic 
ability, and pleasant occasions, now a quarter of a ceutury gone, of a social 
or literary nature, when this was exhibited, will be recalled by many in town 
and elsewhere at this day. He has delivered one of the Memorial Day 
orations at Attleborough and similar addresses in other places. While a 
resident of Middleborough. in 1869, upon the occurrence of the two hun- 
dredth'anuiversary of its incorporation as a town, at the public banquet of 
the celebration he was called upon to respond to the toast of the " Grand 
Army," especially a compliment as he was not a soldier of the town. 

[In November, 1856, Mr. Wales married Josephine, daughter of Edward Richards, of this 
town They had two sons, both resident here. Edward Atherton was born in September, 
1867 married in Ashfield, this State, in October, 1S90, to Miss Eliza Howes, of that place, and 
has two children, a boy and a girl; Louis was born in April, 1859, and was married in Decem- 
ber 1882, to Mrs. Alice Shepard, of Wrentham, formerly Alice Hodges, of that town. Mrs. 
Wales died in I860. In December, 1871. Mr. Wales married Alice, a daughter of Palemou 
Capron Wilmarth, of this town. In 1S90 he "was appointed by the U. S. Census Commis- 
sioner a- Special Agent to collect the Statistics of Manufacture in this town and in rive towns 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 613 

of Plymouth County," and in 1891 he was appointed " General Dep. Coll. U. S. Internal 
Revenue," and "assigned to duty under the Revenue Agent for New England States.'' He 
has served in that position up to the present time (1894). 

WHITING. 

The records trace this family back to 1333, when one ' k William Whytyng," 
of Boston, England, " was taxed as a citizen." They show one John Whit- 
ino- to have been mayor of that borough in 1600 and again in 1608, and vice- 
admiral of Lincolnshire in 1602. Samuel, the son of this John, was at first 
a clergyman of the Established Church, but later became a nonconformist. 
This being reported to his Bishop and complained of, he decided it would be 
best for him to come to this country. He emigrated in 1636 and settled in 
Lynn, this State. About the same time one Nathaniel Whiting came from 
Boxford, Suffolk County, England, and settled in Dedham. These two were 
doubtless relatives, and from them most of the families of their name are 
descended. 

Nathaniel was in 1635 one of the sixty-eight proprietors of Contentment, 
afterwards Dedham. In 1641 he bought a watermill "and all lands, privi- 
leges, and appurtenances thereto belonging." For over two hundred years 
there have been saw and grist mills on this site owned and operated by 
Whitings. Many of the family were agriculturists, and for generations some 
of the best lands in Dedham have been in their possession. Various members 
of the family have held public office in that town and always for many suc- 
cessive years. Nathaniel the first, in 1643, married Hannah Dwight, of that 
place. Her family was then as now of much repute. The old church records 
of Dedham make special mention of a Captain Timothy Dwight as "a pro- 
moter of the true interests of the church and town." His son Timothy was 
for many years the honored president of Yale College, and another Timothy 
Dwight, his great-grandson, holds the same high office in Yale University and 
is loved and honored as his grandfather was before him. 

A son of Nathaniel and Hannah Dwight Whiting was Samuel, who married 
and lived in Dedham. His oldest son was David, who also married there, 
but soon after, in 1733 or 1734, came to this town. He purchased a farm 
with considerable woodland, which remained until recently in the possession 
of the family. David the first, of this town, married Mary Fuller. Their 
second son, named David, was born here February 22, 1735. He married 
Hannah, daughter of Moses and Mary Wallcott, of this town, and they had 
seven children. Of these Lemuel was fifth child and fourth son. He was 
born December 12, 1775. On July 2, 1811, he married Nancy, the daughter 
of Oliver and Polly Daggett Blackintou. Captain Lemuel Whiting "was 
a farmer, and an industrious, hard-working man." He paid particular atten- 
tion to his cattle and took great pride in their fine appearance and superior 
qualities. He kept quite a number of oxen for the outside work in which he 
engaged, that of moving buildings. He died September 30, 1823. His 



614 A SKETCH OF THE 

wife survived him nearly half a century and died in October, 1868. They 
had four children, two sons and two daughters, of whom the subject of the 
following sketch is the only survivor. 

William Dean Whiting was born December 23, 1815. He was the third 
child, but oldest son, in his family. His father died when he Avas not quite 
eio-ht vears old, and the mother was left with the entire charge of her family 
of small children and with very limited means. Like many a New England 
mother in similar circumstances, she accepted the situation bravely and suc- 
ceeded in bringing them up well. William was obliged to begin supporting 
himself at a very early age, and when only eight years old he worked for his 
uncle, Artemas Stanley. For his board he did the numberless "chores" 
Yankee boys on farms were then expected to do. These tasks were by no 
means small or easy, and boys were far more useful than they had the credit 
of beiuo\ He was with his uncle for a year, then he worked for a Mr. 
Whittemore, a farmer, for two years in the same way. Then he went home 
and for two years more worked by the day when he could find work to do, 
his wages being twenty-five cents a day. At the age of fourteen he was 
apprenticed to Draper & Tifft "to learn their trade, and for six years he 
steadily applied himself to thoroughly master it. Mr. Tifft, his uncle by 
marriage, pleased with his attention to their interests, took especial pains with 
him, and he became very proficient in all departments." Having learned his 
trade properly, the firm gave him the position of journeyman. At the end 
of a year " dull times came on, and work was scarce," so he sought employ- 
ment elsewhere and worked for R. & W. Robinson for a while and later for 
Draper & Blackiuton, for the former firm "chasing gilt buttons" and for 
the latter " chasing gilt jewelry." 

He had already at the age of twenty-two gained " such a reputation for 
skill, steadiness, and reliability," that Mr. H. M. Richards offered him the 
position of foreman in his shop, the first where jewelry was manufactured in 
East Attleborough. Soon after this Mr. Richards took his business to Phila- 
delphia, and Mr. Whiting took charge of removing the machinery and setting 
it up in its new location and remained there as superintendent. He retained 
this position two years with Mr. Richards and his successor, Mr. Garrett, 
and then he began business in a small way on his own account, making 
chiefly hearts and crosses. This was a time of extreme financial depression, 
little work was done, and that little was poorly paid, so after a few months 
of business for himself Mr. Whiting decided to go to St. Louis and try to 
improve his fortunes in the West. Just at this juncture, however, he received 
a proposition from an old acquaintance, Albert C Tifft, to return to this 
town and enter into partnership with him in the manufacture of jewelry, Mr. 
John Tifft, of Draper & Tifft, having promised to become the financial 
security of the proposed firm. 

So far Mr. Whiting had not been successful in the mere making of money, 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 615 

"but the value of faithful working and systematic economy had been so 
strongly impressed upon his nature as to affect his whole subsequent life." 
He relinquished his Western plan "after careful thought and mature delib- 
eration " and accepted Mr. Tifft's proposition, and this was without doubt 
the turning-point in his life. In 1840, and in this way, the famous firm of 
Tifft & Whiting was formed, with these two ambitious and " honest young 
men" as partners. They had " a joint cash capital of five hundred dollars," 
a small foundation, but by diligence, caution, and good management they 
built upon it a noble structure of well-secured success. At the very begin- 
ning only two workmen were employed, but this number was soon increased, 
and Mr. Whiting superintended the work in the shop. At first Mr. John 
Tifft sold the firm's goods, but later Mr. A. C. Tifft undertook the charge 
of the sales in New York, and Mr. Whiting assumed those in New England. 
They conducted their business strictly on cash principles and would not run 
in debt. They received financial aid from Mr. Tifft only once. Upon one 
occasion he had a note for oue hundred and fifty dollars discounted at the 
Wrentham bauk, and the firm promptly paid it when it fell due. The busi- 
ness increased rapidly, and a new building was needed, and before long 
another and a larger one. This last one was a portion of the Whiting Manu- 
facturing Company's building, the erection of which was personally super- 
intended by Mr. Whiting himself. It is on the site of the old Beaver Dam 
cotton mill, which site with its privilege this firm had purchased. 

The firm continued in its new building unchanged, but with constantly 
increasing business until January 1, 1853, when Mr. Tifft, "satisfied with 
the fortune he had amassed," retired, and Mr. Whitiug bought his interest. 
He continued in his own name, and later as W. D. Whiting & Co., with 
unabated success, and the final result was the establishment of the Whiting 
Manufacturing Company, "one of the largest in the country," and jewelry 
was relinquished, silver becoming its only article of production. In 1875 the 
company's works were burned and it was decided to remove the manufactory 
to New York City. Mr. Whiting took up his residence there for a time in 
order to attend personally to the resetting of the machinery in the new shop 
and to superintend its operation. He remained five years and then returned 
to North Attleborough. 

With this exception "Mr. Whiting has all his life resided in his native 
town, and, known of all men, is uuiversally esteemed for his sterling worth, 
honesty of dealing, integrity, modesty, and unosteutatiou." He began at 
the bottom, "he has stood on every round of Fortune's ladder, and in his 
old age he can enjoy the wealth he has accumulated, and looking back, he can 
say with pride that not one single dollar has been acquired unjustly. He is 
one of the best types of a self-made man ; has started many k boys ' on the 
same road he has trod, first, by taking them as apprentices ; secondly, by his 
kind aud fatherly advice giving them more valuable aid than that of money ; 



616 A SKETCH OF THE 

and today many of them hold a loyal friendship for the kind old friend 
whom they reverence almost as a father. His success is the result of steady 
industry, careful economy, business thrift and enterprise reaching over a 
long period of years, coupled with a determination to give honest value to 
whatever he made. He has never had time to meddle either with politics or 
speculation, and has steadily refused all public positions. He is a Republi- 
can by political belief." 

December 17, 1839, he was married to Lucy Damon, daughter of Pitt and 
Lucy Damon Butterfield, of Dedham. They have had four children : Wil- 
liam Osborne, the oldest, was drowned at four years of age. The remaining 
three are Frank Mortimer, Josephine S., and Florence R. Whiting. 1 

Frank M. Whiting was born April 21, 1849. He was educated at the 
Norwich Military University, in Northfield, Vt., where he graduated in 1868. 
On returning home he worked in his father's manufactory for about a year 
and then became an assistant in the office, first here, and later in New York 
at the office there. Still later he became traveling salesman for the then firm 
and acted in that capacity for a number of years. In 1878 he and two other 
gentlemen formed a copartnership as jewelry manufacturers in this town and 
continued together for two years. At the end of that time Mr. Whiting the 
elder bought the interests of Messrs. Holbrook and Abbee, the son's partners, 
and formed a new firm under the name it bears at present, Frank M. 
Whiting & Co. Notwithstanding his advanced age he is still actively engaged 
in the concerns of this firm, for he superintends its manufactory while Mr. 
Frank Whiting attends to the interests of the business in traveling and selling 
the goods. 

June 21, 1881, Mr. Frank Whiting was married to Florence L., a daughter 
of Edwin and Dorcas Doane Hancock, of Wreutham. They have one 
daughter, Marion D. Whiting. Their residence is with Mr. William D. 
Whiting in the house he has occupied for many years. 2 



Felix G. Whitney, one of the town's prominent citizens and one closely 
identified with the growth and prosperity of North Attleborough, was born 
in that village December 9, 1818. His parents were then residing in what is 
called the "Guild house," which now stands on the corner of High and 
Washington streets. The family numbered six children. The sons were 
James O., who became a physician and practises his profession in Pawtucket ; 
George P.. who died in 1857 ; and Felix G. The daughters were Harriet, 
who married Otis Stanley ; Maria, who married Elijah Carter, of Rock 



1 Mr. Whiting died November 25, 1891, and Mrs. Whiting died very suddenly January 10, 1894. 
- Mr. Frank M. Whiting died suddenly on May 28, 1892. 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 617 

Island, 111. ; and Emily, who was the first wife of Oliver Stanley. Of these 
only Mrs. Carter survives. 

Felix attended the public schools of his native village and subsequently 
the then famous Day's Academy at Wrentham. His school course was, how- 
ever, short, for when he was only about fifteen he left home and entered a 
wholesale grocery store on Bromfield Street, Boston, with the intention of in 
time pursuing that business. He progressed rapidly in mastering its details, 
but his career in that direction ended suddenly and rather peculiarly. He 
had a friend who was about to sail on a long voyage and he went one evening 
to the wharf " to see him off." This occasioned a somewhat tardy return to 
his home, which, according to the then prevailing custom, was in his em- 
ployer's house. To be out late was a grave offence in the eyes of the old 
gentleman and he therefore, refusing to listen to any reasonable explanations, 
recommended that his clerk should report himself to his parents. The 
" spirited apprentice," however, took the liberty of thinking differently upon 
this matter and then and there came to his own decision. He immediately 
put bis trunk upon a wheelbarrow and started with it for the wharf and 
thence tk shipped before the mast." 

kt For ten years Mr. Whitney followed the sea. He went on several long 
voyages and experienced his share of the vicissitudes of a sailor's life. On 
one hapless Wednesday his ship was burned to the water's edge, and he was 
picked up next day by a vessel which was itself wrecked the following 
Saturday. Mr. Whitney in his second shipwreck made safe landing on an 
island, and the first vessel that touched refused him passage, because his 
story of two shipwrecks in four days was too improbable even for ears 
accustomed to the varied fact and fiction of the sea. He succeeded better 
the next time, and after a rough passage, during which the ship came near 
going ashore on Cape Hatteras, he arrived safely in Boston." A number of 
his voyages were made in company with Captain Abraham Hay ward, father 
of the late Charles E. Hay ward, of this town. This, his second attempted 
career, ended as unexpectedly as the first. He had shipped upon one 
occasion as first mate under a certain Captain Chace. The voyage was to be 
a long one, and while awaiting the summons of the captain, when the prepa- 
rations should be completed, he came to his home in North Attleborough for 
a visit. Days passed on and the expected letter did not arrive. Finally it 
was ascertained that it had been detained for ten days in the East Attle- 
borough postofHce, but meanwhile the ship had had to sail without him. 
This experience and the earnest entreaties of friends led him to decide to 
give up the life of a sailor. 

Among his first enterprises in town was the opening of Orne Street, so 
named for his mother. This was the first street opened off North Attle- 
borough's main thoroughfare — Washington Street — and his neighbors united 
in discouraging the project. He worked for a time as a carpenter in the 



618 A SKETCH OF THE 

employ of his brother George and later in jewelry for H. M. Richards, ami 
finally in 1849 he decided to venture in the second occupation for himself. 
He built his first shop on One Street, the building now occupied as a 
carriage shop by John Stanley & Son. His first associate was E. W. Daven- 
port under the name of Whitney & Davenport. During the following eight 
years the firm and name underwent several changes, as partners entered or 
retired. It was Whitney. Davenport & Dunster ; again Whitney. Davenport 
& Co. ; and in 1x57 became Whitney & Rice, which firm carried on its busi- 
ness iu "The Company's shop." In 1871. on the withdrawal of Mr. Rice, 
the name became F. G. Whitney & Co. and remained unchanged for fifteen 
years. In 1870 this firm was burned out at the Ira Richards factory. Six 
years later, in 1876, Mr. Whitney built a large brick shop on Chestnut Street, 
and this in turn was burned in 1882. It was immediately rebuilt, and eight 
months after the fire occurred was occupied, and is the same building in which 
the firm is now established. In 1886 Mr. Whitney sold the business to his 
two sons, George B. and E. F. AVhitney, who compose the firm and retain the 
old name unchanged. [1893. Not iu existence.] 

In 1848 he married Catherine J. Briggs, daughter of Rufus and sister of 
William Briggs, of Attleborough, and of Mrs. Walter Ballou, of North 
Attleborough. They had six sons, only two of whom, those above men- 
tioned, lived to maturity. 

The Chronicle in its obituary says: "In his business as jeweler. Mr. Whitney was distin- 
guished tor his advanced ideas in regard to methods and his ingenuity in desigus. He was one 
of the exhibitors at the Paris Exposition, and opened an othee in London soon after, keeping 
it open until about two years ago — 1885. — He crossed the ocean many times in the interests of 
his large export trade, and on his last visit in 1882, noted with interest the same London pier 
where he had tied his ship forty years before." He was deeply interested in the order of Odd 
Fellows, and was himself a model member of that organization. He was one of the first 
members of Aurora Lodge, and he took his three degrees in one night, just previous to that 
anticipated long voyage upon which be did not enter. He bore all the honors of the lodge, 
and held the office of district deputy for many years. He was one of the building committee 
of the present Odd Fellows Building, and he always took a generous part in sustaining the 
existence of the organization in town, through its days of adversity as well as those of its 
prosperity. He was at one time connected with Bristol Lodge of F. and A. 31., but retired 
from it. because his deepest attachments were for the order of Odd Fellowship, and he pre- 
ferred to belong to no other. He held many district offices, and served on many town com- 
mittees, lb' wa> largely instrumental in starting the public library of his native village, and 
all progressive work found in him a liberal supporter. He was at one time a director of the 
North Attleborough National Bank and of the Attleborough Branch Railroad. In politics he 
was a Democrat, and to show of what stamp he was as man and politician it is only necessary 
to state the fact that many Republicans assisted to elect him as one of the representatives of 
the First Bristol District in 1874. 

The sudden death of Mrs. Whitney in the summer of 1886 was a blow from which Mr. 
Whitney never wholly recovered, and he did not very long survive it. His death occurred 
November 17, 18S7, after a long and painful illness. His funeral was conducted by the Rev. 
W. F. Potter, and he was buried with the honors and the impressive services of Odd Fellow- 
ship. No better delineation of his life and character can be given than that contained in the 
simple phrase of one who on his burial day said : •' He goes to his rest as one that was faithful 
to the triple links of Friendship. Love, and Truth." 



HI8T0EY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 619 

WILMARTH. 

Daniel Wilmarth was born December 7, 1799, on what is called " the 
Lincoln place " in Rehoboth. He came to this town when he was quite a 
voung man. His great-grandfather's name was Jonathan, his grandfather's 
Moses. The family was numerous in Rehoboth and several of the name 
came from there to this town, the first as early as 1708. Previous to his 
settlement here Mr. Wilmarth was for several years in the employ of the 
American Screw Company. His first wife was Patta Claflin, the daughter of 
Noah Claflin, of this town. He was familiarly known to everybody as 
" Squire Claflin." He and his father before him were " farmers and 
bootmakers." They were descendants of John Antipas Claflin, the first of 
the name in town, who came as early as 1717 from Sudbury, Mass. Squire 
Claflin was an intelligent and well-read man. His judgment upon the affairs 
of men was excellent and he was highly respected by all in the community. 
Harvey Claflin, a much loved deacon in the Second Congregational Church 
for many years, was his son. Deacon Claflin was, like his father, much 
respected by everybody. He was one of the truest, most consistent Christian 
men the town has ever known. He was a farmer and for many years 
occupied the place now known as the " Wilcox place." He frequently and 
for long periods held important offices in both the church and the town and 
was wise and careful in the performance of all his duties. He was also one 
of the town's representatives in the Legislature. He finally removed to 
Cleveland, Ohio, where his two sons, Harvey and Henry, had been residing 
for some years, and he died there at the residence of the former. 

Mr. Wilmarth after his marriage lived at the old Claflin homestead on the 
i4 east road " from East to North Attleborough, and it finally came into his 
possession and remained his home for very many years. He was a man of 
considerable independence of character. He thought much and formed 
decided and fixed opinions, but he was always courteous to others and 
tolerant of their views. His nature was of the most kindly; he was a good 
neighbor and a thoughtful friend and he was often made an adviser and 
confidant by those who were in perplexity or trouble. He was greatly 
interested in music and during many years rendered valuable assistance to 
the choir of the Second Church, not only with his voice but liberally with his 
purse as well. He finally sold his farm and removed to the village of East 
Attleborough, where he passed the remainder of his life. A number of years 
since he married Mrs. Susan Mann, widow of Howard Mann, of Wreutham. 

His old age was a remarkably vigorous one, both physically and mentally, 
until the death of his only son occurred. From that time his strong hold 
upon life gradually weakened. It was his ever recurring and pathetically 
expressed wish that the son's life might have been spared and the father's 
taken. During the summer of 1886 he sustained a severe shock of paralysis. 
He rallied extraordinarilv for so old a man and lived for a year ; but he failed 



620 'A SKETCH OF THE 

continually if gradually and soon his friendly visits to his neighbors ceased, 
his pleasant voice was no longer heard, and his familiar form was missed 
from the village streets. He died July 27, 1887, having lived eighty-seven 
years, seven months, and twenty days. 

William Daniel Wilmarth, the only son of Daniel and Patta Wilmarth, 
was born July o0, 1837. His boyhood and youth were spent at home and it 
was not until he was twenty-seven years of age that he entered upon a 
business life. He inherited from his father musical tastes and ability and 
during his entire life he devoted a great deal of time to their cultivation, and 
not only in himself but in others. He aimed to elevate the standard of 
music in his community, and many in it can doubtless attribute to his 
suggestions and example their first real enjoyment and appreciation of that 
art. When a boy of about seventeen Mr. Wilmarth commenced to play the 
organ in church, and he soon in addition took charge of the choir. For 
quite twenty years he had the entire charge of the music in the Second 
Church, and he spared neither time nor money to make this appropriate and 
worthy a church of its size and influence. How many difficulties he met 
and overcame and how much he really did will never probably be fully known, 
for Mr. Wilmarth never published his own deeds; he did not work for self- 
aggrandizement but for the love of music itself. Good church music had 
been the rule so long under his management that people had learned to 
expect it as a matter almost of course and did not realize the " eternal 
vigilance " required to produce it; but his task began to be better understood, 
and his generous measures appreciated in some degree as they deserved, 
when he relinquished his position and it fell to other hands to carry on 
the work. 

On October 15, 1864, Mr. Wilmarth became associated as a business 
partner with Dr. J. R. Bronson, who had then recently purchased a coffin- 
trimming business in North Attleborough. This firm soon removed to a 
small shop near the site of the present one on County Street, East Attle- 
borouo-h. Four vears later he bought the doctor's interest and continued 
alone until his death. Mr. Wilmarth became one of the most active of the 
men of the East village, after he took up his residence there, in all matters 
of public improvement. He was a prime mover and an energetic worker in 
obtaining the water works there. That improvement was greatly needed 
and has long ceased to be regarded as a luxury, either public or private. He 
was urgent in obtaining improvements in the fire department, in having the 
streets properly curbed and lighted, and in advancing all matters of public 
health and comfort. He was a trustee of the Richardson School Fund and 
liberal in all educational matters in the community. 

He died March 6, 1881, his life cut off in its prime and just when many 
years of great usefulness were opening out before him. His death left a 
wide gap in the ranks of our useful citizens, which cannot soon be filled. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 621 

He was in truth and in earnest a public-spirited man. He was unusually 
modest and unassuming ; he never wished public advancement or office 
for himself, but pushed others forward. He was a man of indomitable 
energy and determination, but in so quiet a way that those traits scarcely 
made themselves apparent. He had a sound, sagacious mind, was clear and 
judicious in his judgment, a man of scrupulous rectitude in his dealings, 
and he exercised a " powerful influence on the side of right and public good." 
In writing of him just after his death one said: "Mr. Wilmarth was a 
genuinely honest man. He did business on the square. He took no stock 
in the complaint that the times are such as to render it impossible for a man 
to do business honestly, and not bankrupt himself. As a business man he 
clung to the principles which build patiently, steadily, and surely. Among 
these principles was that which led him to cherish the welfare of others. He 
was generous to his employees. He was never spoken ill of by a man who 
had worked for him. To young men struggling to get on he always stood 
ready to lend a helping hand. k I have lost my best friend,' said a member 
of a young firm to me the other day, ' from no man did we get so much 
encouragement and help.' Said another gentleman of large business expe- 
rience, ' Mr. Wilmarth was one of the ablest business men with whom I was 
ever acquainted.' ' No man,' said still another, ' could die here who would 
be more missed.' " Among the resolutions passed after his death by the 
trustees of the Richardson School Fund was the following : — 

Resolved, — Tbat the community in which he lived has lost a neighbor just and conscientious 
in all his dealings with others — one who was active in promoting the interest and prosperity of 
this village, and especially interested in sustaining its various institutions; and thus we mourn 
the departure of an honorable and worthy citizen, one who will be long remembered in the 
business circles of this town." 

Mr. Wilmarth merited such tributes as these, for he fulfilled well the high 
duties of true manhood and loyal citizenship. 

On May 5, 1857, he married S. Josephine Mann, daughter of Howard and 
Susan Ide Mann, of Wrentham. She and several children survive him. Of 
these one son is connected with his father's business, and another, the eldest, 
has for several years been pursuing musical studies in Europe. 1 

The chief facts in quite a number of the sketches contained in this and the chapter next 
precediug are taken from the History of Bristol County, which appeared a few years since. 
In many instances I have made exact quotations; in many others I have used ideas and sug- 
gestions found there, and I am glad to again acknowledge my indebtedness to that publication. 
In these same sketches I have made such changes as time and my purpose dictated, and have 
added to them such facts, etc., as were within my own knowledge or were furnished me from 
various sources. I have largely increased the number of persons noticed in the history above 



1 For a number of years none of the family had any personal connection with the management of 
the business, but recently two of the sons, — the oldest and the youngest, — William H. and Henry D., 
have assumed its control. This change resulted from the death of Mrs. Wilmarth, —which occurred 
in October, 1S93, — and the withdrawal of the then manager and only partner outside the family. The 
former now resides in town; the latter has recently returned to town. 



622 A SKETCH OF THE 

alluded to. If my list is too long, I can only say, it would have been difficult to shorten it, 
because there was sonic special reason for the mention of each particular person in it. Long 
as this list of more or less prominent men is, however, it is by no means a complete one. Very 
many others as worthy as any of these have been born or have lived in the town, regarding 
whom it would have been wellnigh or quite impossible to obtain the requisite information; 
while others about whom doubtless interesting facts could have been collected have been 
omitted in these chapters for some other equally valid reason. In some instances families 
prominent in our early history, and up to within a few years comparatively, have no male 
representatives in the present generation or in that just passing away, and in other instances 
such are no longer specially interested in public affairs. Numbers who have been of good 
service in their day and generation, if forgotten here, are remembered elsewhere, as the sketch 
of town history has revealed itself through the records or facts relating to various historic 
localities have been mentioned — though, from the very nature of the case, in a work so incom- 
plete as this very many deserving persons as well as very many important occurrences must lie 
left out altogether. 

The division of the town, which lias mside a finishing point historically at least for the 
present for old Attleborough proper, has also made it more necessary to look forward in 
certain ways than might otherwise have been the case and to say certain things which could 
otherwise perhaps have better been said in the future. This fact must account for a portion of 
what has been written regarding the gentlemen now living. Probably these sketches may lie 
considered by some as too extended. I should have found it difficult, in many cases certainly, to 
make them less so. In the short experience which my attempt to complete this book has given 
me I have found that all personal facts, and even small incidents regarding the earlier inhabit- 
ants of the town, or any written words of their contemporary friends, were of deep interest, 
and I have thoroughly realized how great a matter of regret it is that only a very few scant 
reminiscences of our first inhabitants and their immediate posterity were to be obtained, 
because almost no records relating to them in any way had been kept. Personal records of the 
men now on the stage of life and of those just passed or passing away will be of ever-deepening 
interest as years go by. With this fact in view, and remembering also that this work is first of 
all for the people of this town and their families, I have deemed it wise to preserve here all I 
could in my limited space relative to some of the " men of our times'' in addition to the very 
little gathered together relating to their ancestors or those of others. 

What I have said of these biographical chapters will apply in some measure to the two fol- 
lowing chapters, in which some of the things referred to would be omitted if I were arranging 
this work of my father's for a "general public.'' If I have been guilty of an error in judg- 
ment in thus occupying so much space, I can only say. my motive in doing it has been good, 
and by that I must ask to have the decision of the readers of the book weighed, whether the 
sentence thej see lit to pronounce shall be one of censure or approval. — EDITOR. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 623 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

GENEALOGY, STATISTICS, REPRESENTATIVES, TOWN OFFICERS, GRADUATES 

OF COLLEGES, ETC. 

THE following account of the earliest settlers in town is almost exactly as it was prepared 
for the first edition of this work. Whether it was the author's intention to enlarge it 
is not known; but no notes were found sufficient to make any material changes, though 
some additions have been made. 

A brief genealogy of some of the earliest settlers in the town is annexed, which is intended 
to include,^ far as I have beer, able to ascertain, the names of those who came into the town 
previous to 1730, with the names of their children of the first generation (space not permitting 
me to extend it any farther) and also the previous place of their settlement, when known. 
This will not contain the names of many who have all either removed from town or whose 
families have become extinct. These sketches must necessarily be imperfect from the defects 
in the records and the general neglect of most families to preserve any knowledge of their 
remote ancestry. The discovery of many of these facts connected with the history of our 
ancestors has been the result of fortunate accident. 

Many of the first proprietors (who belonged to Rehoboth) or their descendants became the 
occupants of the lands which they had purchased ; but in process of time the cheapness of 
the land invited many emigrants from various parts of the colonies of Massachusetts and 
Plymouth, who either became shareholders or purchased rights. 1 

Allen, Nehemiah. son of Isaac Allen, 1st, of Rehoboth, married Anne Wilmarth, 
daughter of Thomas Wilmarth, 2d, of that town; came to Attleborough about 1710. He had 
five°children ; namely, Isaac, John, Nehemiah, Daniel, Anne, who were born between the 
years 1711 and 1726. 

Atwell, Richard, married Sarah Bolkcom, daughter of Alexander Bolkcom; had five 
children by her: Sarah, Amos, Anne. Richard, Ichabod, 1728-1739. His second wife was 
Mary Lawrence, by whom he had one son, William, born 1741. 

Barrows, Bexajah, ancestor of all that name in town. He came here about 1708 from 
Rehoboth, where he had resided for a short time. His wife was Lydia Bucklin, daughter of 
Joseph Bucklin, one of the early settlers of that town. He had uine^ children: John, born 
in Rehoboth, 1707; Deborah, born 1711; Joseph, 1713; Nehemiah, 1715; Benjamin, March, 
1717-18; Elijah, March, 1719-20; Lydia, 1722; Ichabod, 1721. He died January 5, 1751. From 
him was descended Dr. Ira Barrows, a graduate of Boston University in 1824 and a practising 
physician in Providence, R. I. 

Blackinton, Penticost, the ancestor of all the Blackintons in town, came to Attleborough 
previous to 1702 from Marblehead. His wife's name was Mary. He had at least four children : 
Penticost; Mary, who married Ebeuezer Daggett, 1st, of this town; Benjamin, who came 
with him; and Hepzibeth, who was born here December, 1702. Besides these there were John 
and Penelope, twins, born in 1705 and both died in 1706. Penticost, 1st, died September 24, 
1715. His son Penticost married Rebeccah Figgett and had eight children — Penticost, born 
1716; Rebeccah, born 1717; George, born 1720; Anne, born 1722; Mary, born 1724; John, 
born 1727; Othniel, born 1729; Peter, born 1731. 



i Usually newcomers, if they could not purchase a share in the undivided lands, bought a right to 
lay out a definite number of acres in a division already granted. 

= The names of eight only are given. Whether the number is wrong or the Dame of the other not 
recorded the Editor does not know. 



624 A SKETCH OF THE 

Blaxding. OBEDIAH, came from Rehoboth; son of "William, 1st. of that name in Rehoboth; 
married Elizabeth Weeks: bad five children: Ephraim, Samuel, Obediah, Elizabeth, Mehit- 
abel, 1719-1727. Several others afterwards came here from that town, descendants ol William, 
1st; namely, Daniel, Noah, Lamack, etc. 

BISHOP, William, appears to be the first; came from Beverly or Salem about 1703. His 
wife's name was Dorothy. He had eight children : Edward, Elizabeth. William. Martha, 
Rebecca, Baily, Dorothy, John, 1701-1715. His second wife was Tabitha Hadley, married 1719. 

There were several others of this name, some of them, perhaps, brothers of the above; 

namely, Daniel, who married Elizabeth Brown, 1734; Samuel, married Mary ; Joseph, 

married Miriam Hodges; Thomas, who married "Sarah Hobel of Pequonick'' and had one 
daughter, born in New Brooktield, X. Y.. 1744. There was one Zepheniah Bishop, son of 
Zephaniah Bishop, who died a lingering death on board the Jersey Prison ship and whose 
gravestone is in the East Attleborough burying-ground. 

BOLKCOM, Alexander, 1st. who came to Attleborough previous to 1692, from whom all in 
town 1 are descended. He came from Providence and was a mason by trade. He married 
Sarah Woodcock, daughter of John Woodcock, Sr., and had seven children: William, born 
September 3,1692; Katherine, born February 7, 1694; Alexander, born April 4, 1696; John, 
born April 29. 1699; Baruck, born June 12, 1702; Sarah, born February 8, 1703-4; Joseph, born 
February 23. 1705-6. 

He died January 31, 1727-28. His son William married Mary Tyler. October 3, 1713; Alex- 
ander married Martha Rockinton, of Needham, May 14, 1725 — intentions entered April S, 
1725; Baruck married Patience Blake; John married Mary Grover, by whom he had five 
children, and afterwards Sarah Grover, by whom he had eight children; Joseph married Mary 
Parminter, March 21, 1733-34. 

Bourne. Andrew, eame.it is supposed, from Great Britain to Attleborough about 1720 
and settled in the east part of the town. All of that name in this vicinity are descended 
from him. 

Capron. BANFIELD, was the first of that name who came to this country. From him all 
the Caprons in this vicinity are descended. The name of his first wife was Elizabeth Cal- 
ender. His children were: Banfield, Joseph, Elizabeth, Banfield (born October 22, 1684), 
Edward, John, Jonathan (born March 10, 1705-6), Sarah (born March 11,1708-9). Another 
account adds Walter, Betsey. Mary, Hannah, and Margaret, and omits Elizabeth. 

His wife Elizabeth died March 10, 1735. He married, December 16, 1735, Mrs. Sarah Daggett, 
relict of Deacon John Daggett, and he died August 25 (another account says August 10), 1752, 
at the very advanced age of ninety-two. He settled where the late Joab Daggett lived and 
laid out the lands there. Tradition says he came to this country alone when he was quite a lad, 
as a cabin boy. to seek his own fortune. 

Carpenter, Josiab, Noah, William, Obediah, etc., came to Attleborough from Rehoboth 
and were all descendants of Samuel and William Carpenter, two of the earliest of that name 
in Rehoboth. William Carpenter was admitted an inhabitant of that town March 28, 1645. 
He was admitted a freeman of Massachusetts May 13. 1640. 

Noah was the son of William, of Rehoboth, born March 28,1672; married Sarah Johnson 
December 3,1700, by whom he had thirteen children: Noah, Miriam, Sarah, Stephen, Asa. 
Mary, born in Rehoboth; Margaret, Simon (died infant), Isaiah, Simon, Martha, Elizabeth, 
Amy. He married Ruth Follet, May, 1727, by whom he had one daughter, born May. 1728. 

In an account of this family recently published it is stated that the ancestor of all of this 
name in New England is "one William Carpenter, who was born in England in 1576, left a 
place called Harwell, going to Southampton, and from that port sailed for America in the ship 
• Mi \ is,' and landed in May 1638." He settled in Weymouth and in 1643 removed to Rehoboth, 
where he died at the age of eighty-two. He appears to have been a man of considerable note. 
His son William came with him to America, also settling in Rehoboth. With William, Jr., 
came his wife and four children, of "ten years or less." Of these one was William, and he 
had at Rehoboth at least ten sons. Obadiah was the tenth, born in 1677. "Deacon Obadiah 



1 It must be remembered that this account was prepared over fifty years ago and that some of these 
names have no representative, or but one or two. — Editor. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 625 

Carpenter was born in Rehoboth in 1707, and died in Attleboro where he lived, in 1764. He 
married Bethiah Lyon and both are buried in the old cemetery. Attleboro, old slate stones, 
under a fir tree, marking their "raves." i He must be the Obediah above mentioned, who. the 
author' says, came here earlv and was probably the son of Obadiah, horn in 1677. The Noah 
mentioned above must have been one of the ten sons of William. 3d, and he (his grandfather 
bavins; died) was the William. Jr., who was "Clerk of the Propriety" from 1682 to 1703. 

Claflix (formerlv McClaflin 2 ), Antipas, came here from Sudbury, Mass. He had three 
children after his arrival in this town; namely, Hepzebeth, born November 17, 1717 ; Antipas 
and Ebenezer, twins, born February 8, 1720-21. His wife's name was Sarah. Other sous 
probablv came with him — Noah. Phinehas, etc. 

Cummings (formerly Cummins or Comens), David, came here very early from Wohurn, 
this State. He settled in the southeast part of the town, on a farm still owned and occupied 
by descendants. He had either seven or nine children. 

Cutting, Aaron, was the first and only one of this name who came here. His son Aaron, 
Jr., married Ruth Pratt, 1749. (She died July 26, 1753.) His second wife was Sarah Tucker, 
and by both of them he had nine children. 

Daggett. John, ancestor of all the Daggetts here and in Connecticut, came to Attlebor- 
ough from Chilmark. Martha's Vineyard, about 1709 ? with his wife Sarah and nine children, 
four sons and five daughters; namely, Mayhew, Ebenezer. Thomas. Napthali, — who was 
" slain by a tree," — Abigail, who married Ebenezer Guild, October 12, 1714, and died No- 
vember 20, 1790, aged ninety-seven years ; Jane, who married Caleb Hall, November 9,1721. 

He removed to Manor, N. J., and was living in 1771; Zilpha. who married Nathanie 

Robinson, July 18, 1721; Patience, who married Noah Robinson, October 4. 1723, and died 
in 1793. and was buried in the old Falls cemetery; and Mary, who married John Titus. Janu- 
ary 8, 1727-28 — all of Attleborough. Ebenezer, born August 29. 1690, married Mary Black- 
intou,' November 9, 1721. She was daughter of Pentecost Blackinton, and was born in 
Marblehead, November 25, 1698. Mayhew married Joanna Biven, of Deerfield. 4 

By recent research I am able to trace this family still farther back, and give the result for the 
information of numerous descendants here and elsewhere. 

John the first of Attleborough was the son of Thomas Daggett, Esq., of Edgartown, 
Martha's Vineyard, who married Hannah Mayhew, the oldest daughter of Governor Mayhew. 
and had brothers Thomas, Samuel, Joshua, Israil, and a sister Mercy. Thomas, the father of 
John the first of this town, was son of John Daggett the first, who came to this country in 
1630 and was settled in Watertown in 1(142, and probably removed to Martha's Vineyard with 
Governor Mayhew when he settled the island in 1644. John the first of Rehoboth was brother 
of Thomas, and son of John the first of Watertown. There is reason to believe that the last- 



i See Attleboro Advocate for June 2, 18SS. In another account published by a descendant residing 
in New York William, the ancestor, was born in Amesbury, Wiltshire, England, about 1603-5 and came 
to this country not far from 1635. He was mentioned in the " Initial Deed " of Roger Williams and 
his "twelve disciples," and this shows hi»n to have been one of " The Thirteen Proprietors of Provi- 
dence Plantations." He, it is said, as early as 163S bought lands at Pawtucket and settled there with 
«' several other families." He is said also to h;ive been one of the founders of the Baptist Church in 
America and to have received baptism from Roger Williams himself. Tradition makes him a preacher 
in England and says he " fled to America, being compelled to go on shipboard at, night to avoid his 
persecutors." Hedied September 7, 1685. He must be the William, Jr., who came with His father, 
wife, and four small children to this country and finally to " Seacunk." The accounts differ some- 
what, but doubtless point to the same person, son of the real ancestor. 

* Sometimes spelt Meclothlin, and in one place (R. N. P. Rec. p. 336) Mack Cleaulan-a proof of the 
variation which names undergo in the course of a few generations. Tradition says the family origi- 
nated in Scotland. 

s According to a History of the Doggett-Daggett Family he came between October 17, 1711, and 
December 24, 1712.— Editor. 

* This was probably not Deerlield, Mass., as the author formerly supposed, as for a hundred and 
fifty years after the settlement of that town the name is not known there. The name is not common 
at the date mentioned, and for that and other reasons it is conjectured that the Deerfield may have 
been a place of that name in England. 



6Ut) A SKETCH OF THE 

mentioned John bad a brother Thomas ' who came to New England, and he was probably the 
Thomas who settled in Marshfield, this State. 2 

D AT, Samuel, appears to he the first, came from Rehoboth- His wife was Priscilla. He 
bad several children: Samuel Edward, born June 9, 1705; John, born September 29, 1708; 
Priscilla. born November -2-1. 1711; Benjamin, born in Attleborough, April 28. 1720; and 
perhaps others. 

One Robert Day was admitted freeman of Massachusetts, .May 6, 1635, and Ralph Day, 
May, 1645. 

Foster, John, came from Dorchester about 1712; married Margaret Ware: had thirteen 
children: John, born 1706; Robert, born 1707; Ebenezer, born 1709 (these three born in Dor- 
chester); Margaret, born in Wrentham. 1712; Benjamin, born 1714; Jonathan, born 1715; 
Sarah, bom 171S; Timothy, born 1720; Nathan, born 1722: Esther, born 1724 : Michael, born 
172.") (and died 1726) : Michael, born 1727: Mary, born 1729. 

I'ii-i ri:. ALEXANDER, another who came to town, whose wife's name was Susanna, bad six 
children : Elizabeth. Sarah. Alexander. Edward. Suanna, Jane — from 1734 to 1746. 

Freeman, David and Jonathan, inhabitants of Rehoboth, came to Attleborough — prob- 
ably the ancestors of all the Freemans in this town. The name of David's wife was Mary. 
Son f hi- children were. Ebenezer. born April 13, 1684; Hannah, born April 24, 1686; Mar- 
garet, born February 9,1688-89. Jonathan's children were William. Mary. Jonathan. Mercy. 
Samuel. Anne. David. — from 1690 to 1704. 

French. John, son of John French, 1st, of Rehoboth, came from that town about 1710; 
married Martha Williams; had five children, — John, born in Rehoboth; Ephraim and Martha, 
twin-, who died infants: Hannah, Samuel — 1709 to 1714. His second wife was Abigail White, 
married May 23, 1728. by whom he had two children : John, born 1729, and Thomas, born 1730. 

THOMAS, brother of the preceding, also came from Rehoboth, married Mary Brown. January 
5. 1720-21. had eight children: Thomas, Christopher. Mary. Joseph, Elizabeth, Bridget, Sarah, 
Hannah -1722 to 1738. 

Fuller. Persons of this name are numerous. The first are not all known. One was John, 
whose children were: Ithaman, Abigail, John, Jeduthan, Abial, Joanna — 1702 to 1719. His 
second wife was .Mary pullet ; had one daughter. Sarah, born 1721. 

Jonathan Fuller was an early settler of Rehoboth. Robert and William Fuller were ad- 
mitted freemen of Massachusetts 2d June, 1641. 

GUILD, EBENEZER, came from Dedhani ; married Abigail Daggett (daughter of P)eacon John 
Daggett, 1st), October 12, 1714; had several children: Joseph, Napthali, Ebenezer — 1716 to 
1722. 

JOHN and BENJAMIN also came with him. 

Hall. Edward and John came from England, soon to Taunton, and thence to Rehoboth. 
EPHRAIM, son of John, came to Attleborough. John was admitted freeman of Massachusetts. 
May 14, 1634; Edward. May 2. 1638. John married Mary Newell, of Roxbury, November 18, 
1684. Edward died November 27. 1670. 

Christopher Hall also came to Attleborough; had two sons. Caleb and Joshua. 

I DE, Nicholas, Lieut., son of Nicholas. 1st, of Rehoboth, who was there a- early as April 
9, L645, was born November. 1654; married .Marx Ormsby December 27. 1 1 "• T T or 7> : bad seven 
children: Nathaniel. Jacob, Martha, Patience. John, Benjamin — 1678 to 1693 — all born in 
Rehoboth. Nicholas, by his second wife, Eliza, was born in Attleborough. July 25. 1697. 
Nicholas. Sr., died 5th June. 1723. Nathaniel died 14th March. 1702-3. 

Jacob, second son, married Sarah Perry. His children were: Sarah, born December 13, 
1712: Jacob, born September 26. 1723. 



1 Thomas Daggett, aged thirty years, was examined for a certificate of license to emigrate to 
Ncu England, May 13, 1637.— Drake's Researches, p. 30. 

2 This supposition of the author does not seem to be sustained by later research, as there is no men- 
tion of such a relationship in the family history just referred to. The author of that work state- that 
John the first of Watertown probably lived in Rehoboth for a few years previous to his settlement 
in .Martha'- Vineyard, as in 1646 one " John Doget " had allotments of land in that town. His sou 
John, the first of Rehoboth, was not then old enough to be a " freeman.'' 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 627 

John, third son, married Mebetable Robinson, May 14, 1719; had four children: Sarah, John, 
Benjamin, Amos — 1720 to 1729. 

Ingraham, Joseph, Benjamin, Jeremiah, Elijah, descendants of Benjamin and of Jar- 
rett (or Jaret), whose name is on the list of purchasers, come from Rehoboth. Joseph married 
Mary Shepardson. Jeremiah married Susanna Tucker, of Stoughton. Intentions published 
August 7. 1731. 

Elijah married Sarah Ide; had eight children: Elijah, Jabez, Sarah and William, twins, 
Betty, Remember, Comfort, Jeremiah — 1731 to 1746. 

Maxcy, Alexander. 1 came from Gloucester, Mass., with his family, about 1721, and soon 
purchased and settled on John Woodcock's farm, and continued the public house. He was " a 
soldier in Gallup's Company, for the sad expedition in 1G90, of Phips against Quebec." His 
wife's name was Abigail. He died September 20, 1723. His children were Alexander, who 
died April 2. 1724; Joseph, Josiah, Abigail, who married Jacob Hascall, of Gloucester: Mary, 
who married William Ware, May 4,1726; Esther, who married Nehemiah Ward, December 
3, 1728; and Benjamin. 

JOSIAH married Mary Everett, daughter of Joshua Everett; had eleven children. His sec- 
ond son, Levi, whose wife was Ruth, daughter of Jacob Newell, was the father of Jonathan, 
Milton, and Virgil, graduates of Brown University, eminent in literary and professional life. 
Levi, another sun, who possessed superior talents, though not liberally educated, died at the 
South. 

Martin, John, Robert, and Timothy came from Rehoboth. Timothy married Mary, 
<laughter of John Fuller, then of Rehoboth. afterwards of Attleborough; had three children: 
Timothy. Sarah Abel. 

Three of this name were admitted freemen of Massachusetts — Thomas Martin, 22d May, 
1639; John and Robert, 13th May, 1640. John settled in Rehoboth. 

Moore, Alexander, married Alice Chaffee; had eight children: Samuel, Comfort, Jane, 
Betsey. Esther, Alice, Kate, Hannah. 

Newell, Jacob, came here from Roxbury or Dorchester about 1715, bringing with him his 
family of several sous — Jacob, Joseph, Ephraim, etc. Jason was born here December 12, 
1717. His wife's name was Joyce. He settled near the first meetinghouse, and bought a part 
of Willett's farm, and, according to tradition, distributed it among his seven sons. In 1834 
it still remained in seven divisions, and is still occupied by a descendant of Mr. Newell, of the 
same name. (1887.) 

Peck, Hezekiah, son of Nicholas Peck, of Rehoboth, came to Attleborough about 1700 
with his family. He married Deborah Cooper, of the former place; had seven children: 
Deborah, Judith, Hannah, Hezekiah, Rachel, born in Rehoboth; Petronella, Perthenah — 1687 
to 1711. 

Several other Pecks came here from Rehoboth ; namely, John and Elisba, brothers of Heze- 
kiah ; Daniel and Ichabod, sons of Jathniel, who was the son of Joseph,'- 1st, who came to 
Rehoboth from Hingham, Mass., and probably to that place from Hingham, England. 

Read, Daniel, came from Rehoboth about 1716, with five children, Beriah, Ichabod, Han- 
nab, Abigail, Esther (Daniel died infant), 1707 to 1713. His first wife was Elizabeth Bos- 



1 It is said that a brother came with him to this country, and settled in one of the Southern States. 

2 Mr. Joseph Peck and Mr. Robert Peck were admitted freemen of Massachusetts thirteenth March, 
1638-39. Robert was ordained teacher at Hingham, eighth November, 163S, and twenty-seventh Octo- 
ber, 1641, returned to England with his family. Joseph's name appears on the Rehoboth records, 
April 9, 1645. On his way from Hingham the following accident befell him : — 

1645, 1. 25. "Another strange accident happened by fire about this time. One Mr. Peck and three 
others of Hingham, being about with others to remove to Seacouk, (which was concluded by the Com- 
missioners of the United Colonies to belong to Plymouth,) riding thither, they sheltered themselves 
and their horses in an Indian wigwam, which by some occasion took fire, and (although they were all 
four in it, and labored to their utmost, &c.) burnt three of their horses to death, and all their goods to 
the value of 50 pounds " 

One John Peck was in Rehoboth as early as twenty-ninth March, 1645. ( Win. Jour. II, 216.) 
Nicholas, John, Joseph, Jr., are supposed to be sons of Mr. Joseph, who came with him to Reho- 
both ; if this supposition be true, then all of the name are descended from him. 



628 A SKETCH OF THE 

worth; his second was Eliz. Ide, by whom be bad eight children: Daniel, Noah, Elizabeth, 
Samuel, Abigail, Rachel, Benjamin, Thankful, lTKi to 1734. 3 

At least two other Reads came here from Kehoboth — Moses and Ezra. Tlio.se of tlu> name 
have been very numerous in this town. 

Richards. Edward and Nathan, came from Dedham. They were the sons of John 
Richards, of that town, and nephews of Col. Joseph Richards, A.M. and M.D., of Harvard 
College, 1721. From them are descended those of that name in this town. The first in Dedham 
was Edward, who was admitted freeman in 164:1. ( Worthing ton's Hist. Ded.) 

Caty, daughter of John Richards, of Dedham, horn May 27, 1700, married Jabez Gray, of 
Attleborough, December 7, 1780. Abigail, born September 18, 1704, married Obed Robinson, 
of Attleborough, December 19, 1780. (See Richards' Genealogy, ch. 'J, p. 119.) 

Richardson, Stephen, John, William, Seth, brothers, came to Attleborough from 
Woburn, about 1712. Seth married Mary Brown. His children were Stephen, Seth (died), 
Mary. Abigail, Sarah, Seth, Phebe, 1714 to 1725. 

Several others also came to this town: Timothy, Francis, etc. Ezekiel Richardson, freeman 
of Massachusetts 18th May, 1081; Samuel, 2d May, 1038. 

ROBINSON. 2 Six of this name came to Attleborough from Rehoboth; namely, Nathaniel", 
Noah. John, Timothy, Samuel, Ebeuezer. They were descendants of George Robinson. 1st, of 
Rehoboth, whose name is on our list of purchasers. He married Joanna Ingraham, 18th 4 mo. 
1651. 

Nathaniel married Zilpha, third daughter of Dea. John Daggett, July 18, 1721; had nine 
children: Nathan, Nathaniel, George, Zilpha, Elizabeth, Elihu, Amos, Abigail, Margaret, 1722 
to L739. 

Noah married Patience, fourth daughter of Dea. John Daggett, 1st, Oct. 4, 1722; had seven 
children: Zephaniah, Mary. Elijah, William, Huldah, Enoch, Comfort, 1723 to 1740. 

John married Thankful Newell, and had several descendants. 

Timothy married Elizabeth (or Eliza) Grant. 

Samuel married Mary Cooper for his first wife, and Mary Ide for his second wife. 

Ebenezer married Elizabeth Read, and had eight children: Mehetable, Sarah. Ebeuezer, 
Samuel, Elizabeth, Ezekiel, Dan, Martha, 1721 to 1738. 

Stanley, Thomas, Nathaniel, Joseph, Samuel, Jacob, John, came from Topsfield, 
Mass., and settled near the Falls. The last three were brothers. Thomas and Samuel were 
here in 1707; Jacob came about 1717. 

Thomas married Mary Gould, had twelve children : Thomas, Mary, Phebe, Nathaniel, Samuel, 
Daniel. David (died infant), Martha, William. Abigail, Priscilla, David. 

.1 \< or, married Elizabeth Guild. His children were Jacob, Benjamin, Elizabeth (died infant ), 
Deborah, Jonathan, Elizabeth, Solomon, Abigail. 

Nathaniel married Sarah Blackinton. His children were Serviah, Sarah, Hepzibeth, Abner, 
Amy, Sibula. Israil. Penticost, Anne, Nathaniel, 1721 to 1744. 

Starkey, ANDREW, came here about 1708. His first wife was Mehitable Waite, by whom 
he had two children : Mehitable, born May, 1709; John, born July, 1712. His second wife was 
Catharine, daughter of Alexander Bolkcom, by whom he had three children : Jemima, Andrew, 
Thomas, 1722 to 1733. Andrew, Sr., died 10th August, 1740. 

Sweet, Henry, was here about 1090, had five children : John, Philip (died infant), Thomas 
Michael (died infant), Dorothy. He was one of the earliest, if not the first of that name. He 
died Sth December, 1704. Probably a descendant of John, admitted freeman, 1041. 

SWEETLAND, John, came from Marblehead, with several others of that name. Three of his 
children were Benjamin. Deborah, Samuel, 1703 to 1711. He died 9th June, 1711. Samuel 
Sweetland was married to Elizabeth Bradford, Dec. 14, 1749, by Rev. Habijah Weld. 

Tri'US, Robert, — the first of the name in this country, — came from Weymouth in 1644, one 



'Thomas Read, admitted freeman of Massachusetts, April 1, 1634; John, thirteenth May, 1640; 
William, fourteenth December, 1638; Esdras, second June, 1641. John ami Thomas (perhaps sons of 
John) settled in Rehoboth, and were the ancestors of the numerous progeny of Reads in that town 
and Attleborough. 

= William Robinson, freeman of Massachusetts at Salem, -27th December, 1642; Johu, 2d June, 1641. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 62 D 

of the first settlers of Rehoboth. He removed to Long [gland with his family, with the excep- 
tion of the oldest son, John, who remained in Rehoboth. and who subsequently came to this 
town, he being one of the proprietors of the North Purchase. His four sons, John, Jr., Silas, 
Samuel, and Joseph, settled here, and for several generations the family was quite numerous 
both here and in Rehoboth. 

Tyler, Ebenezer, had nine children: Ebenezer, Elizabeth, Phebe, Catharine, Hannah 
(died), John, Hannah, William, Job, 1714 to 1781. 1 Job settled in Ashford, Conn. 

Samuel married Mary Capron, had eleven children: Mary (died), Samuel (died), Moses T 
Samuel, Mary, Nathan, Huldah, Habijah and Elizabeth. —twins,— Ebenezer, Benjamin (died). 

JOHN married Nancy (Nanne) Thacher, daughter of Rev. Peter Thacher. His son John, Jr., 
removed to Harford, Penn., in 1794. His grandson, the son of John, Jr., is the Rev. William 
S. Tyler, Professor of Greek in Amherst College, a man of marked ability and extended learn- 
ing, and having the reputation of being one of the best classical scholars of the age. 

WILKINSON, JOHN, came here about 1700; married Rachel Fales. His children were eight 
in number; namely, John, Joseph, Rachel, Mary, Hepzibeth, Abigail. Sarah, Hannah. 1702 to 
1723. He purchased Capt. Willett's share in the undivided lands, probably of his son Andrew 
Willett. He died -24th Jan. 1724-25. 

John Wilkinson, Maiden, died Dec. 1075. — Far. Reg. 

Wilmarth, Thomas,- came to Attleborough about 1708, — married Deborah Peck — had 
seven children : Mary, Thomas. Deborah, Elizabeth, Anne, Ebenezer, Eliphalet, 1709 to 1728. 

Several other Wilniarths came from that town : Samuel. — son of Thomas 2d, of Rehoboth — 
Jonathan, Nathan, Stephen, — sons of Jonathan of that place — Daniel, etc. 

The Deanes came from Taunton. Ellises, Drapers, etc., from Dedham, subsequent to 1730. 

It is not expected that the foregoing list includes all who came previous to that period. The 
names of the original ancestors of some could not be ascertained. 

The following list of names, etc., is here printed exactly as it was in the first edition of this 
History. While it was doubtless a matter of curiosity to some at the time it was prepared, it 
will at this time be much more of a curiosity to many, and is therefore given. 

LIST OF THE NAMES OF PERSONS NOW IN TOWN, WITH THE NUMBER OF EACH NAME 
AFFIXED, TAKEN FROM THE TAX LIST OF 1832. 

A. Albey 1 — Alger 2 — Aldrich 1— Allen 8 — Alexander 1 — Arnold 3 — Atherton 2 — 
Alwell 1. 

B. Babcock 3 — Bacon 2 — Barrows 8 — Bates 6 — Bailey 1 — Baldwin 1 — Bishop 3 — 
Blake 1 — Blackingtou 9 — Blackwell 1 — Blanchard 1 — Blanding 4 — Bliss 5 — Bolkcom 8 — 
Bosworth 1— Bourne 1— Bo wen 5 — Bragg 2 — Briggs 7 — Brown 4 — Bruce 1 — Bullock 2. 

C. Capron 11 — Cargill 1 — Carpenter 14 — Chace 2 — Chandler 1 — Cheever 1 — Chickering 
1 — Claflin 14 — Clark 2 — Clayes 1 — Clinlock Me. 1 — Cobb 2 — Codding 3 — Cole 2 — Colvin 1 
— Cook 1 — Cooper 3 — Cornell 2 — Crocker 1 — Crowningshield 1 — Cutting 1 — Cummins 5 — 
Cushman 3. 

D. Daggett 11 — Dart 1 — Day 2 — Davis 1 — Deane 11 — Derry 1 — Dodge 2 — Draper 17 — 
Drake 2 — Dunham 2. 

E. Earl 1 — Eddy 1 — Eldridge 3 — Ellis 3 — Everett 4. 

F. Fales 1 — Fairbrother 2 — Field 3 — Fisher (>— Follet 2 — Forbush 1 — Foster 6 — 
Franklin 1 — Freeman 7 — French 7 — Frost 1 — Fuller 21 — Ferguson 1 — Furthington 1. 

G. Gardner 2— Gay 1— George 2 — Gilbert 1— Giles 1 — Goff 1 — Grant 3 — Green 3 — 
Guild 2. 



1 Tyler, Abraham, Haverhill, 1650, died the sixth of May, 1673. Job, Andover, 1653, had a son Moses 
who died, 1727, aged eighty-five, having had ten sons. Nathaniel, Lynn, 1642. — Far. Reg. 

There was a Rev. William Tyler, a native of Attleborough, and son of a Colonel Tyler, who removed 
to Pawtucket. There was one Hannah Tyler, who married General Nathaniel Guild, October 1, 1810. 
She was born in 1789, and died August 19, 1825; resided in Dednam. The names of Ebenezer and 
Samuel Tyler are found on a jury in Rehoboth, October 3, 16S4. 

2 Grandson of Thomas Wilmarth, Sr., who came into Rehoboth as early as March 28, 1645, with his 
wife and children. This name was anciently spelt Wilmot. 



630 



A SKETCH OF THE 



Jones 1. 



— Lavery 1 — Lee 1- 
May3 — Metcalf 1 



Lewis 1 — Lindsey 3. 

- More 3 — Morse 6 — Morev 1. 



H. Hall4 — Hamar 1 — Harknoss 1 — Harris 2 — Hatch 4— Haven 2 — Hayward 1 — llhk- 
1 — Hitchcock 1 — Holman 3 — Holmes 7 — Horr 2 — Horton 1 — Hunt 2 — Huntress 1. 

I. Ide 6 — Ingalls 1 — Ingrahani 4. 

,J . Jackson 2 — Jewatt 2 — Jillson 5 

K. Kent 1 — Kempton 2 — Knowles 

Li. Lane 1 — Latham 1 — Lathrop 1 - 

M. Mann 1— Martin 6 — Mason 3- 

N. Newell 4 — New man 1. 

P. Paine 3 — Parmenter 3 — Peck <; — Perry 5 — Pidge 2 — Pierce 3 — Pike 5 — Phillip 1 — 
Pond 1 — Price 3. 

K. Read 9 — Richards 22 — Richardson 15 — Riley 1 — Rhodes 2 — Robinson 9— Rogers 1 — 
Rounds 1. 

S. Sanford 2 — Savery 1 — Shaw 3 — Sheldon 1 — Shepard 1 — Shepardson 1 — Skinner 1 
Slack 3 — Smith 1 — Sprague 1— Stanley 13 — Starkey 3 — Stearns 1 — Strafford 1— Stratton 1 
Streeter 1 — Swan 1 — Sweet 6. 

T. Thacher2 — Thayer 3— Thurber 2 — Tiffany 2 — Tifft 3 — Tingley 2— Titus 2 — Towne 
3 — Tripp 3 — Tucker 1 — Turner 1 — Tyler 1. 

W . Walker 1 — Walton 1 — Walcot 3 — Warner 1 — Welma n 4 — Westcot 2 — Wheeler 1 — 
Whipple 3 — Whiting 4— White 7— Wilder 2 — Williams — Wilmarth 11— Witherell 4 — 
Withington 2 — Woodcock 2 — Wood 3 — Worsely 1 — Wright 1 . 

There are about 200 different names (surnames) on the List, and (lis different persons. There 
are, of course, some other names in town which are not in the assessor's Rates; but the above 
catalogue includes the most of them. These items, indifferent to some, may be curiosities 
to others. 

LIST OF REPRESEXTATIVl'.s 

From the Incorporation in 1694 to the Division in 1887. Elections at first, and for many years, 
were in May. unless otherwise designated. At present they are in November. 



1709.1 


David Freeman. 


1710. 


David Freeman. 


1711. 


David Freeman. 


1712. 


Capt. Joseph Brown. - 


1713. 


Mr. David Freeman, 




Lieut. Nicholas Ide. 3 


1714. 


Lieut. Nicholas Ide. 


1715. 


David Freeman. 


1716. 


David Freeman. 


1717. 


David Freeman. 


1718. 


David Freeman. 


1719. 


Jeremiah Whipple. 


1720. 


Dea. John Daggett, 




David Freeman. 4 


1721. 


David Freeman. 


1722. 


No one would accept. 


1723. 


Capt. John Foster. 


1724. 


Mr. Nathaniel Carpenter 


1725. 


Capt. John Foster. 


1726. 


Capt. Joseph Brown. 


1727. 


Capt. Joseph Brown. 



1728. 
1729. 
1730. 
1731. 
1732. 
1733. 
1734. 
1735. 
1736. 
1737. 



173s. 
1739. 
1740. 
1741. 
1742. 
1743. 



Capt. Joseph Brown. 
Mr. Nathaniel Carpenter. 
Capt. John Foster. 
Capt. John Foster. 
Capt. John Foster. 
Nathaniel Carpenter. 
Sent an excuse. 
Nathaniel Carpenter. 
Capt. Mayhew Daggett. 
John Robinson. 
Capt. Mayhew Daggett, 
John Foster, Esq., 
Timothy Tingley, 
Samuel Tyler, 
Ahasel Read. 
John Foster, Esq. 
John Robbins. 
John Robbins. 
Capt. Mayhew Daggett. 
Capt. Mayhew Daggett. 
Maj. John Foster. 



'The reader will perceive that no representative was chosen during the first fourteen years after 
the incorporation. The reason is given in the extracts from the town records, pages 88, 89. 

2 Son of Mr. John Brown of Rehoboth, — well known in tike history of the Old Colony — came here 
about 1709 from Kingston, R. I., to which place he had removed about 1702. In this list the titles gen- 
erally given according to the custom of the times are retained, as they appear on record. 

3 Nov. 1713. * June 1720. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 



631 



1744. 


Capt. Mayhew Daggett. 


1745. 


Capt. Samuel Tyler. 


1746. 


Perez Bradford, Esq., 




Capt. Mayhew Daggett. 1 


1747. 


Capt. Samuel Tyler. 


174s. 


Capt. Samuel Tyler. 


1749. 


Capt. Samuel Tyler. 


1750. 


Benjamin Day. 


1751. 


Benjamin Day. 


1752. 


Benjamin Day. 


1753. 


Benjamin Day. 


1754. 


Name not on record. 


1755. 


Xante not on record. 


1756. 


Lieut. Josiah Maxcy. 


1757. 


Lieut. Josiah Maxcy. 


1758. 


Lieut. Josiah Maxcy. 


1759. 


Dea. Benjamin Day. 


1760. 


Japhesh Bicknell. 


1761. 


Stephen Fuller. 


1762. 


Stephen Fuller. Esq. 


1763. 


Stephen Fuller, Esq. 


1764. 


Dea. Ebenezer Lane. 


1765. 


Dea. Ebenezer Lane. 


1766. 


Dea. Ebenezer Lane. 


1767. 


Dea. Ebenezer Lane. 


176s. 


Ibhn Daggett. 


L769. 


John Daggett. 


1770. 


John Daggett. 


1771. 


John Daggett. 


1772. 


John Daggett. 


1773. 


Capt. John Daggett. 


1774. 


Capt. John Daggett. 


1775. 


Capt. John Daggett. 


1776. 


Capt. John Stearns. 


1777. 


Capt. John Stearns. 




William Stanley. 


177$. 


Capt. Elisha May. 


1779. 


Capt. Elisha May. 


17S0. 


Capt. Elisha May, 




John Daggett. 


1781. 


Elisha May. 


1782. 


Name not found. 


1783. 


Col. Stephen Richardson, 


1784. 


Elisha May, Esq. 


1785. 


Col. Stephen Richardson, 


1786. 


Capt. Ebenezer Tyler. 


1787. 


William Stanley. 


1788. 


Elisha May, Esq. 


1789. 


< 'apt. Caleb Richardson. 


1790. 


Maj. Ebenezer Tyler. 


1791. 


Elisha May, Esq. 


1792. 


Maj. Ebenezer Tyler. 


1793. 


Elisha May, Esq. 


1794. 


Elisha May, Esq. 



1795. 
1796. 
1797. 
1798. 
1799. 
1800. 
1801. 
1S02. 
1803. 
1804. 
1805. 
1S06. 
1807. 
1808. 
1S09. 
1810. 
1811. 



1812. 



1813. 



1814. 

1815. 
1816. 
1817. 
1818. 
1819. 
1820. 
1821. 
1822. 
1823. 
1824. 
1825. 
1826. 
1S27. 



1828. 

1829. 
1830. 
1831. 
1832. 
1833. 
1834. 
1835. 
1836. 



Elisha May, Esq. 
Elisha May, Esq. 
Elisha May, Esq. 
Elisha May, Esq. 
Col. Ebenezer Tyler. 
Elisha May, Esq. 
Elisha May, Esq. 
Maj. Ebenezer Tyler. 
Maj. Ebenezer Tyler. 
Maj. Ebenezer Tyler. 
Ebenezer Bacon. 
Joel Read, Esq. 
Ebenezer Bacon. 
Joel Read. 
Joel Read. 
Joel Read. 
Joel Read, 
John Richardson, 
Benjamin Bolkcom. 
John Richardson, 
Joel Read, 
Benjamin Bolkcom. 
Joel Read, 
Benjamin Bolkcom, 
John Richardson. 
Capt. Thomas French. 
Jabez Newell. 
Abiathar Richardson, Jr. 
Ebenezer Daggett, Esq. 
Sent no one. 
Sent no one. 
Sent no one. 
Abiathar Richardson, Jr. 
Abiathar Richardson, Jr. 
Ebenezer Daggett, Esq. 
Ebenezer Daggett, Esq. 
Sent no one. 
William Blackinton. 
William Blackinton. 
George Ellis, 
Elkanah Briggs, 
Abiathar Richardson, Jr. 
George Ellis, 
Elkanah Briggs, Esq. 
Elkanah Briggs, Esq. 
Elkanah Briggs, Esq. 
Abijah M. Ide, Esq. 
Abijah M. Ide, Esq. 
Abijah M. Ide, Esq. 
Abijah M. Ide, Esq. 
David E. Holmau. 
John Daggett, 
David E. Holman, 
Lemuel May. 



1 July 22d, 1746, owing to Bradford's death. 



632 



A SKETCH OF THE 



1838. 


John Daggett. 


1839. 


Carlos Barrows, 




Jonathan Bliss, 




John Daggett. 


1840. 


Carlos Barrows, 




Jonathan Bliss. 


1841. 


Willard Blackinton, 




Artemas Stanley. 


1842. 


Artemas Stanley, 




William Blackinton. 


1843. 


Daniel Wilmarth, 




Calvin Richards. 


1844. 


Lemuel May, 




Forrest Foster. 


1845. 


Lemuel May, 




Forrest Foster. 


1846. 


George Bacon, 




Harvey Claflin. 


1S47. 


George Bacon, 




Harvey Claflin. 


1848. 


None sent. 


1849. 


George D. Hatch, 




Samuel Carpenter. 


1S50. 


George D. Hatch, 




Samuel ( 'arpenter. 


1851. 


Lyman W. Daggett. 


1852. 


Lyman W. Daggett. 


1853. 


Lyman W. Daggett. 


1854. 


None sent. 


1855. 


Charles Cravens. 


1856. 


Elkanah Briggs. 


1857. 


Hervey M. Richards. 


L858. 


Horatio X. Richardson, 




William W. Blodgett. 


1859. 


None sent. 


1860. 


George D. Hatch. 




Elisha Wilmarth. 



1861. Gardner C. Hodges. 

1862. William D. Earl, 
Ezekiel Bates. 

1863. Horatio N. Richardson, 
John Thompson. 

1864. Haudel N. Daggett, 
Mina B. Daggett. 

1865. Henry K. W. Allen, 
Ira N. Conant. 

1866. John Daggett, 
Edmund Ira Richards. 

ist;7. Joseph A. Perry. 

1868. Willard Blackinton. 

1869. Joseph D. Pierce. 

1870. Gardner C. Wright. 

1871. John T. Bates. 

1872. Ohed C. Turner. 

1573. Edward Sanford. 

1574. Samuel S. Ginnodo. 

1875. Felix G. Whitney. 

1876. Henry C. Read. 

1877. George Asa Dean. 

1878. George Price, 
Abijah T. Wales. 

1879. John Stanley. 

1880. Edwin J. Horton. 

1881. George N. Crandall, 
Burrill Porter, Jr. 

1882. John Whitehill. 

1883. John Whitehill. 

1884. Handel N. Daggett, 
George A. Adams. 

1885. George A. Adams. 
1SS6. Frank I. Barden. 
1S87. Thomas G. Sandland, 

Abijah T. Wales. 



LIST OF SENATORS. 

I'll is list is taken from the books of Senate Records in the State House at Boston. Upon the 
first page of the first book it is stated that the following records relate to actions of the General 
Court " began and held at Boston, the 25th day of October, 1780, being the first sitting of the 
General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts." 

1785-86. Elisha May, Esq. by 435 votes. 

1790 to 1803, ! Elisha May, Esq. by a large majority. 
1831-32. Ebenezer Daggett. 1859. 

1838. Lemuel May, 1863. 

1850. John Daggett, 1865. 

1851. Lyman W. Dean, 1S66. 
1853. Willard Blackinton. 1876. 



Homer M. Daggett, 
Hervey M. Richards 
Abijah M. Ide, 
Jacob Ide, 
Samuel S. Ginnodo, 



1884. Frederick L. Burden. 



1 Upon the town books, for nine of these years Mr. May is called a representative, — an error doubt- 
less of the town clerk. His name was found on the Senate records for eacli of the above-mentioned 
years, with the number of votes by which he was elected. — Editor. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 



633 



LIST OF TOWN CLERKS. 



1697 M)8. Anthony Sprague. 

1699. Daniel Jencks. 

1700-1. Anthony Sprague. 

1702. Joseph Ingraham. 

1703-4. Anthony Sprague. 

1705. John Follett. 

1706. Name not given. Probably Follett. 

1707. John Follett. 
170S. James Brown. 
1709-12. John Follett. 
1713-19. Noah Carpenter. 
1720-22. Probabhj same. 
1723-34. Thomas Stanley. 
1735-40. Thomas Wilmarth. 
1741-46. Jacob Newell. 
1747. Thomas Wilmarth. 
1748-50. John Robbing, Jr. 
1751-52. Name not found. 
1753-54. Benjamin Day. 

1755. Jacob Newell. 

1756. John Bobbins, Jr. 
1757-58. Stephen Fuller. 
1759-62. John Robbins, Jr. 
1763-65. Stephen Fuller. 
1766-67. Henry Sweet. 
1768-70. Jacob Ide. 

1771. Henry Sweet. 

1772. Jacob Ide. 
1773-77. Elisha May. 
1778. John Wilkinson. 
1779-80. Col. Elisha May. 

1781. Col. John Daggett. 

1782. Ebenezer Tyler. 

1783. Elisha May. 

17S4. Stephen Richardson. 

1785-86. Ebenezer Tyler. 

1787. Caleb Richardson. 

1788-89. Ebenezer Tyler. 

1790. Caleb Richardson. 

1791. Ebenezer Tyler. 

1792. Ebenezer Bacon. 

1793. Abiathar Richardson. 

1794. Ebenezer Bacon. 

1795. Jacob Ide. 

1796. Abiathar Richardson. 



1797-98. 


Jacob Ide. 




1799. 


Abiathar Richardson. 




1800-1. 


Ebenezer Bacon. 




1802. 


Abiathar Richardson. 




1803-4. 


Ebenezer Bacon. 




1805. 


Ebenezer Daggett. 




1806. 


John Richardson. Jr. 




1807. 


Ebenezer Bacon. 




1808. 


Ebenezer Daggett. 




1809. 


Joel Read. 




1810. 


John Richardson, Jr. 




1811. 


Thomas French. 




1812. 


Joel Read. 




1813. 


John Richardson. 




1814. 


Joab Daggett. 




1815. 


Amos Ide. 




1816. 


Lemuel May. 




1817. 


Ebenezer Daggett. 




1818. 


Samuel Draper. 




1819. 


Lemuel May. 




1820. 


Ebenezer Daggett. 




1821. 


Wm. Blackingtou. 2 




1822. 


Jacob Ide. 




1823. 


Ebenezer Daggett. 




1824. 


Wm. Blackingtou. 




1825. 


Samuel Cushinan. 




1826. 


Elkanah Briggs. 




1827. 


Ellis Blackingtou. 




1828. 


Samuel Cushinan. 




1829. 


Elkanah Briggs. 






Artemas Stanley from 


March i>r<> 




tern. 




1830. 


Ellis Blackingtou. 




1831. 


Samuel Cushinan. 




1832. 


Elkanah Briggs. 




1S33. 


Ellis Blackinton. 




1S34. 


Lemuel May. 




1835. 


David E. Holman. 




1836. 


Elihu Daggett. 




1837. 


Lemuel May. 




1838. 


Moses Wilmarth. 




1839. 


George B. Richards. 




1840. 


Hartford Ide. 




1841. 


Willard Blackinton. 




1842. 


Calvin Richards. 





1 1697 is the first year in which the record of a town clerk's name was found. For the preceding 
year — 1696 — it is stated on the book that one Mr. Henery Dorons or Derens, was " Clark to the House 
of Representatives." There is much irregularity in the early records, the minutes of the town 
meetings being copied here and there wherever space was found on the books, the chief aim being 
apparently to utilize every line of every page. Considerable difficulty was therefore encountered in 
trying to find the records of the annual meetings, and elections of officers. Records and minutes 
were copied by both selectmen and clerks, and as the latter was always one of the selectmen, the 
difficulty was for that reason increased.— Editok. 

- Name frequently so spelt up to a somewhat recent date. 



634 



A SKETCH OF THE 



1843. Lemuel*May. 


1855. 




Na 


than C. Luther. 


1844. Harvey Claflin. 


1856-62. 


Sin 


epard W. Carpenter. 


1845. George Bacon. 


1S63-64. 


H. 


N. Richardson. 


1846. Hartford Ide. 


1865- 


-06. 


Willard Blackinton. 


1847. Willard Blackinton. 


1867- 


-72. 


Nathan C. Luther. 


1848-51. Handel N. Daggett. 


1873- 


-86. 


Jol 


. B. Savery. 


1852-53. Lyman W. Daggett. 


1887. 


l 


Jo 


Im T. Bates. 


1854. Ward D. Cotton. 












LIST OK SELECTMEN. 


- 




1696. 


1704. 






1713. 


Israil Woodcock, 


Anthony Sprague, 






Joseph Brown, 


Thomas Tinglej . 


Jonathan Fuller. 






Jeremiah Whipple. 


Samuel Titus. 


Daniel Jencks. 






Nicholas Ide, 


1697. 
Anthony Sprague, 


1705. 
John Follett, 






Thomas Standley, 
Noah Carpenter. 


Mr. John Woodcock. 


William Slack, 






1714. 


Daniel Jencks, 


Jonathan Fuller. 






Joseph Brown, 


Jonathan Fuller, 


1706-7. 






John Follett, 


Thomas Tingley. 


John Follett, 






Noah Carpenter. 


1698. 


Jonathan Fuller, 






1715. 


Anthony Sprague, 


Thomas Tingley. 






Joseph Brown. 


Jonathan Fuller, 


1708. 






Noah Carpenter, 


Daniel Sbeppeson, 


John Denison. 






Jeremiah Whipple. 


Thomas Tingley, 


Nicholas Ide. 






Thomas Tingley, 


Daniel Jencks. 


Hezekiah lYck.- 






John Follett. 


1699. 


James Brown. 






1716. 


Mr. John Woodcock, 


1709. 






I >eacon Daggett, 


Nicholas [de, 


John Follett. 






Hezekiah Peek,- 


John Lane. 


Nicholas Ide, 






John French. 


Daniel Jencks. 


Jonathan Fuller. 






Thomas Stanlej , 


1700-1. 


1710. 






John Foster, 


Anthony Sprague, 


John Follett, 






Noah Carpenter. 


Jonathan Fuller, 


Lieut. Nicholas Ide, 






1717-1S. 


Thomas Tinglej . 


Hezekiah Peck. 






John Foster, 


Daniel Jencks. 


1711. 






Thomas Stanley. 


1702. 


John Follett. 






Hezekiah Peck. - 


Joseph Ingraham, 


Jonathan Fuller. 






Noah Carpenter, 


Thomas Tingley, 


John French. 






Thomas Tingley. 


Daniel Jencks, 


1712. 






1719. 


Jonathan Fuller. 


Joseph Brown. 






John Foster, 


1703. 


Thomas Tingley. 






John Lount. 


Anthony Sprague, 3 


John Follett, 






Jeremiah Whipple, 


Jonathan Fuller. 


Jonathan Fuller, 






Daniel Peck, 


Thomas Tin-ley. 


John French. 






Noah Carpenter. 



' Mr. Bates was elected to the office after the death of Mr. Savery, in October, 1SS6, ami was 
reelected at the next annual meeting in March, 1887. [Still continues.] 

- This lisi is not complete, and is probably in some instances incorrect, because it was impossible to 
And the names of the full boards of selectmen as they were elected, they not being always fully 
recorded. It was also difficult to determine with accuracy who they were for each year, from the 
subsequent records, as they frequently made entries upon the books under their signatures after their 
terms of oliice apparently should have expired. Kor the year 1696 they were called assessors only, 
and but three names were found. — Editor. 

• For a Ion- period, four or five - including the clerk — were chosen. When hut three appear the 
number i> incomplete, the others not being found. Occasionally the board numbered six. — Editor. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 



635 



1720. 
Benj. Crabtree, 
John French, 
En. Dun. Read, 
John Lount, 
Elisha Peck, 
Noah Carpenter (Prob. 

1721. 

Probably the same, or 
Noah Carpenter, 
John Foster. 
Jeremiah Whipple, 
Thomas Tin-ley. 

1722. 

Noah Carpenter. 
Thomas Stanley, 
Daniel Perk. 
John Fuller, 
John Foster. 

1723. 

Hezekiah Peck, 
Thomas Tingley, 
John Fuller, 
John Foster. 
Thomas Stanley. 

1724. 
Capt. John Foster, 
Noah Carpenter. 
Capt. Dan'l Read, 
Benjamin Crabtree, 
Thomas Stanley, 
(Samuel Tyler?) 

1725. 
Mr. Benj. Crabtree. 
Capt. Brown, 
M> Anthony Sprague, 
Job Bartlett, 
Thomas Stanley. 

1726-27. 
Mr. Noah Carpenter, 
Capt. Foster, 
Capt. Read. 
Samuel Day, 
Thomas Stanley. 

1728. 
Deacon Daggett, 
John Robins, 
Samuel Tyler. 
Thomas Willmarth, 



En. Timothy Tingley. 
Thomas Stanley. 

1729. 
Dea. Mayhew Daggett. 
Mr. John French, 
Penticost Blackinton, 
Thomas Willmarth, 
Thomas Stanley. 

1730. 
Samuel Bishop, 
Deacon Daggett. 
Mr. Noah Carpenter, 
Thomas Wilmarth, 
Thomas Stanley. 

1731. 
Benj. Day, 

James Sweetland, 
Dea. Mayhew Daggett, 
Thomas Wilmarth, 
Thomas Stanley. 

1732. 
Lieut. Samuel Tyler, 
Mayhew Daggett, 
Obadiah Fuller, 
Thomas Wilmarth, 
Thomas Stanley. 

1733. 
John French, 
Beniah Barrows, 
Thomas Wilmarth, 
Capt. Daniel Read, 
Thomas Stanley. 

1734. 
Probably the same. 
Mr. Barrows' name 

was omitted. 

1735-36. 

Capt. Daniel Read, 
John Ide, 
Noah Carpenter, 
Benajab Barrows, 

Thomas Wilmarth. 

1737. 
Jonathan Fuller, 
John lue, 

Lieut. Samuel Tyler, 
Capt. Mayhew Daggett, 
Thomas Wilmarth. 



1738. 
Benjamin Day, 
Lt. Samuel Tyler, 
Josiah Maxcy, 
Capt. Mayhew Daggett, 
Thomas Wilmarth. 

1739. 
Mayhew Daggett, 
Hezekiah Peck, 
Benj. Day, 

Samuel Tyler, 
Thomas Wilmarth. 

1740. 
Josiah Maxcy, 
Eben'r Robinson, 
Eng. Timothy Tingley, 
Capt. Mayhew Daggett, 
Thomas Wilmarth. 

1711.1 
Benjamin Day. 
Samuel Tingley. 
Jacob Newell. 

1742-43. 
Same as J 741 . 

1744. 
Capt. Tingley, 
Tbos. Wilmarth, 
Benj. Day, 
Benj. Wise, 
Jacob Newell. 

1745. 
Thomas Wilmarth. 
Benj. Day, 
Timothy Tingley, 
Joseph Bishop, 
Jacob Newell. 

1740. 
Josiah Maxcy, 
Thomas Wilmarth, 
Benj. Day, 
Timothy Tingley, 
Jacob Newell. 

1747. 
Timothy Tingley, 
Samuel Tyler, 
John Fisher, 
Ichabod Ward, 
Thomas Wilmarth. 



1 Three overseers were chosen separate from the selectmen. Three men were also chosen " to mrve 
for the preservation of fiear." 



636 



A SKETCH OF THE 



1748. 
Capt. Timothy Tingley, 
Capt. Samuel Tyler, 
Obadiah Carpenter, 
Thomas Wilmarth. 
John Bobbins, Jr. 

1749. 
Bezekiah Peck. 
< lapt. Timothy Tingley. 
Capt. Samuel Tyler. 
Thomas Wilmarth, 
John Robbins, Jr. 

1750. 

Capt. Samuel Tyler. 
Timothy Tingley, 
Benj. Day. 
Thomas Wilmarth, 
John Robbins, Jr. 

1751. 
Thomas Wilmarth, 
Sam'l Tyler. 
Benj. Day. 

1752. 
John I ile. 
Jacob Newell, 
Joseph Capron. 

1753. 
Benj. Day. 
Joseph Capron, 
John Iile. 
Henery Sweet. 
Samuel Tyler. 

1754. 
Benj. Day, 
John Stearns, 
Daniel Wilmarth, 
Jacob Newell, 
Jonathan Capron. 

1755. 
Benj. Day. 
Dan'l Wilmarth. 
Josiab Maxcy, 
John Daggett. 
Jacob Newell. 

1756. 
John Robbins, Jr., 
Jacob Newell. 
Daniel Read, 
Daniel Wilmarth, 
Henrv Sweet. 



1757. 

Alexander Foster, 
Benj. Day. Jr., 
Josiah Maxcy, 
Willmarth? 

Stephen Fuller. 

1758. 
Alexander Foster, 
Japhet ': Bicknell, 

Stephen Fuller. 

1759. 
Dea. Benj. Day. 
John Daggett, 
John Robbins, Jr. 

L760. 

Joseph Bicknell, 
Stephen Fuller, 
John Daggett. 
John Robbins, Jr. 

1761. 

John Daggett. 
Dea. Ebenezer Lane, 
Stephen Fuller, 
John Robbins, Jr. 

1762. 
Probably samt . 
Stephen Fuller's name 
not positive. 

1703 1-64. 
Ebenezer Lane. 
Justice John Daggett, 
Stephen Fuller. 

1765. 
John Daggett, 
Mr. Jonathan Day. 
Stephen Fuller. 

1766. 
Ebenezer Lane. 
Jonathan Day. 
Henry Sweet. 

1767. 
Ensign Jacob Lie, 
Ebenezer Lane. 
Henry Sweet. 

1768. 

John Daggett, 
Ebenezer Lane. 
Jacob Lie. 



1769-70. 
Ephraim Newell, 
Moses Wilmarth. 
Jacob Lie. 

1771. 
Ebenezer Lane, 
Johnathan Stanley, 
Henry Sweet. 

1772. 
Moses Wilmarth. 
Epnraim Newell. 
Jacob Ide. 

1773-74. 
Capt. Jon. Standley, 
Stephen Richardson, 
Elisha May. 

1775. 
Same as 1 773-74. 

1776. 
Elisha May. 
Caleb Richardson, 
Dea. Jon. Stanley. 

1777-78. 

Elisha May. 
John Wilkinson. 
Jonathan Stanley. 

1779-80. 
Elisha May. 
Stephen Richardson. 
Dea. Jon. Stanley. 

1781. 
Col. Elisha -May. 
Col. John Daggett. 
Ebenezer Tyler. 

1782. 
Lieut. James Orne. 
Moses Wilmarth. 
Ebenezer Tyler. 

1783. 
Elisha May. 
Moses Wilmarth, 
Ebenezer Tyler. 

1784. 
Elisha May. 
Ebenezer Tyler, 
Stephen Richardson. 

1785. 
Mr. Jabez Gay, Jun., 
Capt. Moses Wilmarth. 
Ebenezer Tvler. 



1 From tins time on only three selectmen appear to have been elected, with two or three exceptions. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 



637 



1786. 
Capt. Caleb Richardson, 
Mr. Jabez Gay. Jr., 
Ebenezer Tyler. 

1787. 

Jobn , 

Stephen Fuller. 
Caleb Richardson. 

1788-91. 

Elisha May, 
Ebenezer Tyler, 
Caleb Richardson. 

1792-1800. 
Jacob Ide, 

Abiatbar Richardson, 
Eben r Bacon (Maj.). 

1801-2. 
Joel Read. 
Ebenezer Bacon, 
Abiatbar Richardson. 

1803-5. 
Jacob Ide. 
Ebenezer Bacon, 
Ebenezer Daggett. 

1S0G. 
Joel Read, 
Ebeu'r Daggett. 
John Richardson, Jr. 

1S07-8. 
Ebenezer Bacon, 
Eben'r Daggett, 
Jacob Ide. 

1809-10. 
Joel Read, Esq., 
Capt. Thomas French, 
John Richardson, Jr. 

1811-12. 
Thomas French, 
Joel Read, 
Wm. Everett. 

1813. 
Joab Daggett, 
Joel Read, 
John Richardson. 



1814. 
Jesse Richards, 
Amos Ide, 
Joab Daggett. 

1815. 
Ebenezer Daggett, 
Jesse Richards, 
Amos Ide. 

1816. 
Eben' Daggett. 
Jesse Richard-. 
Lemuel May. 

1817-20. 
Samuel Draper, 
Ebenezer Daggett, 
Lemuel May. 

1821-23. 
Jacob Ide, 
Wm. Blackintou. 
Ebenezer Daggett. 

1821. 
Wm. Blackinton, 
Elkanah Briggs, 
Sam 1 Cushman. 
1825-33. 
Elkanah Briggs, 
Samuel Cushman, 
Ellis Blackinton. 

1834. 
Lemuel May, 
Elkanah Briggs, 
Ellis Blackinton. 

1835. 
Willard Blackinton, 
Capt. Elihu Daggett, 
Lemuel May, 
David E. Holman. 

1830. 
Moses Wilniarth, 
Lemuel May. 
Elihu Daggett. 

1837. 
Moses Wilniarth, 
Henry H. Brown, 
Lemuel May. 
1838. 
H. H. Brown. 
Hartford Ide, 
Moses Wilniarth. 



1839. 
George B. Richard>. 
Moses Wilniarth, 
Hartford Ide. 

1840-41. 
George B. Richards, 
Hartford Ide, 
Col. Willard Blackinton. 

1S42. 
Lemuel May, Esq., 
Calvin Richards. 
Willard Blackinton. 

1843-44. 
Lemuel May. 
William Everett. 

1845-46. 
Harvey Clanin, 
Hartford Ide, 
George Bacon. 
Harvey Claflin, 

Willard Blackinton, 

George Bacon, 
Hartford Ide. 

1848. 
Handel X. Daggett, 
Hartford Ide, 
Willard Blackinton. 

1849-50. 
Hartford Ide, 
H. N. Daggett,! 
Gardner Dunham. 

1851-52. 
Elkanah Briggs, 
Joseph W. Capron, 
Lyman W. Daggett. 

1853. 
Ezekiel Bates, 
Joseph G. Albro. 
J. W. Capron. 

lsr.4. 
Geo. B. Richard>, 
Hartford Ide, 
Joseph G. Albro. 

1855. 
Wheaton Briggs, 
Hartford Ide, 
Thomas A. Barden. 



i Both H. N. and L. W. Daggett seem to have served three years as town clerks, ami from 1853 on, 
three selectmen were chosen, besides the clerk, with the exception of the years 1863-64-(>5, ana i»8i-s*- 

83-84-85. 



638 



I SKETCH OF THE 



1856. 

Hartford We. 
Wheaton Briggs, 
George Price. 

1S57. 
Elisbu G. May. 
J. W. Capron, 
George Price. 

1858-59. 
Samuel M. Holman, 

George Price. 
Elisha G. May. 

I860. 
Thomas A. Barden, 
S. M. Holman, 
Elisha (i. May. 

1861. 
H. X. Daggett, 
A. H. Robinson. 
Lewis L. Read. 

1862. 
H. N. Daggett, 
A. H. Robinson, 
Joseph A. Perry. 

1863-64. 
H. X. Richardson, 
A. H. Robinson, 
J. A. Perry. 

1865. 
Willard Blackinton. 
A. H. Robinson, 
J. A. Perry. 



1866. 
Willard Robinson, 
A. II. Robinson, 
J. A. Perry. 

1867. 
Willard Blackinton. 
A. H. Robinson, 
J. A. Perry. 

1868-69. 
Gardner C. Wright, 
John Thacher, 
David B. Wellman. 

1870-71. 
Gardner C. Wright, 
Elisha G. May, 
George N. < randall. 

1872. 
Elisha <;. May, 
J. G. Barden, 
A. B. Carpenter. 

1873-74. 
E. G. May, 
T. A. Harden, 
A. T. Wales. 

1S75-7U. 
(j. M. Horton. 
D. S. Hall, 
H. C. Read. 



1877. 
D. S. Hall. 
S. P. Lathrop, 

A. M. Everett. 

1878-79. 
S. 1'. Lathrop, 
G. C. Wright. 
(.. N. (randall. 

1880. 
S. P. Lathrop. 

B. Porter, Jr.. 
(i. X. Crandall. 

1881-84. 
Job B. Savery, 
S. P. Lathrop, 

B. Porter, Jr. 

1885. 
Job B. Savery. 
Charles T. Guild. 
( liarles E. Jordan. 

1886. 

C. T. Guild, 
Frank I. Babcock, 
Henry K. W. Allen. 

1887. 
C. T. Guild. 
P. I. Babcock, 
Gamaliel B. Draper. 



NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, 1887. 

Selectmen anil 

Overseers of the Poor. 

Charles T. Guild. Gamaliel B. Draper, Stephen Stanley. 

Town Clerk. 

Patrick F. Grady. 

Town Treasurer. 

Arthur E. Codding. 

ATTLEBOROUGH, 1887. 

Selectmen. 

Daniel H. Smith, Samuel P. Lathrop. 

Overseer of the Poor. 

Daniel H. Smith. 

Town Treasurer. 

John T. Bates.i 

John Willson was the first Surveyor found, in 1701. Anthony Sprague held the office 



1 These ollicers were nominated at the first caucuses held shortly after the division took place. 
The town meetings were held August 13, 1887. Mr. Bates was also town clerk. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 639 

frequently, at an early date, first in 1717, and John Foster in 1724. Nicholas Peck was for 
many years Justice of the Peace, and most of the early deeds are acknowledged before him.] 

GRADUATES AT BROWX UNIVERSITY FROM THIS TOWN. 

Graduated. 2 

1776. Preston Manx, a.m. See sketch of Mann family , Chap. A V. 
17S3. Othxtel Tyler, a.m., son of John Tyler, Lawyer, Sudbury, Mass. 
1787. John Milton Mann. See sketch of Mann family. 

1787. Jonathan Maxcy. s.t.d.. President of Brown University, Providence, R. L, Union 
College, Schenectady, N. Y., and Columbia College. Columoia, S. C. See biographical, sketch, 

Chap. XV. , , , 

1788. Jesse BlaCkinton, son of Peter Blackinton, became a resident ot Ashtabula, county 

of Ashtabula, Ohio, where he was iu 1834. 

1788. William May, son of Elisha May, born Jan. 26th. 1764, student of law. died July 
12th, 1790. in the 27th year of his age. 

1789. Paul Draper, a.m., son of Stephen Draper, born Sept, 19th, 1767, entered on board 
an American man-of-war, died in 1800. as recorded on town books. 

1790. AARON Draper, son of Josiah Draper, born Nov. 29th. L764, never studied a learned 
profession, — settled in Providence, R. I., where he died in 181S. 

1802. Gardner Daggett, a.m., son of Elijah Daggett, born Dec. 20th, 1782. Lawyer, 
Providence, R. I., where he died in 1821. 

1802. MILTON Maxcy, son of Levi Maxcy, born Jan. 1st. 1782. Lawyer in Beaufort. South 
Carolina, where he died of yellow fever in 1818. 

1803. Jason Sprague, a.m., son of John Sprague, was, for some time. Preceptor of the 
High School in Newport, P. I. He died in the United States army in 1825. 

1804. Virgil Maxcy. Solicitor of the United States Treasury. See biographical sketch. 
1807. Lorenzo Bishop, son of Zephaniah Bishop, born Aug. 20th, 1785. student of law, 

died in Attleborough, May 26th, 1809, set. 23. 

1809. Jacob Ide. a.m., Rev. See biographical sketch, Chap. XV. 

1809. William Tyler, a.m.. Rev., son of Ebenezer Tyler, minister at Weymouth, subse- 
quently at South Hadley. Mass. 

1811." Benjamin W. Cozzens. a.m., son of Benjamin Cozzens. Lawyer at Pawtucket, 
subsequently a resident of Providence, R. I., and still later removed to New York. 

1811. Hartford Sweet, a.m., son of Gideon Sweet, born Oct, 30th, 1790, had not fin- 
ished studying his profession — the ministry — when he died at Richmond, Va., April 2d. 1818, 

set. 27. 3 

1817. Everett Bolkcom, son of Jacob Bolkcom, born September, 179(i. Lawyer. Attle- 
borough. died Dec. 19th, 1S23, a't. 27. 

1821. James Ormsbee Barxey, Rev., son of Cromwell Barney, of Providence, R. I. 
Minister at Seekonk Centre, Mass., where he died. 

L821. MOSES THACHER, A.M., REV., son of Thacher. Minister in North Wrentham, 

Mass. 

1822. Preston Cummixgs, Rev. See sketch of Cu minings family, Chap. A VI. 

1822. Henry H. F. Sweet, Rev., son of Henry Sweet, born Nov. 1st, 1796. Minister in 
Palmer, Mass., died Feb. 20th, 1827, set. 30. 

1822. J( >HN Wilder, a.m., Rev., son of John Wilder. Minister in Charlton, later in Con- 
cord, Mass., — died in March, 1*44. 

1823. Bexoni Allen. Rev. Preacher in Ohio, — died in 1867. 



'One Anthony Perry early took up lands in Attleborough, and settled here, but on account of 
subsequent changes in the lines — though not in his residence — he died in Rehoboth. 

2 This list includes those who entered college, and left before completing the entire course. Such 
facts as could be ascertained relating to them are given. 

3 The following touching reference to this well beloved son may be found in the will of the father : 
" My son, Hartford Sweet, deceased, having left no heirs, I cannot otherwise remember him in this 
my last will, than with regret in view of his untimely death." 



640 A SKETCH OF THE 

1824. Ira Barrows, m.i>. See biographical sketch. Chap. XV. 

1825. HERMAN BOURNE, m.d., son of Andrew Bourne. Physician in Boston. Mass., where 
he died. 

1825. William Still. man Si axley, m.i>. See biographical sketch. Chap. XV. 

1825. Samuel Tyler Wilder, son of John Wilder. Lawyer in Rochester, N. Y., where 
he died. 

1826. Jason Babcock Blackinton, a.m., son of William Blackiutou. Lawyer in Holdeu, 
Mass., subsequently a teacher in Ohio. 

1826. John Daggett, a.m. Lawyer. See biographical sketch. Author of this work. 

1832. Salmon Carpenter Perry, son of Josial Perry. Preacher, — died at New York 
in 1872. 

1837. John Shepard Lngraham. 

L838. Ezekxel GlLMAN ROBINSON, i>.d. President of Rochester Theological Seminary, 
and of Brown University. See biographical sketch, Chap. XV. 

1844. Richard Cushman, Rev. Died in 1849. 

L844. Isaac Draper, m.d. 

1844. George Nelson Bliss. En college one year. 

1S47. James Fletcher Blackinton. Teacher in Boston, Mass. 

1849. Thomas Drew Robinson. Lawyer. 

1851. Brainard Wayland Barrows, d.d. Trustee of the University. 

1N.V2. George Augustus Allen. Teacher in Missouri. 

1854. Samuel Cushman. In college three years. 

1854. William Watson Waterman. In college three years. 

1855. Charles Phelps, m.d., son of Thaddeus Phelps. Pursued his medical studies in 
New York City, and continues his profession there. He is president of the Medical Board of 
Bellevue Hospital, visiting surgeon at St. Vincent's Hospital, president of the Police Depart- 
ment Medical Board, and was nominated by Governor Hill as Health Officer of the port. His 
success has been great, and he has a very large practice. 

1857. William Alrert White. 

1858. Comfort Edwin Barrows. 

1861. Frank Herrert Carpenter. 

1862. JOSIAH NELSON Cushlng, a distinguished missionary in Burmah. He was the son 
of Alpheus Cushing, a member of the Baptist church at North Attleborough, and there 
ordained as a foreign missionary. He still continues in the active and successful duties of his 
mission. 

1864. Henry Clarke Bow ex. 

1864. Seabury Warren Bowen, m.d. Fall River. 

1868. GEORGE Roswell Read. Lawyer. 

1868. John Mayiiew Daggett. Lawyer. Marianna, Ark. 

1870. Eugene Ellis Thomas, Rev. 

1870. ADONIRAM Judsok CUSHING, brother of Josiah Cushing, the missionary. 

1873. Alvin GROVER Sadler, educated a lawyer, not now in practice. 

1876. David Emory Holmax, m.d. See sketch of llolman family , Chap. XVI. 

1876. Edward Otis Stanley. Busiuess, New York City. 

1880. Richard Bartlett Esten. 

1880. Willis Hermaxx Streeter. In college three years. 
isso. Olin FlSK GLEASON. In college two years. 

1S80. Edgar Perry. Editor of ''Attleborough Chronicle." [Retired from the " Chroni- 
cle" in 1888. Held a position on a daily paper in Cleveland, Ohio, aud later on the " Boston 
Herald.*' Has now (1894) in addition a position on the " New York Herald,'" being general 
news agent for the New England States for that paper.] 

1881. Augustus Lawrence Holmes. In college one year. 

1882. John Augustine Saneord. Teacher. [Professor of Greek in Minneapolis Col- 
lege. Has recently received the honorary degree of PH.D., from that institution, 1894.] 

1883. Ira Barrows, son of H. F. Barrows. Member of the firm of H. F. Barrows & Co. 
Residence in New York. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 641 

1887. Frank Williams Carpenter, son of A. B. Carpenter, of this town, a graduate of 
the class of 1889. [Graduated. Resides in Attleboro'.] 

GRADUATES AND STUDENTS; AT AMHERST COLLEGE FROM THIS TOWN. 

183" Samuel Hunt, Rev. See sketch of Hunt family, Chap. XVI. 

1856\ Samuel Tyler Read. In college one year. Graduated from Union College in I860. 

1859* Joseph Osmond Tiffany. See sketch of Tiffany family, Chap. XVII. 

I860* Joseph Mason, born Nov. 1st. 1836. Attended medical lectures in Boston subsequent 
to graduation. Died Sept. 23d, 1862, while a medical cadet at Mill Creek Hospital, Va. Buried 
at Woodlawn Cemetery. 

1862. Frank Dean, son of Lyman W. Dean. Resides in Attleborough. 

1862 Otis Capron Newcomb. son of Joseph Newcomb, born Dec. 26th, L838. Attended 
medical lectures in Boston, taught school in Worcester, Mass., continuing his medical studies 
there at the same time with Dr. Clark. Died here Nov. 10th, 1865. before his studies were com- 
pleted. Buried at Woodlawn Cemetery. 

1875. Frank Irving Babcock, son of Horatio N. Babcock, born Dec. 26th. 1851. Law- 
yer, — practising in Attleborough. 

1885 Erwin Alden Tucker, sou of Almond Tucker. Pursuing medical studies at the 
College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York. [Now practising there. Sloane Maternity 
Hospital.] 

GRADUATES AT YALE UNIVERSITY FROM THIS TOWN. 

1748. Naphtali Daggett, d.d. President of Yale College. See biographical sketch. 

Chap. XV. 

1761. Pelatiah Tinoley, a.m., Rev., son of Timothy Tingley. He was a Baptist preacher. 
and was settled in Sanford, Maine. About 1780, he became a seceder from the prevailing sect 
of Baptists, and was the first minister who united with Elder Benjamin Randall, the founder 
of the new sect, usually denominated Arminian,or Free- Will Baptists, who rejected the leading 
doctrines of Calvinism. 1 

1762. Philip Daggett, son of Ebenezer Daggett, and brother of Naphtali Daggett, born 
Sept. 11th, 1739. He settled and died in New Haven. 

1771. Henry Daggett, son of Elder Elihu Daggett, born April 9th. 1741. He settled in 
New Haven, where he was a merchant. He became a police magistrate, alderman, president of 
the Board of Health, etc. He died there Sept. 24th, 1830. 

1783. David Daggett, ll.d. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Connecticut, United 
States Senator, etc. See biographical sketch. Chap. XV. 

1847. Edward Shaw, son of Captain Daniel Shaw. Entered college in 1843; graduated in 

\ 1847 in a class of 125, the largest class up to that time to graduate from that college. In 1853 

' entered the service of the United States Government, and became an examiner in the Patent 

■ ; Office at Washington, remaining until the breaking out of the War of the Rebellion in 1861. 

In 1867 was appointed to a position in the National Medical Library, in the office of the Surgeon 

General of the United States Army. [1894, still retains that position.] 

1887. Hervey Richards Franklin, a member of the present senior class. [A graduate 
of the class of 1888. Has removed from town.] 

There have been graduates from this town, probably from other New England colleges, and 
perhaps from colleges in other parts of the country. A full list of their names has not been 
obtained. Among them was : — 

John Barrows, who graduated in 1766 at Harvard College. He was the son of John Bar- 
rows He married his wife in Cambridge, and settled as a schoolmaster in Dighton, Mass. He 
pursued the even tenor of his way, unambitious of honors. He was a distinguished teacher in 
his day and educated many of the leading men of that vicinity, his being the only classical 
school' in that part of the country, until the establishment of the Bristol Academy at Taunton. 
He joined the Episcopal church at Taunton -which then included Dighton - fouuded by the 



iSee Benedict's Hist. Bap., vol. ii, p. 410, where he is erroneously said to be a graduate of Rhode 
Island College. 



642 A SKETCH OF THE 

famous Thomas Coram, his name being on the list oi ninety members in 1787. He died in 
Dighton July 25, 1816, in his eighty-first year. lie left many manuscript poems. 

Walter E. Bayward, son of Charles E. Bayward, graduated at Harvard College in 1883. 
He is a member of the firm of Bayward & Sweet, and resides in Attleborough. 

[Since the division there have been graduates from town at some of the colleges above men- 
tioned. Ernest .M. Bliss, Amherst, IS93; Edmund W. Clap and Arthur R. Perry. Barvard, 
1892, both now in Barvard Medical School; J. Earl Sheffield and George Sheffield, Vale. L894, 
the latter from Sheffield Scientific School. Herbert E. Bliss graduated at the Massachusetts 
Agricultural College in isss, and Clinton E. Bliss in 1890. Arthur G. Randall graduated at 
Tufts College in 1892 and is pursuing medical studies at the University of Pennsylvania, and 
Curtis Head graduated in ls(U. " Bal " Dunham is a graduate of Tufts Divinity School. 
These include those from both North Attleborough and Attleborough, and there are students 
from both towns — or will enter this year— in Amherst, Brown, and Tufts. There have been 
students iii Boly Cross College, at Smith College, and other advanced institutions of learning. 
At the latter Miss Marian French graduated in 1894, and there are several young ladies still 
pursuing studies there. William H. Pond, now practising law in North Attleborough, is a 
graduate recently of Yale Law School, and Philip E. Brady, of Attleborough, of Barvard 
Law School. There are no doubt others whose names have not been obtained.] 

XAMES OF PHYSICIANS IX ATTLEBOROUGH. 1 

Dr. Joseph Daggett, of Rehobolh ; Dr. Joseph Bewes; Dr. Abijah Everett; Dr. P.r/aleel 
Mann; Dr. Richard Bow-en, of Rehoboth; Dr. Joseph Bacon; Dr. Comfort Fuller, sun of Noah 
Fuller. He removed to Harford, Penn.. where he died in June, 1800, and was among the first 
buried in that town. Dr. Comfort Capron, surgeon in the Revolutionary War; Dr. Thomas 
Stanley, Dr. S. B. Parris, Dr. Lemuel Fuller, Dr. Seba Carpenter, Dr. Thaddeus Phelps. Dr. 
James W. Foster. Dr. Phineas Savery, Dr. Newman, and others. 

Phineas Savery was born in Wareham, Mass., April 5, 1800. In September, 1824, he 
graduated at Brown University, and three years later, in 1S2T, he received his medical diploma 
from Harvard College. In September of the latter year he commenced his practice in this 
town. He was for many years the only physician in the east part of the town. He was prom- 
inent in his profession, a reliable doctor, and as a man greatly respected and beloved. He was 
three times married; his first wife was Hope Tobey; the second, Nancy Messenger; the third. 
Sally A. Bailey, and the mother of all his children, with one exception. 

Dr. Savery died May 19, 1853, and was buried in the Old Kirk Yard. His character and life 
are summed up in the beautiful and appropriate inscription on his tombstone: — 

" His memory is in the hearts of the people." 

THADDEUS PHELPS was born in Windsor. Vt., July -21, 1809. He was a graduate of Dart- 
mouth College and pursued his studies of medicine in Woodstock, Vt., where he graduated in 
that department. Immediately after his graduation he went to Tioga < lounty, Penn.. where he 
commenced the practice of medicine. Subsequently he removed to Milford, this state, and 
later to Cumberland, R. I., where lie was in partnership with Dr. Walcott. He came to this 
town in 1838, while still a young man, and built up for himself a large ami lucrative practice. 
He was for quite a long period the one physician of the north part of the town and therefore 
for many years the oldest practitioner. 

Dr. Phelps attained a considerable degree of eminence in his profession and was a physician 
upon whose skill great reliance could be placed. During the Civil War he held the position of 
surgeon at the Portsmouth Grove Hospital, Rhode Island, for some time. About 1865 he met 
with a severe accident, which resulted very seriously. To the surprise of everyoue he rallied 
from it and resumed his practice; but it was often remarked that no one but Dr. Phelps would 
have had the courage and determination necessary to live through such an experience. Be 



!The following names do not form a complete list of all the physicians who have resided in town, 
but the Editor has added to the former list, as she was able, and gives such facts relating to some of 
the more recent ones as it was possible to obtain. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 643 

was for the remainder of his life partially, and to himself painfully, disabled, but he continued 
his practice for six or seven years, until about eight years before he died. The accident was 
the predisposing cause of the disease which caused his death, which occurred May 30, 1879. 

He was twice married. His first wife was Mary Guild, of Woodstock, Yt. ; the second, 
Mary Watson, of Newport, R. I. Five children survive: Charles, Fannie, and Mary, by the 
first wife, and Helen and Isabel by the second. 

JAMES W. Foster was born in Southbridge, this State, November 15, 1813. His common- 
school education was obtained at Quechee, Vt., to which place his parents removed when he 
was ten years old. He studied medicine first at the Vermont Medical College at Woodstock, 
and later at the Berkshire Medical School at Pittsrield, Mass., where he graduated. He com- 
menced his practice in Foxborough, where he remained something over twelve years, and then 
in 1854 he came to North Attleborough, where he continued in active practice for thirty years. 
He was of the homoeopathic school, was a successful physician, and one who gained not only 
the confidence of his patients and acquaintances, but their highest esteem. His death was a 
public loss and caused a general and sincere mourning throughout the entire community in 
which he lived. 

June 22, 183!), he married Harriet Draper Richards, daughter of Ira Richards, of North 
Attleborough. They had four children, three of whom are living, and in North Attleborough : 
Mrs. E. E. Barrows, Dr. James R. Foster, and Mrs. YV. (i. (lark. Dr. Foster died in Septem- 
ber, 1885, and Mrs. Foster some years previous to that time. [Mrs. Barrows is also dead.] 

NAMES <>F REGULAR PHYSICIANS NOW PRACTISING IN ATTLEBOROUGH (1887). 

Dr. Edward Sanford, Dr. John R. Bronson. Dr. James R. Foster, Dr. Frederick L. Burden, 
Dr. George Mackie, Dr. Joseph B. Gerould, Dr. Thomas p. McDonough, Dr. Henry S. Kilby, 
Dr. Herbert C. Bullard, Dr. Charles S. Holden. Dr. George K. Roberts, Dr. J. W. Battershall, 
Dr. Arthur V. Rounds, Dr. Laura V. G. Mackie. Dr. Mary W. Battershall. 

EDWARD Sanford was born in Raynham, this State, in 1825. He was educated partly at 
Bristol Academy, Taunton, and partly by private instructors. He graduated at the Harvard 
Medical School in 1852 and during the same year came to this town and commenced the practice 
of medicine in the East village. In 185(1 he visited Europe for the combined purposes of study 
and travel and since that time has continued to practise here uninterruptedly. He is the oldest 
practitioner in town, the oldest of the three leading practitioners of his day here, as he pre- 
ceded both Dr. Foster and Dr. Bronson by a lew years. He has reached a high stand in his 
profession, especially in the school he adopted — the homoeopathic. 

In 1855 he married Olive A. Thompson, daughter of Archibald Thompson, then of this town. 
Their children are: John A., Caroline E., who married Dr. Charles S. Holden. now of this 
town, and Mary W., who married Dr. W. L. Elliot, also of this town, in the practice of 
dentistry. Mrs. Sanford died July 18, 1887. i 

John R. Bronson was born in Middleborough, Conn. His medical education he obtained 
at the Berkshire Medical College at Pittstield, this State. In 1852 he came to Pawtucket, then 
in Massachusetts, where he remained in practice for four years. In 1856 he came to East Attle- 
borough and settled. In the spring of 1802 he went south as a surgeon in the Union army. 
He had charge at first of the Union Hospital at Williamsburg and later of the one at Fortress 
Monroe for some months. Since then, until within the past few years, he continued his pro- 
fessional labors in this and adjoining towns without interruption. He had for many years a 
large practice which extended over a radius of fifteen or twenty miles. His is the old school 
of practice, and he has always been a reliable and successful physician. Owing to the state of 
his health he has relinquished a large portion of his practice, but continues to be, as he always 
has been, actively interested in all matters pertaining to the welfare of the town. He was one 
of the most ardent opposers of division. He was at one time connected in business with the 
late William D. Wilmarth. 



1 July 3, lsS9, Dr. Sanford was married to Miss Irene Fuller, of Washington, D. C. Her father was 
the late Pliny B. Fuller, of this town, son of Mr. Zelotes Fuller. 



644 A SKETCH OF THE 

He married Kate Wheelock, daughter of Godfrey Wheeloek, formerly of this town. Their 
only living children are two daughters, Emma and Kate Louise Bronson. 

Dr. James M. Solomon, well known as the "Indian Doetor," has for many years been a 
resident in the east part of the town and has had a large practice in his specialties, —medicines 
prepared from roots and herbs, after his own receipts. He had an office at one time on Benefit 
Street, Providence. R. I. 

Two of Dr. Solomon's sons, James M., Jr., 1 and William B., are also practising after the same 
methods. [Dr. Solomon, Sr., has since died.] 

NAMES OP LAWYERS EN ATTLEBOROUGH. 

Everett Bolkcom, — a native of this town, and so far as known, the first of his profession 
here — must have commenced his practice about 1820, in the east part of the town. He died 
in 1823. About the same time Ezra Bassett practised this profession here for a short time, 
residing in the same part of the town. Next in point of time was John Daggett, the author 
of this work, who continued in practice in East Attleborough, about tifty years. Simeon E. 
Bowen was for many years a successful practitioner of the law in North Attleborough. 
J. Sanford was there also for some years, but finally removed from town. James Brown, and 
E. P. Brown resided and practised in that part of the town for some time. The former is now 
in Taunton; — the latter removed to Boston. 

The lawyers at present practising in town are Joseph E. Pond, Jr., Frederic B. Byram, 
Chester A. Reed, A. E. Bragg, in North Attleborough, and George A. Adams, Frank I. Bab- 
cock, and Philip E. Brady, in East Attleborough, 1887. 

For many years the inhabitants of the western and southern portions of the town have lived 
with a fair degree of health and material prosperity, without either a resident physician or 
lawyer. 

POSTMASTERS IX ATTLEBOROUGH IN 1S8T. 

Burrill Porter, Jr.. North Attleborough; Philip E. Brady. East Attleborough; Frank W. 
Miller. South Attleborough; William H. Smith, Dodgeville; Byron R. Hill. Hebronville; 
W. A. Vickery, Briggs' Corner; James B. Parsons, Attleborough Falls. 

STATISTICS. 

At the time of its incorporation the town contained, upwards of thirty families, which, if 
we assumed only six as the number in each family (which is probably too low for that period) 
would make one hundred and eighty inhabitants. 

In 1790 the number of inhabitants was 2,166 

In 1800 „ „ , 2,480 

In 1810 „ .. 2,716 

In 1820 „ ,. :'>.<>">5 

In 1830 „ „ „ 3,215 

This latter number was exclusive of twelve families, containing about tifty persons, which. 
subsequent to 1S20, were set oft" to Wrentham, by the establishment of a new boundary line 
between the towns, or rather, by restoring it to the original line. 



1 Dr. Solomon lias an establishment at 75 Court Street, Boston, called the Botanical Institute. 
Within a few years he has purchased the old Noah or Arza Blanding farm on the " Ridge Hill road," 
where he contemplates having a large sanitarium with park grounds. The old house has been 
repaired, new barns built, considerable ground cleared, whose stones have been utilized in building 
massive walls, a fine entrance drive has been started, a greenhouse erected, and much accomplished 
in other ways toward improving the place. The foundations of the sanitarium are already laid. 
Near by there is a clear springwhosewaters.it is said, contain some medicinal qualities beneficial 
in certain classes of disease. Be that as it may, the spot is capable of being made attractive to 
invalids, for its surface is well diversified with little hills, giving pretty views in all directions; ami 
the quiet of real country with pm - e air and pleasant surroundings can but prove advantageous. 
This portion of the town has always had a rather barren and unsightly aspect, intensified by the 
continued neglect of many years. It is therefore with interest that people watch the progress of 
the projected plans for redeeming some of these waste lands and beautifying a sterile region. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 645 

A TABLE OF THE POPULATION OF THIS TOWN IN 1830, WITH THE DIFFERENT AGES, ETC. 

Under 5. 5-10. 10-15. 15-20. 20-30. 30-40. 40-50. 50-60. 60-70. 70-80. 80-90.Colored. 

Males 198 162 163 170 233 189 142 82 70 31 8 9 

Females 209 182 186 204 356 231 151 115 75 32 15 2 

Whole number of females 1,758 

„ „ males 1,457 

Excess of females over males 301 

Number of inhabitants in Bristol County 49.592 

„ „ Massachusetts 610,408 

„ white males in „ 294,685 

„ colored males in „ 3,360 

,, white females in ,, 308,674 

,, colored „ ',, 3,685 

Total males in Massachusetts 298,045 

„ females in „ 312.359 

Excess of females in Massachusetts 14,314 

NUMBER OF INHABITANTS IN UNITED STATES. 

Males, white and colored, in 1830 6,521,409 

Females „ „ 1830 6,333,481 

Excess of males 187,92S 

Total 12,854.890 

Seamen, etc 11,130 

Total population of United States 12,866,020 

Population of United States in 1880 50,155,783 

„ Massachusetts in 18S0 1,783,085 

„ Bristol County in 1880 139,040 

„ Attleborough in 1880 11,110 

The increase in the population of the country in the fifty years between 1830 and 1880 was 
nearly fourfold; in the State nearly threefold; in the county nearly threefold; — over two aud 
four fifths — and in the town, over threefold, — nearly three and one half. 

The whole area of the town, according to the survey ordered by the Legislature, is twenty- 
nine thousand acres ; by valuation twenty-six thousand, — actual valuation twenty-six thousand, 
two hundred aud eighty-three. When Attleborough included Cumberland, it must have con- 
tained nearly sixty thousand acres. 

Number acres of woodland about 1830 2,158 

„ „ ,, fresh meadow about 1830 1,767 

„ ,, ,, tillage lands ,, ,, including orchards 1,205 

„ ,, ,, pasture lands 4,703 

,, ,, „ unimproved and unimprovable l land 12,740 

,, „ covered with water 360 

„ of dwelling-houses about 1830 409 

„ ,, barns 345 

„ ,, tan-houses 1 

., ,, shops 28 

„ ,, stores 12 

,, „ grist-mills 3 

,, „ saw-mills 7 

„ „ cotton factories 8 



^his is a large estimate, doubtless more than truth will warrant. There is strictly but little land 
in this town which is absolutely unimprovable for purposes of agriculture, for tillage or grazing. 
There is, however, a large quantity which is not actually under constant cultivation; but there is only 
a small proportion of this which is not occasionally cultivated. 



646 A SKETCH OF THE 

These last contained about 13,000 spindle*, and 350 power looms. There are now in town 
four cotton factories; three of these together have 52,008 spindles, and 1.16* looms; the fourth 
— where cotton yarns arc made — has 5,040 spindles. 

The number of shops has doubtless more than doubled, but the exact figures would give no 
adequate conception of the increase of manufacturing, as the space occupied by the buildings 
has been enlarged out of all proportion to the number erected. In 1886 the number of dwelling- 
houses was 2.115, but the number of barns has not probably increased proportionally; the 
number of tan-houses remains the same; grist and saw-mills have decreased in number, and 
stores have probably increased to six or seven times the number above mentioned. 

The following table, partially a repetition, shows the increase in the population of the town, 
for each ten years, from the first United States census in 1790 to the year 1880. 

In IT! io 2.160 In 1840 3,585 

L800 2,480 1850 4,200 

1810 2.T16 1860 6,047 

1S20 3.055 18T0 6.T69 

1830 3.215 1880 11,110 

Population of Bristol County in 1885 158,491 

Whole number of voters „ 33,036 

Population of Attleborough in 1885 13,175 

Whole number of voters „ ,, 3,049 

Number of polls (male) in 1886 3,253 

„ ., (female) in 1886 ] 81 



Total .. ., „ 3.334 

Valuation of real estate in 1886 £4,1)45,357.00 

.. personal property in 1886 1.511,242.00 



Total $6,456,599.00 

These figures show an increase of twelve hundred thousand dollars in four years on the total 
valuation. 

The last report of the selectmen, assessors, etc., of the old -'Town of Attleborough," 
was for the year ending July 31, 1887, the time of the division. A few of its figures are given. 

Valuation of real estate, North District 82,464,925.00 

„ „ ,, East 2,040,370.00 

„ South , 617,980.00 

Total value of real estate $5,123,275.00 

Valuation of personal estate, North District $760,300.00 

„ East 700,555.00 

., ,. „ .. South 182.210.00 



Total value personal estate $1,643,065.00 

Total valuation May 1, 1887 8(1,766,340.00 

,, number of polls, (males,) 3,360 

„ ,. ,, „ (females,) 30 

Number of horses 1,066 

,, „ cows 1,041 

„ „ sheep 26 

„ ,, other neat cattle 207 

,, ,, swine 113 

,, ,, dwelling-houses 2,214 

„ acres of land 26,283 



'The number of females who registered. 



HTSTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 647 

Total valuation of land $1,690,002.00 

,. buildings 3,432,u 73.00 

85.123.275.00 

Tax raised on real and personal estate $115,741.32 

Poll( , 6.735.00 

Overlay" .'.'.' «- 052 - 80 

Total $128,520.12 

North District $61,046.05 

EastDistrict ^^ 

South District lo.0J9.-fc, 

Total $128,529.12 

Eate eighteen dollars per thousand. 

The selectmen of the two towns together agreed upon the following division of the assets 
and liabilities of the old town, and the apportionment of the town debt. 

School property in town of Attleborough, Total valuation $92,863.00 

Other property 7,883.00 

Total $100,746.00 

School property in town of North Attleborough. Total valuation $79,689.00 

Other property 1,735.00 

Tota] $81,424.00 

Total appraised assets $182,170.00 

Cashassets ™<**M 

Total $318,397.36 

Uncollected taxes $37,013.03 

Due on Pauper account 

$37,990.94 

T . , ..... $232,349.10 

Liabilities £ 

Valuation of Attleborough o'o-^f =-r n 

„ „ North Attleborough 3,3,9.0,0.00 

Total,, „ both towns $6,456,599.00 

Proportion of Attleborough' s liabilities * !Ji'JS'!i 

Proportion of North Attleborough" s liabilities 1^1.600.41 

Total '$232,349.10 

Attleborough' s proportion of appraised assets ^pa'qot as 

Attleborough's proportion of cash assets 64,. 6~.ib 

Total ^J 51 ' 763 - 42 

North Attleborough's proportion of appraised assets *S?'S?'2S 

North Attleborough's proportion of cash assets _ ' 1>294 '°° 

Total * 166 ' 633 - 94 

Appraised property in Attleborough ^SH'IS'S 

Attleborough's proportion of total appraised property 8b '° 

Excess of appraised property in Attleborough $13,91o.06 

..... . $37,990.94 

Amount of undivided assets 



648 A SKETCH OF THE 

STATEMENT. 

Town of Attleborough in account with the Town of North Attleborough. 

Dr. 

To North Attleborough's proportion of liabilities $121,000.41 

Cash, A. E. Codding, Treasurer 20,809.15 

Pauper account 592.91 

$143,002.47 
Cr. 

By excess of appraised property $13,915.06 

Proportion of cash assets 71,294.88 

Cash 305.05 

Amount due from North Attleborough to balance account 57,487.48 

$143,002.47 
Signed 

C T. Guild. 
Frank I. Babcock, 
<;. B. Draper, 
S. P. Lathrop, 
Stephen Stanley, 
Daniel H. Smith. 
BIRTHS. MARRIAGES, AND DEATHS. 

For the year ending in March, 1887, there were 357 births. Of these 194 were males and 103 
were females. There were 113 of foreign parentage; 151 by foreign father; 144 by foreign 
mother; 98 of Irish parents; 88 of Canadian parents; 34 of English parents; 31 of German 
parents ; 5 of colored parents, and 1 pair of twins. The greatest number of births in any r 
month was in October, when there were 35. 

From January 1, 1887, to the time of the division there were 139 deaths. In January, 21; 
February. 26; March. 20; April, 16; May, 20; June, 13; July, 23. Several of these were 
unknown persons. During the entire year — from January 1 to December 31, 1887 — there 
were 205 deaths reported. Pneumonia, consumption, and apoplexy were the diseases which 
caused the greatest number of deaths, and from these there were 22, 19, and 13 respectively. 
Among the forty or more diseases represented in the health report for that year, diphtheria 
was wanting — the first time its omission had been possible since the establishment of a board 
of health in town. 

The number of marriages from January 1 to August 1 was 79. In January there were 12; 
in February, 13; in March. 8; in April, 12; in May, 14; in June, 13; in July, 7. Quite a num- 
ber of the brides and grooms were in these instances married for the second time, and in one 
case it was for each the third time. The ages ranged from 17 years, the age of the youngest 
bride, to 53 years, that of the oldest groom. 

Becords of the nature of those just given have been kept for only a few years with any 
degree of regularity or exactness; but if the birth statistics oi this time could be compared 
with those of fifty years ago they would no doubt show a startling increase in the proportion- 
ate number of those of foreign or mixed parentage. Should this increase continue in the 
same ratio during the coming fifty years, what will be the result? The speculative question 
Who will the inhabitants of our town or two towns be? very naturally arises, and it asserts 
itself for the entire land equally — Who or what will the American nation then be? 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 649 



CHAPTER XIX. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

A S has been seen by the ancient records, there were frequent disputes in 
J\_ the early days over boundary lines. One of these which lasted for 
many years was that between the colonies of Massachusetts and Plymouth. 

The first commission appointed to ascertain the line was in 1640. William 
Bradford and Governor Edward Winslow acted for Plymouth, and John 
Eudicott and Israel Stoughton for Massachusetts. They agreed upon the 
line as follows: From the mouth of " Bound Brook" (so named by them) 
with a direct line to "Accord Pond" (also so named) lying five or six miles 
from Weymouth, and from there in a straight line to a point three miles 
south from the southernmost point of Charles River. According to the 
author in his first edition these commissioners " commenced near the shore 
at a rock called Bound Rock in the middle of Accord Pond, which is in the 
line between Scituate and Cohasset, (once part of Hingham) intending to 
reach by a straight line the most northerly point of Plymouth Colony, on the 
easterly line of R. Island; but when they had arrived within about three 
miles they discovered that their course would carry them far to the South of 
the intended point. Instead of rectifying the whole line (as they should 
have done) they made an angle and took a new course so far north as to 
reach the true point." This was the cause of dispute, and from this time 
the controversy continued. The line was run five or six times. In 1664 
there was an attempt to restore the true line, the commissioners then 
appointed agreeing that the previous one was incorrect because it was 
" wholly within Plymouth lands." This angle line took a large tract of 
land, including a part of Norton, Mansfield, and Wrentham, from Plymouth, 
or Old Colony. 

The report of the commissioners who attempted to make the restoration in 
1664 may prove of interest to some and is therefore given : — 

Whereas the General Courts of the Colonies of Massachusetts and New Plymouth, in New 
England, did, (in order to the settlement of the bound line betwixt the said Colonies, that is. 
so much thereof as is hitherto undetermined) order, depute, and impower us, whose names are 
hereunto subscribed for the effecting thereof, as by that act of theirs recorded in the records of 
the respective Courts in each Colony may more fully appear, wee, the persons so intrusted and 
impowered, in pursuance of the service aforesaid, being all assembled at Dedham the 9th of 
the 3d month, commonly called May, anno 1664, did the day next ensuing travel together into 
the woods for the discovery of the Southernmost part of Charles River, which having found 
out, partly by our own view, and partly by the satisfying report of those present with us, 
(that had labored therein) we all mutually agreed upon the first station. Having measured 
three miles southerly of the southernmost part of the said River, we marked a tree, and from 



650 A SKETCH OF THE 

thence a wesl line to Neetmock Ki\ er, which by estimation, wee judged to be about five miles, 
in which line we went on the north side of a great pond, over a small parcel of coarse meadow. 
aud on the southerly of which pond is an Indian plantation called by them Seenecheconet, and 
at the said Neetmock River we marked a black oak tree on four sides viz. with a M. L. on the 
north side and a P. on the south side, and several letters under each of these, and on the east 
we set in figures the date of the present year. 

This tree so marked standeth on the side of a hill, over against which lieth, on the wesi 
side of the river, the north end of a parcel of coarse meadow; and having marked divers trees 
in this line, from thence we came back about three miles and a half past the tree first named 
to that station, which is east of this west line, where wee marked a white oak, in a plain full 
of tree-, in the same manner we had marked the trees by the river aforesaid, at which place 
wee made an angle, ami began an east northeast line to come to Accord Pond, in following 
of which we were cast more than half a mile to the southward of the middle of said pond 
(the bounds formerly settled) for the rectifying whereof wee having found the middle of said 
pond, wee marked there a black tree, as the trees formerly mentioned; which (with) letters aud 
the date of the year, and so returned west southwest, southerly by marked trees, in that line 
up to a footpath that goeth from Weimouth to Bridgewater, on each side of which path, in the 
line, wee erected a heap of stones, and so thence to a maple tree, by a sua nip side that brancheth 
to the north, and at a cart path that goeth from Braintree to Bridgewater. wee ended that line 
at a heap of stones on the west side of the path, and a great marked stake on the east: fynally, 
wee agreed that the line stretched from Accord Pond, upon such a course, and so marked, and 
so a- above said, to the White-oak Angle Tree before mentioned; and from that oak Westerly 
to Neetmock River, as is before described, is and shall be accounted and reputed the true aud 
settled bound line betwixt the Colonies of the Massachusetts and New Plymouth, and that the 
line by us firsl drawn and marked from the said Angle tree to Accord Pond shall not be under- 
stood to lie the line of division, it being wholly within Plymouth lands. The length of the 
whole line is, by estimation, as wee judged, about 40 miles, according to the line before 
expressed, unto all which wee, the parties respectively entrusted and empowered, doe, each and 
every of us, mutually agree, concur and do hereby declare it to be our full and final determi- 
nation, concerning the premises. 

In witness whereof wee have hereunto set our hands and seals the 17 th of the S (1 mo. 1664. 

Robert Studsou. .Seal. 

Constant Southworth. Seal. 

Jos. Winslow. L. S. 

Joshua Fisher. L. S. 

Roger Clap. L. S. 

Elea : Lusher. L. S. 

These names are elsewhere given as Roberl Stetson, Constant Southworth, Josias Winslow, 
Jos. Fisher, Roger Clap, Eleazer Lusher. The latter are doubtless correct. 

The controversy which followed the laying of the erroneous line was 
curried on at great expense. Taunton North Purchase and Rehoboth North 
Purchase united in trying to rectify the line, but Massachusetts held them 
strictly to the compact of 1660, though the error was evident. 

Upon one occasion when the line was being redrawn it was ordered by one 
of the counties " that the treasurer of the County pay unto Capt. Win. 
Hudson, out of the next levy, the sum of nineteen pounds, which was 
expended by the deputies on their invitation of the Hon. Commissioners at a 
dinner at his house," etc. How many partook of this dinner is not recorded, 
but the commissioners frequently numbered only four or six, and the price 
paid would seem to indicate that the meal ought to have been a most excel- 
lent one. The precedent of dining at public expense is evidently a long- 




Angle Tree Monument, Erected 1790. North Side 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 651 

established one. For more than a hundred years this war of boundaries 
continued to be waged, and many commissions were chosen during that time. 
In 1751 a petition was drawn up and presented to the General Court, praying 
them to run the Colony line from Accord Pond to a stake, as it was said, set 
up by Nathaniel Woodward and Solomon Suffrey. Committees were chosen 
from the various towns interested. Colonel Thomas Bowen, Major John 
Foster, and Captain Samuel Tyler represented this town at first in the matter, 
others being chosen later. The proprietors of Dorchester and Stoughton 
chose Robert Speer, Esq., Mr. James Foster, and Samuel Blake, and these 
with committees from Norton, Easton, and Wrentham drew up the petition 
and a reply, which they presented to the Honorable Board. This having 
been done, it was voted by that body to grant a hearing to all the parties 
concerned. On the ninth of January, 1752, they " were admitted, and heard 
by council for and against the petition, and then withdrew, and the Hon' 
Board after some debate thereon voted almost to a man to dismiss this peti- 
tion, and sent the vote taken to the Hon' House for concurrence, who also 
voted a hearing & on the 11 th day of January the parties were admitted and 
heard by council, and the House after a large debate voted to dismiss their 
petition also, by a very clear and full vote, which was a very mortifying 
stroke to the Petitioners, they being very sure of having their petition 
granted." ' The petitioners being from Plymouth Colony were in the right, 
but the other side were highly gratified at this decision, as they had no desire 
to give up the disputed tract, even though it was not originally a part of 
their county or colony. 

Finally, prior to 1790, the matter seems to have been pretty thoroughly 
adjusted, though subsequent to 1820 twelve families were set off from Attle- 
borough to Wrentham by the establishment of a new boundary line or rather 
in reality by then restoring the true ancient one. This last is now the line 
between the towns of Wrentham and Attleborough and the counties of 
Norfolk and Bristol. 

At this '-Angle Tree" station a stone monument was erected by the 
authority of the Legislature under the direction of Attleborough and 
Wrentham. This stone is about fourteen feet in height and two feet in 
width and of great weight. Upon it is the following inscription. On the 
north side is written "• Massachusetts Colony," and on the south side 
" Plymouth Colony." 

This Monument by order of Government to perpetuate the place on which the late Station 
or Angle Tree formerly stood. 

The Commissioners appointed by the old Colonies of Plymouth and Massachusetts to run 
and establish this line in 1664, were Robert Stetson, Constant Southworth, Josias Winslow, 
Jos. Fisher, Roger Clap and Eleazer Lusher. They began this work the 10th of May the same 



See Blake's Annals. 



652 A SKETCH OF THE 

year, and marked a tree then standing on this spot, it being three miles south of the southern- 
most part uf Charles River. 

Lemuel Kollock, Esq. was appointed A.gen1 to cause this monument to he erected.— By 
order of the General Court. 

The Selectmen ol the town- of Wrentham and A.ttleborough were present, viz. Elisha May. 
Ebenr. Tyler, and Caleb Richardson, Esqrs. ol A.ttleborough ; ami Samuel Fisher, John Whit- 
ing, Nathan Hawes, Nathan Comstock, ami Nathaniel Ware of Wrentham. 

From this Stone the line is East 20 Degrees ami a half North to Accord Pond. 

Done at Wrentham. Nov. 29th, 1790, by Samuel Fisher & Sun. 

As has been stated, the line from this stone is east, twenty degrees and a 
half north, to Bound Brook in the center of Accord Pond, so named on 
accouni of the agreement or accord of the commissioners made at that place. 
In running easterly the report states that they came out considerably to the 
south of the true line. This point should have been on the easterly side of 
the Blackstone, where the Massachusetts line crosses that river, for that was 
the northwest corner of the Old Colony. The line between the colonies was 
a straight line forty miles long, and the true line was coincident with the 
jurisdiction of Chicatawbat on the north and Massasoit on the south. Of 
course the lines between the territories of the natives were not definitely 
fixed, only the initial and terminal points; they were not surveyed by the 
compass and chain ; no artificial bounds were erected, no iron or stone mon- 
uments ; but some natural sign was taken, such as rivers, ponds, hills, or large 
rocks ; and no marks were made to indicate the location of the boundaries 
between two given points. Our surveyors ran a conjectural or experimental 
course and so came out too far west or below the real point. But without 
doubt the line was intended to include all the domain of the Pockanoket 
tribe. It is well known that Philip claimed a part of the territory of what is 
now Wrentham. and his claim was allowed and purchased by the proprietors 
of Dedham in 1662. ! At one time the line ran over a hill about two miles 
from the present line between the towns, called " Line Hill." This matter 
is of no importance at the present time but may possess some interest as a 
historical curiosity. 

The following may also possess the same kind of interest: — 
The commissioners who were appointed by his Majesty in 1664 passed the 
following order respecting the boundary between Rhode Island and Plymouth 
Colonies, a part of which was the west line of the Rehoboth North Purchase. 

To the Ureal ami General Assembly of Plymouth, and also of Rhode Island and 

Provident:,- Plantations. 

By the power given us by his Majesty's Commission under his great seal of England, and 
directed l>> his Majesty's instructions to make a temporary settlement of the bounds claimed by 
any Colony, of which we can make no final judgment by consent of parties, that the peace of 
the countrj may be preserved, till hi- Majesty's judgment ami determination of their bounds 
be known. 

We ORDER and DECLARE, the salt water to divide the main land and Rhode Island from 



1 See History ot Dedham, by Mann. Boun. of Wrentham, etc. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 653 

Seconet Rocks northward to the point of the main laud which [is] next over against Mount Hope 
point to the said Mount Hope point, not touching- upon Rhode Island, and so another right line 
from Mt. Hope point to the next point upon the main land, and so from point to point and from 
the last point a right line to the River's mouth called Seakonke, aud up said river called Sea- 
couke below and Pautucket above till it meets witli the Massachusetts line, to be the present 
bounds between his Majesty's colony of Plymouth and Rhode Island, till his Majesty's pleasure 
be further known concerning them. And we desire each colony to give the reasons of their 
pretences and a draught of their country according to their charters that we may give his 
Majesty true information of them, which we promise to do. 
Given under our hands and seals at Newport on Rhode Island March the 7 th 1064. 

Robert Carr (Seal) 

George Cartwright (Seal) 
Samuel Maverick (Seal) 
A true copy examined with the original, 

Per J. Willard, Sec'ij. 

The following is taken from the Massachusetts Historical Papers for 
October, 1868.' This extract is only another proof of the troublesome 
nature of all boundary lines. Like the two preceding accounts it is of no 
importance, though it especially refers to our township's early grants ; but its 
quaint diction and curious, old-fashioned spelling cannot fail to make it 
interesting in the eyes of many. The report of the committee is as follows : 

W'hcaras the Great and Generall Court or Assemble held at Boston ffeb: 27: 1094 iu the 
sixth year of their Majesty's Reign did appoynt us the Subscribers to be a Committe to Vew 
the graunts and (Jlaimes of the Town of Rehoboth, and the Line of the north purchase, or 
Town of Attleborough and of one Mile and halfe of Land on the northerly side of said Rehoboth 
aud make description of said Lines Clamed by Each : and Report to the next Generall Assemble 
as by order of the Assemble may appear 

Iu obedience to and in pursuance of sd order Wee haue here underneath Represented the 
Line between the Collonys of Masathusets and Plymouth by the double Line A. B. C. D. and E, 
and haue Caused a Line to be run and measured from the Letter C at the heap of stones by the 
Road on ten mile hill to the Letter P, being the north Line of Rehoboth Ancient Township: 
the Chain being caried by one for Rehoboth and one for Attleborough. and the distance is found 
to be Ave mile one quarter and 48 rod as per the platt. and from the said P to F three miles aud 
halfe and 14 Rod, these Lines being given we Represent the Ancient Town of Rehoboth of 
eaight Mile square by the Letters F. G. H. I. nextly we Represent the graunt of Attleborough 
of Eaight Mile and ten Mile by the Letters A: N. F: and K, and by the prick line to M: and 
thence by the prick line to E. aud by the Collony Line Thence to the Letter A 

Rehoboth Gentlemen by Vertue of a deed bearing date March the 6"» : 16S| and sined 
Thomas Hinckley Governor and sealed with the Collony seall Clame all the Land between the 
Collony Line potucket River, their Eaight Mile or ould Township and the line lettered G and 
D : to belong as Township to them : 

And the Gentlemen of Attleborough presented to us their Graunt from the Generall Court 
which is before described by the Lines Lettered A. X. N. K. M. and E : 

But perticulerly as to the mile and halfe described by the Line Lettered N and O: and 
thence East by the prick Line Rehoboth Gen 1 "' produce no perticuler originall graunt thereof 
distinct from the rest of the north purchase, but present evidence upon oath that the Mile and 
halfe was perticulerly given to said Town before they made purchase of the north Lands, 
though all Comprehended in one deed bearing date Aprill 10: 1666 without distinction of gift 
and -ale; and they produce a Citation of the graunt of a Mile and halfe of Land given to the 
said Town as an in Largemeut to said Town of Rehoboth which bears date October 27: 1670. 



1 A communication from C. K. Williams, Esq., Rutland, Vt. 



654 A SKETCH OF THE 

And They also produce a Town order bearing date November the 8 th : 1GT0, which saves in 
these words At a Town Meeting Lawfully warned It was Voted and Agreed upon that the 
Mile and halfe given to the Town for in Largement the Line should be forthwith Run between 
the North purchase and that Land: And in another order bearing date November 28: 1(170 in 
these words It was also Voted and agreed upon that Lent Hunt and Ensign Smith Nicholas 
Peck and William : Carpenter should run the Line betwixl the Mile and halfe and the other 
North Land: And the said Cap' Nicholas Peck and M r William Carpenter being yet Living do 
afferm. That within a few dayes after said Last date they the whole Committe did Run the 
Line from N to O, which by the plat is aboue live .Mile but Run the Line no further by Reason 
of the then badness of weather. 
Rehoboth May 7 th 1(39.") John Brown \ 

Thomas Leonard > Comittee. 
Sam" ffisher J 

Following this report or explanation was the " platt " made by this committee. 

Id the winter and spring of 1816, this town was visited by the most fatal 
sickness ever kuown in these parts. It extended to several other adjoining 
towns, but did not prove so fatal as here. It swept off in the short space of 
ninety days about one hundred inhabitants, a large proportion of them heads 
of families and many of them the most useful and respected citizens of the 
town. It was commonly called the cold plague. "From physicians it 
received various names, but it was probably a species of typhus fever, of 
a peculiarly malignant type." It prevailed wt in nearly all parts of the town, 
and committed its ravages apparently without discrimination among both 
sexes, and among the respectable, the industrious, the temperate and the 
athletic, as well as those of a different character." Its attacks were often 
sudden, " its progress rapid, and its termination fatal, generally performing- 
its whole work in from three to seven days, and baffling the most eminent 
medical skill." Very few who were attacked with it recovered. " It excited 
great alarm, and it was difficult to procure assistance to pay proper attention 
to the sick or the dead. No satisfactory causes were ever assigned for its 
appearance. It was unquestionably atmospheric in its origin ; but no exact 
observations concerning the peculiar circumstances of the seasons or the 
localities were recorded to guide the investigator. It was not contagious in 
the common meaning of the term. Some nurses took the disease, but gen- 
erally they were no more affected than others. In some localities and under 
some circumstances, the causes of the epidemic seemed to be attracted and 
concentrated with more intensity than in others; and if a person, in a con- 
dition to receive the disease, remained in such a place, he was likely to be 
affected. In this respect it was not unlike many other epidemics." No 
disease of the same kind has ever been known here either before or since 
that time. 

In 1832 typhus fever appeared at the Falls, but it was confined to two 
houses, and of the fifteen persons who were sick but one died. The water 
had at that time been drawn off from the marshes in that village, ''and the 
peculiar exhalations which arose were supposed to have been the cause of 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 655 

the disease." "In the summer and autumn of 1839, an epidemic of a 
typhoid character, sometimes accompanied with pneumonia, occurred on the 
road leading from Wrentham to East Attleborongh. It commenced near 
the northern line of the town, and extended southerly about three miles to 
within a mile of East Attleborongh, and northerly into Wrentham, and was 
confined entirely to the road." Eight in a family of nine had the fever, and 
one died ; " and of 20 families scarcely one escaped being affected." There 
were few fatal cases and the rest of the town was healthy. In 1840 a more 
malignant type of the same fever appeared in Dodgeville and lasted from 
July until November. In thirty cases there were four deaths. 

No bills of mortality were regularly kept in the town until recently, and 
the average age of the inhabitants in any given period cannot therefore be 
obtained. 

There have been several instances of very long lives. Deacon Elkanah 
Wilmarth died at the age of ninety-nine years and seven months. Mary 
Freeman, relict of Jonathan (or John) Freeman, died March 4, 17(32, aged 
about one hundred years. Widow Sarah Clarlin, relict of Antipas Claflin, 
died in September, 1777, supposed to be one hundred years and six months 
old. Captain Samuel Robinson lived to approach very near the age of one 
hundred. Zephaniah Robinson also reached a very advanced age. 

John Shepard, " the Ancient," died in this town in 1809, at the extreme 
age of one hundred and five years. His father was Jacob Shepard, who 
came to Foxborough about 1703, having purchased some four or five hun- 
dred acres of land there from one Captain William Hudson, 1 a trader from 
Boston. The Indian name of the place was Mamanteepett. A large natural 
pond on this tract was named for him and is still called "Shepard's Pond." 
Hudson had here a small house which he occasionally occupied. It was very 
probably what would now be called a hunter's lodge, though he also made it 
a sort of tavern for the accommodation of such travelers as then passed over 
the ''Bay Road," and to these he was licensed to sell "wine and liquors." 
He had some trouble with the authorities of the day and sold out to Jacob 
Shepard. Here John Shepard was born, O. S., February 25, N. S., March 
7, 1704, probably the first person born in Foxborough, for his father was the 
first permanent settler of that town. Here he remained for one hundred and 
three years ; and during that time, without moving from the spot where he was 
born, he lived in two counties, Suffolk and Norfolk, and in four towns, 
Dorchester, Stoughton, Wrentham, and Foxborough. 

He was married three times : to the first wife, Eliony Pond, August 24, 
1726; to the second, Abigail Richardson, August 8, 1728; to the third, 
Martha Bacon, June 25, 1731. The latter died in Foxborough, April 3, 
1800, aged ninety-five years. He had one son and several daughters. Two 



1 The same who served a dinner to the commissioners. 



656 A SKETCH OF THE 

of these lived to be upwards of eighty years of age, and another, Mrs. Mary 
Mann, of Wrentham, who died in 1828, lived to be almost ninety-seven. 
She retained all her faculties and usual cheerfulness and vivacity till the last 
fifteen years of her Life. She abstained almost wholly from animal food and 
never was in the habit of drinking tea or coffee and wondered how people 
could relish cither. Her most common food was milk. She adhered to the 
same fashion in dress for eighty years. 

On November 9, L807, the venerable John Shepard was brought to the 
house of his grandson, the late Hon. Kbenezer Daggett (father of the 
author), where he remained until his death. This occurred April 5, 1809, 
when he had reached the remarkably advanced age of one hundred and five 
years and twenty-nine days. He is interred in the old burying ground 
nearly opposite his former dwelling in Wrentham. He was a man of pious 
character, cheerful in disposition, jocose, witty, and of a quick understanding. 
He retained all his faculties of mind and body, except his eyesight, to the 
last, and was just able to walk with a little assistance till a few days before 
his death. He was deprived of his eyesight on a sudden, during the night, 
and was not himself aware of it until the next morning, when he sought in 
vain for the light of day. He could distinctly recollect events which had 
occurred a century before. Many travelers would go miles out of their way 
to see a centenarian ; strangers often asked permission to look at this singu- 
lar specimen of human longevity, and for a long time, a year or more before 
his death, scarce a day passed without a visitor curious to get a sight of 
this man of more than a century's length of life. 

Rev. James Read preached his century sermon at Foxborough, March 7, 
1804, and on his hundred and fourth birthday, March 7, 1808, Rev. Nathan 
Holman preached a sermon before him at the residence of Mr. Daggett. 
The clergymen in all the neighboring towns were invited to attend this service. 
The manuscript sermon is still in existence and was in the possession of the 
author until his death. The text was Proverbs 16:31, k, The hoary head 
is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness." The con- 
clusion of this sermon is here quoted : — 

I shall close this discourse in a few words addressed to the. aged gentleman, ;it whose requesl 
] am present this daj . 

Respected sir. 

The dealings of God with you in some respects, have been peculiar. The age of man is 
limited to three score years and ten. and there are hut few who arrive to that period. But 
God has kept you alive thirty and four year- beyond that period which is not only the age of 
man. hut fitly termed old age. You have had large and long experience of his goodness and 
tender mercy. He has preserved, and borne and carried you even to old age and hoary hairs 
until you are a wonder to many. So far as your knowledge extends you are the last left in this 
world, of the generation who came on to the stage with you. You have survived a great multi- 
tude of your age, and of your youngers. Great changes have passed over the world since you 
have been in it. God has been with you and carried you through scenes of prosperity and 
adversity. As you hope, he has long since visited you with the enlightening, renewing, and 
sanctifying influences of his grace, ami inclined you to walk in the way of righteousness. In 



HISTORY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. 657 

many important respects you have beeu distinguished from your fellow-men. Tho' you may 
be ready to say with aged Jacob, "Few and evil have the days of the years of thy servant 
been," yet must you not be constrained to say, that God is good, that He has never left nor for- 
saken you, that you have found him faithful to his promises. Are you not ready to testify that 
the consolations of religion are neither few nor small? 

Though you are now old, yet you know not the day of your death. Though you have reason 
to believe thai the time of your departure is not far distant, yet the day and hour you know 
not. Study therefore to be useful while you live. The long and rich experience you have had 
of the goodness of the Lord, calls for your warmest gratitude, and highest praises. Endeavor 
to bring forth fruit to his glory even in old age. Give no place to the too common and un- 
founded opinion that the aged are useless, and burdens to their friend- and to the world. You 
may yet be highly useful. You may glorify God, and recommend the religion of Jesus to the 
world, by your patience, contentment, thankfulness, and resignation under the evils and 
infirmities of old age. You are prepared to give the best of counsel to the young, and that 
from your own experience and observation, and your prayers may draw down blessings upon 
the world for ages yet to come. Endeavor to abound in these duties. Though the aged are 
not capable of performing the active services of young Christians, yet they have services of 
equal importance, which they only can perform. It is their province and theirs only to show 
the happy effects which religion has in old age. This young Christians cannot do. 

May you still desire and strive to be useful in your sphere. May the faithfulness of God 
lead you still to confide in his promi-es. May the hope of approaching glory comfort you in all 
your tribulation,-, and animate you to fill up the remainder of your days in duty and usefulness. 
May you enjoy much of the divine presence and with holy Job patiently wait till your change 
come-. Then may you meet the applause of well done good and faithful servant, enter through 
the gate into the city, and have access to the tree of life. Amen. 

On July 11, 1885, one of the early emigrants from this town to Harford, 
Penn., Mrs. Nancy Stanley, was still alive, and on the twenty-third of June 
preceding she celebrated her ninety-fifth birthday in the city of Chicago, her 
home. Her father was Laban Caprou, of this town, and in the spring of 
1794, she. then four years old, went with him. her mother, and a brother and 
sister, to Harford. She married a Dr. Stanley, and on May 15, 1835, with 
her husband and nine children, she left New Milford, Penn , and went to the 
then far West, Illinois. They were a little over a month in reaching Downer's 
Grove, in that State, where they made a permanent home. Upon her ninety- 
fifth anniversary she received the congratulations of nearly a thousand 
people and could then recall even slight incidents connected with her long 
journey taken fifty years before ; and up to that time she had preserved her 
faculties to a remarkable degree, her hearing only being slightly impaired. 
There were living of her family at that date, besides herself, six children, 
twenty-seven grandchildren, twenty-nine great-grandchildren, and one of 
the fifth generation, making, with herself, sixty-four in all. 

Among the residents of our town who attained to remarkable age was 
Joseph Carpenter. He was the son of James and Lucy Bliss Carpenter, of 
Rehoboth, and was born in that town September 8, 1789. He was the grand- 
son of Colonel Thomas Carpenter, of Rehoboth. of Revolutionary fame, 
who was sometimes associated with Colonel John Daggett, of this town, in 
military enterprises and in a manner which redounded to the credit of both. 
On February 21, 1813, he married Nancy Bullock, of his native town, and 



658 A SKETCH OF THE 

their union continued for over sixty-seven years. They had fourteen chil- 
dren, ten of whom lived to maturity, and seven of whom are now living. 
Though known for himself to many of the elders among our people, he will 
be better known to the younger generation if we say he was the father of 
Mrs. Lucy B. Sweet, " our town poet," who is herself well known to every- 
body through the columns of the town press, but more especially these many 
years for her pleasing poems. Mr. Carpenter came to this town about 1850 
and resitted here during the rest of his life. He served in the War of 1812 
and on his return home made the following entry in his account book, which 
is still in existence: "Was paid $11.37 for said service." The length of 
service is not mentioned, but the sum is not a munificent one, considering the 
value of the money of that period, even if the time was less than a month. 

Mr. Carpenter was an unusually active man and even to the very end of 
his life. When past seventy he set out an orchard of apple trees and when 
rather remonstrated with for this action, on the ground that he would get no 
good from it, he replied to the effect that those live wisest who think not 
alone of themselves, but of others, even of the coming generations, saying. 
"If I cannot benefit by this apple orchard myself, others can, and one is 
never too old to commence a good work." When eighty-four he "cradled 
five acres of rye, and prepared it for housing." The last twenty years of 
his life, from 1860 to LS80, he lived on the place formerly owned and occu- 
pied by Dr. Lemuel Fuller. His mind never lost its activity, and his memory 
was remarkably retentive. It extended over a period of at least eighty -one 
years with great distinctness, for he could recall clearly the event of going 
with his grandfather, the colonel, to Providence in 179!), to attend the 
services held at the time of Washington's death, and he also remembered the 
intervening events of importance. He died November 12, 1880, aged ninety- 
one years, two months, and four days. On the day preceding his death his 
oldest child was sixty-seven years old, and is living still, and his very numer- 
ous descendants are scattered over many of our States. His funeral services 
were held at Oldtowu, where he attended church, but he and his wife are 
buried in the old cemetery of their native town (1887). 

One of the oldest, if not the very oldest living person at present in town, 
is Mr. Isaac Draper, of South Attleborough. His family is remarkable for 
numbers, as fourteen lived to mature age. Mr. Draper in July, 1887, became 
ninety-one years old. All his faculties at that time had been preserved to an 
extraordinary degree: his eyesight was good, his hearing quick, and his 
movements were not lacking in vigor or elasticity. His memory was better 
than that of many persons with half his years, and he exhibited no single 
sign of extreme old age. He still possessed, unchanged, the old-time courtesy 
of manner, that gracious gallantry which flatters, without being insincere, 
and he still retained the same charming and agreeable style of conversing 
which always distinguished him. At was impossible in his presence to realize 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 659 

his age, for there was nothing m his appearance to indicate aught else than 
a well-preserved man of threescore years and ten. The Editor had an inter- 
view with him not very long since, which will always be recalled as amon«' 
the pleasantest of the many gratifying memories connected with the prepara- 
tion of this book. Mr. Draper is very deeply interested in religious matters, 
and practically, for he believes that, so long as life is given to a man, so long 
will certain things be required of him. Age is no excuse, if mind and health 
remain, and, realizing that the duties of religion are of paramount importance, 
he makes them his chief consideration and performs them in public and in 
private conscientiously and intelligently. May he live to be at least a hundred 
years old, a shining example to all around him ! l 

The town has had in a somewhat literal sense one real son of independence, 
for Eliphalet Clafliu was born here on July 4, 1776. 

In many of the ancient towns of the colonies, there were occasionally 
found original and eccentric characters, who preferred the wilderness to the 
more cultivated parts of the countr} 7 . 

Among the early inhabitants of this town was one Joseph Chaplin, who 
became a proprietor and a great landholder. He was of respectable 
descent. He came here from Rowley, Mass., and was a descendant of Rev. 
Hugh Chaplin, who came over in 1638, and who lived and died in that town. 
He was a man of peculiar tastes and habits and eccentric in his conduct. 
He laid out a large quantity of land, in all about seven hundred acres, 
including the most of that large tract formerly called the " Half -Way 
Swamp," and his other lauds were located on the "East Bay Road" and 
vicinity. His mania seemed to be the acquisition of land, but he could culti- 
vate only a small portion of his extensive possessions and could derive no 
profit from the rest. He lived completely alone, a hermit's life, abjuring all 
society, especially that of the female sex. The cause of this seclusion is 
not positively known, but tradition says it was the faithlessness of a young 
lady to whom he was attached in early life. Chaplin was not morose, but 
naturally benevolent and kind. He planted several orchards and raised a 
variety of fruits. He would permit the neighboring women to come and 
partake of the abundant fruits of his orchards, but was always careful to 
retire out of sight on the occasion and so remain till they were gone. He 
kept a large stock of cattle, built his own house, cooked his own food, and 
made his own clothes. His only companions were a uumber of large cats, 
who lived luxuriously on his abuudaut stores. His name is found on several 
committees relating to the public lands, of which he was a shareholder, 
and he was on good terms with his neighbors, so far as any intercourse 



1 Mr. Draper died very suddenly, May 14, 1S89. He had failed physically somewhat, but on the day 
of his death was as well as usual. His daughter was obliged to leave him at one time, and returning 
in about three minutes, found him sitting in his easychair, dead. 



660 ^ SKETCH OF THE 

occurred. He died about 1750 at a very advanced age. His property was 
divided among his heirs-at-law : Jonathan Chaplin ; Elizabeth Chaplin, who 
married Samuel Searl ; and John Chaplin, all of Rowley, this State. They 
sold his estate here, and none of them remained in town. 

Joseph Antoine Richaud was an eccentric man, having adopted rather 
peculiar religious notions. He was a native of France. For what reason 
he left his native country is not known. It would seem probable, however, 
that he imbibed strong republican sentiments, and, having bis attention 
turned to this country by the actions of some of his prominent countrymen, 
he naturally came here where he could have freedom to indulge in the carry- 
ing out of his ideas. It is not known that he had any relative in the country 
or any acquaintance when he landed on these shores. He settled down at 
South Attleborough in the village called " the city." He lived alone in a 
small one-story house, in which he kept a variety store, by which he supplied 
the neighboring farmers with many of the articles needed for family use. 
He lived to an advanced age. He was said to be of decidedly choleric tem- 
perament and very peculiar, but he was " warmly attached to republican 
democracy." He made his will and gave all his property to the school dis- 
trict in which he lived, provided a certain possible heir did not claim it within 
a stated time. Portions of it have been appropriated from time to time to 
the common-school education in that place. About $1,100 still remains of 
this legacy. Richaud was buried in the ancient burying ground in his neigh- 
borhood, where the epitaph inscribed on his gravestone — of which he was 
the author — may still be read. 

The recent death in an adjoining town of Mr. Dan Perry calls to mind 
the once familiar figure of a former resident here, one whose form and 
features must at one time have been known to almost every inhabitant of the 
town. Mr. Perry was born in Rekoboth something over eighty years ago 
and besides his native town resided in Seekonk, Attleborough, Pawtucket, 
in the State of Maine, and finally in Mansfield, where he died. His mechan- 
ical tendencies were inherited from his father, whose family were remarkable 
in that direction. One of its members was the maker of the bobbins which 
were used in the first cotton-mill ever started in this country. Mr. Dan 
Perrv learned the trade of a blacksmith, and this doubtless proved of much 
use to him in the practical working out of his inventions. He followed his 
trade for a time, but it was not long before his inventive genius asserted 
itself, and again and again his busy brain evolved the idea and his clever 
fingers constructed labor-saving machines which made him quite famous. 
He was the first or among the first to think out and construct a machine for 
folding papers, and one he invented is still used by the New England Farmer. 
Another machine of his invention made folding ladders ; another turned 
sword handles. He made butter molds, pails with adhesive hoops, and his 
was the first apple-parer ever known. Perhaps his best known invention, 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 661 

however, for which he took out the patent while living in this town, was his 
"Yankee "Water Elevator." Many an overworked, weary housewife has 
blessed him for its advent and has turned with joy from the ponderous old 
sweep or wrenching pump to this appliance for economizing time and 
strength. 

Scores of people will remember the homely but intelligent face of Mr. 
Perry and his tall, somewhat ungainly form, clothed with neatness but with 
utter carelessness of the fashion of the garments that covered it, moving 
rapidly through our streets or driving everywhere about the town in an open 
wapon with a "specimen" of the " Elevator" behind the seat. Many then 
children, now come to middle age, will remember the stories told them of the 
powers of this remarkable man and the things which to their wondering 
minds seemed to border widely on the supernatural, which were said to be 
and often indeed were within the range of his possibilities. He had striking- 
peculiarities of appearance and manner such as are common to men of his 
stamp ; but these were more than equaled by his good-nature. The fun and 
jokes called forth by his productions never annoyed him ; he was always 
ready to laugh with those who laughed at them or at him. Every shaft of 
ridicule, no matter how well aimed, he met with a merry twinkle of the eye 
and a quick response which generally left the enemy outwitted and himself 
the master of the field. Unlike many persons of his peculiar genius Mr. 
Perry was possessed of an abundauce of common sense. He was a man of 
marked individuality ; he held original opinions of his own tenaciously and 
advocated them zealously but with tolerance towards others. He lived a long 
and busy life and was practically useful to his own generation, as the results 
of his work will continue to be through coming generations. 

Mr. Perry was several times married, but had only two children, both sons. 
The elder of these was Orin F. Perry, so long engaged in business in Paw- 
tucket and well known to the people of this town, and he is buried in 
Woodlawn Cemetery here. His wife was Adeline Short, sister of Philip and 
Mace Short, of this town, and she with a daughter, for years a successful 
teacher in our schools, resides here. 

Within a few months another long-familiar form has left its accustomed 
place, never to return. Many years ago a man came from Ireland to this 
town and settled at the Farmers. He lived in a small house near the school- 
house there and set up his shoemaker's bench in a little shop close by. He 
worked hard and he earned, though it was sometimes with difficulty that he 
obtained a sufficient livelihood for his increasing family. But he labored on 
with unremitting diligence, and here his children grew up to honor him and 
to be an honor to him. He was long poor in this world's goods ; but he and 
his wife were always rich in kind words and deeds, especially to the school- 
children of the neighborhood, for whom they repaired all sorts of damages, 
from worn shoes to cut fingers. If these lines meet the eyes of any who 



662 A SKETCH OF THE 

" went to school at the Farmers" twenty or thirty years ago, they will surely 
recall many pleasant memories of those days connected with these good 
friends of their childhood. Bleeding faces, bruised limbs, torn trowsers. 
rent frocks, or flying buttons were all alike to the patient fingers of this busy 
woman, who was never too busy to restore the ravages of accident or care- 
lessness or to comfort the timid hearts of frightened little ones. Year after 
year this man worked at his humble trade, long after the necessity for daily 
toil had passed away, for as the years went on great prosperity came to the 
eldest son, and his abundant all was placed at the disposal of his loved 
parents. But that spot alone was home, the routine of the little shop too 
much his life ever to be laid aside, and he left the worn bench only to enter 
his grave. He lived a simple, uneventful life ; but he lived it respectably 
aud well, and in this regard he was an example worth} 7 to be imitated by auy 
man. no matter how exalted his position. He brought up his children to 
honesty and industry and left to them and to their children this richest 
inheritance. Though he occupied a humble place it will be a long time 
before John Xerney is forgotten. 

The original title to the North Purchase, as already stated, was derived 
from Alexander, the son of Massasoit and the elder brother of the cele- 
brated Philip, sachem of Pockauoket. His original name was Mooanam, 
afterwards YVamsutta or Wamsitta, aud finally Alexander Pockauoket, which 
last name was bestowed upon him, and that of Philip upon his brother, by 
the Plymouth Court on the occasion of the death of their father, Massasoit. 
It appears to have been a custom with the aborigines in this part of the 
country, at least with their chiefs, to assume new names on the decease of 
any one of the family to which they belonged. This custom may perhaps be 
traced to some Eastern origin, as many of the Indian ceremonies have 
already been by historians. 

On a visit which these two sous made to Plymouth on June 10, 1660, 
during a session of the court which commenced June 6 their English names 
by which they were generally known to us were bestowed upon them. A 
record of this transaction is preserved on the Old Colony books, which is 
here copied : — 

"June 10, 1660. At the earnest request of Wamsitta desiring that, in 
regard his father is lately deceased, and he being desirous, according to the 
custom of the natives, to change his name, that the court would confer an 
English name upon him, which accordingly they did, and therefore ordered 
that for the future he shall be called by the name of Alexander Pokanoket ; 
and desiring the same in behalf of his brother, they have named him 
Phillip." 

There has been much controversy among historians concerning the time of 
Massasoit's death. Ancient historians have usually assigned a date several 
years earlier ; modern biographers and historians have generally supposed 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 663 

it several years later than the true period. The circumstance of the bestow- 
ment of these names upon these brothers is mentioned by the ancient 
historians, but not the occasion of it, and without fixing any precise date. 
One writer, 1 who supposes his death to have occurred several years subse- 
quent to 1661, thinks the fact of the father not being mentioned as having 
attended this ceremony, which was for the confirmation of a treaty, etc., 
with his sons, occasioned the suggestion that he was dead, and he further 
says: "It would be a sufficient explanation of his absence however, that 
he was now an old man, and that the distance of Sowarns from Plymouth 
was more than forty miles." 

The above record, however, clearly proves that Massasoit died a short time 
previous to June 10, 1660, and previous to his first publication of it in 1834 
the author had never seen it in print. It shows the origin of Wamsutta's 
modern name, and with the honor of being called after the great warriors of 
antiquity he and his brother were greatly pleased. 

The colonists during this friendly intercourse could not have anticipated 
that in the course of a few years the younger brother, upon whom they were 
then conferring the name of an ancient conqueror and who was possessed of 
all the natural talent and ambition of his great namesake, though not his 
power or good fortune, would become their most dangerous enemy and the 
terror of all New England. 

It appears that among some tribes of the natives the custom prevailed of 
changing their habitations as well as their names on the decease of a member 
of the family. I have learned from a reliable source the following instance : 
On a part of the farm of the late Ebenezer Daggett (most recently of the 
late Harvey M. Daggett), previous to its occupation by the whites, and for 
some years after, resided several families by the name of Read, who were 
said to be of a mixed race, Indian and negro, and who were always observed 
to change the location of their huts on the death of any one of their number. 
This change occurred several times within the observation of the early 
settlers. This custom they probably derived from their Indian descent. At 
one time the huts of these people were on the brook passing through the 
farm, where it crosses the "East Bay Road," very near the old Daggett 
homestead. The survivors who lived till after this road was laid out, which 
passed near their dwellings, requested that when they died they might be 
buried near that road with their heads towards it, "so that then could hear 
the neices tvheii the great post-stage passed.' 1 '' 

Their request was complied with aud they were buried a few rods from the 
route where the old road passed, with their heads in that direction. The 
place where they were buried is still pointed out in a small valley on elevated 
ground. The hillocks over their graves, four in number, were distinctly 



1 B. B. Thatcher. See his Indian Biography, vol. i, chap, vii, p. 141. 



6G4 A SKETCH OF THE 

visible within the remembrance of the author. They seemed to have no 
idea of a physical extinction by death, but to consider it as some sort 
of natural change merely and not a destruction of the material system. The 
postman's horn has never disturbed their slumbers, and the news of the 
great post-stage for which they longed lias never reached their ears. 
The plowshare of the husbandman has long since leveled the mounds that 
covered their graves. The postman's stage, too, has long since disappeared 
from the hills and valleys of New England, and the cheerful echoes of his 
horn have ceased to send their lively sounds to the listening ears of lonely 
settlers. The lumbering carriage that wended its slow way from Boston to 
Bristol and returned once a week has given place to a swift vehicle which 
announces its passing with a frightful shriek and which flies over the same 
distance daily in two hours' time. These humble sleepers still wait for the 
coming of the " newes " that will never be brought to them. 

Many of the people of this town have emigrated to other parts of the 
country. Various families at different periods removed to Vermont, New 
Hampshire, Ohio, and western New York, and some ninety years ago many 
emigrated to different towns in Maine and laid the foundation for some of 
them. Union included many inhabitants from this place. 

In 1789 a number of young men in this town, mostly unmarried and 
without much capital, believing they could better their condition by emigrating 
to some place where land was newer and cheaper, formed a company for the 
purpose of purchasing a tract of land in a new settlement. They met in 
various places in their neighborhood and discussed the subject in all its 
bearings. Nine persons joined this company, which was called tl The Nine 
Partners." They were Hosea Tiffany, Caleb Richardson, Jr., Ezekiel 
Titus, Robert Follet, John Carpenter, Moses Thacher, Daniel Carpenter, 
Samuel Thacher, and Josiah Carpenter, all of Attleborough. Tiffany, Titus, 
and Follet were married, and all but Tiffany, who was over thirty, were 
under twenty-five. After examining several locations in western New York 
they finally selected northeastern Pennsylvania and purchased a tract of 
land four miles long and one mile in width in Susquehanna County for 
£1,198, about $5,800. On Tuesday, May 18, 1790, they reached the " Beaver 
Meadows " in the westerly part of their purchase, and close by a large spring 
at the lower extremity of fchis meadow they built a rude cabin as a temporary 
shelter. The writings for their purchase were drawn up and signed on a 
hemlock stump. May 22, 1790. That region was then the solitude of an 
immense wilderness, a rocky, rough, and mountainous tract, but they later 
made it " blossom as the rose " with churches, schoolhouses, sawmills, 
manufactories, mechanics' shops, and stores, making of it one of the 
pleasantest towns among the hills and valleys of its great State ; and in due 
time the iron roadway brought intercourse with the outside world. 

'•To distribute their joint purchase, a plan was adopted by which 150 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 665 

acres were assigned to each partner, and the remainder kept as a common 
domain. The division, like that of Israel's promised inheritance was made 
by lot, and resulted satisfactorily. By a subsequent arrangement with Mr. 
Drinker, the landholder, their joint obligation for the wholesale purchase 
was cancelled, and individuals became responsible for their own posses- 
sions." The purchasers at once commenced clearing some portions of their 
land and preparing it for habitation ; but having no means of procuring the 
provisions necessary for their support they returned to Attleborough till the 
fall. Having thus commenced their settlement they continued for a year or 
two to go back and forth between it and this town. Like the company, 
it was called " The Nine Partners" until 1807, when it was incorporated as 
a town under the name of Harford. 

These nine young men were followed by a large number of their friends 
and relatives from this town. February 2, 1792, Hosea Tiffany and wife, 
with their three children — Hosea, Amos, and Nancy — and Robert Follet, 
wife, and daughter Lucy, started from here with ox teams and arrived at 
the settlement the first week in March. These were the first white women 
who visited that place. In the spring of 1794 additions to the settlement 
were as follows : Laban Capron. 1 wife, and children ; Thomas Sweet, wife, 
and daughter; John Carpenter, wife, and son; Samuel Thacher, wife, and 
son ; John Tyler, Jr., and Dr. Capron. In the fall of that year John Tyler, 
his wife, and children, and Thomas Tiffany, wife, and children went out. 
The Tylers were three weeks on this journey from Attleborough to tl The 
Nine Partners." In the fall of 1795 Amos Sweet, wife, and children and 
Ezekiel Titus, wife, and children followed ; and during the same year, or 
soon after, a number of emigrants were added to the settlement : Elkanah 
Tingley, Obadiah Carpenter and sons, Joseph Blanding, Obediah Thacher, 
John Thacher, Moses Thacher, Abel Read, Thomas Wilmarth, Noah Fuller, 
Nathaniel Clafiin, and others. All the emigrants previous to 1800 were from 
this town, with the exception of Jonathan Oakley, who was a native of New 
York State. Eight of the " Nine Partners" were living in 1830, forty years 
after their first view of the wilderness ; fourteen years later, in 1841, only 
two remained, Ezekiel Titus in Harford, and Moses Thacher in Ohio. In 
1846 the last one died. The first marriage in the settlement was that of 
Orlen Capron to Ama Carpenter, in October, 1798; and the first death was 
that of an infant daughter of Robert Follet, in December, 1796, and hers 
was the first body placed in the graveyard. Dr. Comfort Capron began the 
practice of his profession in Harford in 1794. He died in June, 1800, and 
his was the first death among the adults. 

These families carried their New England homes and customs and forms 
of social life with them, and the natural results were produced in the reli- 



1 Father of Mrs. Nancy Stanley, before referred to. 



666 A SKETCH OF THE 

gious and educational character of succeeding generations- The institutions 
of New Rngland were introduced into their life in the wilderness: the 
church and the schoolhouse stood there side by side. The first church was 
formed June 13, 1800, about ten years after the settlement was founded, by 
Rev. Jedediah Chapman, a missionary from New Jersey. It was the child 
of the Second Congregational Church of this town and consisted of seven 
members, all of whom had letters from that church. It also received addi- 
tions from time to time from the mother church. At first the members 
adopted the articles of faith professed by Rev. Mr. Chapman, who was :i 
Presbyterian and who organized the church, but in March, 1803, they unani- 
mously adopted the confession of faith and platform of the Attleborough 
church in affectionate remembrance of the friends they had left. Soon 
afterward, however, these were somewhat modified and made more brief. 
John Tyler and Obadiah Carpenter were the first deacons. The church had 
but one addition, and that was by letter, for the first three years. In 1806 
a small meetinghouse, twenty-two feet by thirty, was erected, and about 1822 
a larger edifice was built. In bsTN the church membership was one hundred 
and eighty-four, and during the almost eighty years of its existence had had 
nearly eight hundred names enrolled upon its books. At that time Harford 
was a very prosperous little town numbering sixteen hundred people. 

The church was visited during the several years immediately succeeding 
its formation by different missionaries from the vicinity, who labored with 
the people on their occasional visits, but on August 4, 1810, Rev. Ebenezer 
Kingsbury was installed as the first pastor. He was a native of Coventry, 
Conn., and a graduate of Yale College. He continued to be the pastor until 
1827. Rev. Adam Miller preached his first sermon in the church September 
21, 1828, soon received a call, and was installed April 2S, 1830. He con- 
tinued in the service of the people during an uninterrupted period of fifty 
years. On September 29, 1878, the fiftieth anniversary of his ministry was 
celebrated, when he delivered a valuable and interesting historical sermon. 
He had labored with that people through many of their early struggles, until 
the settlers had built up their social edifice, and now they had become a 
prosperous township and an educated and intelligent community. He died 
December 1, 1881. 

The colony existed for a long time without the safeguards of a civil 
organization. For a while they had no magistrates or public officers. They 
succeeded in governing themselves. The temptations to controversies were 
very limited with a people who were at first all engaged in subduing and 
cultivating their soil. But perhaps that which most distinguished them and 
did them the most credit was their devotion to the cause of education — to 
their schools and various educational institutions. Great attention was given 
to the education of the youth of the place. Man}' of the young emigrants 
were themselves qualified for teachers before they left their homes, and made 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 667 

school-teaching their vocation, some of them for life, in their new settle- 
ment or in neighboring towns. Rev. Lyman Richardson, son of the emi- 
grant Caleb Richardson, who was one of the original ' k partners," commenced 
teaching while quite young. He soon established a select classical school in 
Harford, which he maintained during his life. It was incorporated as the 
Franklin Academy but afterward called Harford University. " Ezekiel Titus, 
Thomas Wilmarth, and Jacob Blake cleared the land whereon Franklin 
Academy subsequently stood, in 1795-6." In 1817 Lyman Richardson com- 
menced his classical school. In 1830 the name of Franklin Academy was 
given to the school, and soon after the first building was erected. In 1836 
it had become a t£ recognized institution of learning in N. E. Pennsylvania, 
having a charter from the Legislature." In the course of twelve or fifteen 
years a number of small k * Halls " had been added to the first building. In 
these many students boarded themselves aud studied. Iu 1850 the institution 
became Harford University. 

In this school were educated not only the youth of the place but many 
from various townships in northern Pennsylvania and vicinity. Many were 
prepared for college and many educated for various other walks of life, who 
afterward became useful and eminent men. Several were judges in the 
courts of different States ; one was a governor, and others were lawyers, 
physicians, ministers, teachers, professors, etc., of ability aud prominence. 
Harford has herself furnished several men prominent in public life who were 
educated in her own schools. 

The university flourished for a number of years, but about 1865 ceased its 
existence as such, for it is said the Rev. Lyman Richardson " closed his 
work, and heard his last recitation probably " in that. year. As far as could 
be ascertained the number of students who had been enrolled upon its cata- 
logues was about 1,800. l -Hon. F. B. Streeter, Solicitor of the U. S. 
Treasury, says, ' I believe that school has been of more service to the 
country generally than any other Literary Institution within my knowledge. 
Franklin Academy has been peculiarly a school for poor men's sons, and the 
instances are not few of very obscure young men who have left it to occupy 
stations of comparative distinction and usefulness.' " Soon after the close of 
the Civil War the State selected the grounds and buildings of this institution 
as a suitable location for a school for soldiers' orphans. Though no longer 
the seat of classical learning the site is still used for educational purposes 
and the orphan school is very flourishing. 

Many of the inhabitants of Harford at this day bear the same names 
which their ancestors carried with them from their native town, and not one 
of those names has become extinct in this town. 

On the whole, we think we have no reason to be ashamed of these descend- 
ants in Harford ; we think they have done credit to their ancestry. Long 
may they sustain the institutions which they reestablished on the banks of 



668 A SKETCH OF THE 

the Susquehanna and abide in the principles which they carried with them 
from Attleborough, New England ! May the seed take even deeper root and 
flourish more extensively in this fertile field and bear yet more abundant fruit 
for future ages ! 

Judge George Leonard, of Norton, was so intimately connected in various 
ways with this town and was a man so well known in his day and generation 
that some mention of him will not be inappropriate. He was an owner of 
land in this town. Captain Thomas Leonard and Lieutenant James Leonard, 
of Taunton, of his family, bought fifty acres, more or less, of John Daggett, 
of Rehoboth. He had business connections here and much intercourse with 
our fathers of the last generation. He was born in Norton and was a 
descendant of the first -lames Leonard who settled in Taunton. The family 
were for many generations both in Europe and America famous as iron mer- 
chants, were men of prominence, of high breeding, and great wealth. 
Thomas and James, sons of .lames the first, were the founders of the great 
•• Leonard Iron Works" of Norton. The place where they built their foundry 
was called "Stony Brook" later and now again " C hartley Brook." The 
origin of this latter name is not known, but very probably may have been 
the name of some place or stream near the native place of the Leonards, 
Pontypool, in Wales, and by them given to this little stream on which they 
settled. One of the early owners here greatly enlarged the original iron 
works and increased his paternal inheritance of several hundred acres to the 
extent of nearly a thousand acres, so that at the time of which we write the 
estate was the largest in Bristol County and probably the largest in New 
England. Its timber lands were " the most valuable in the State." It is 
said that the keel of the frigate Constitution, "Old Ironsides.'" was taken 
from these lands. 

Judge Leonard occupied the old manorial mansion built before 1700, and 
here, surrounded by his tenantry, he lived in the st} 7 le of an English country 
gentleman. The antique and rich furniture which adorned the house was of 
English make and had descended from his forefathers ; his carriage was of 
the large, ponderous build of their day ; and his dress was of the same 
fashion as that worn by his ancestors when they left their native shore. 
Inheriting many of the traits of his English and Colonial lineage, he was 
satisfied, though others had changed, to retain many of their manners and 
customs. His park was a great attraction and the deer which roamed it at 
will of great interest to his neighbors and to many travelers from far and 
wide, and these animals he preserved to the day of his death. He was a true 
gentleman of the old school — courtly in presence, courteous in manner, 
genial in intercourse with his friends and neighbors ; everybody knew him, 
everybody admired and respected him. He held many offices of honor and 
trust. He was a judge of probate for several years and performed many 
marriage ceremonies in his own and adjoining towns, some here. He was 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. G69 

judge of the court of common pleas and later chief justice of the same ; 
was" registrar of probate, councillor, State senator, and was a member of 
the First, Third, and Fourth Congresses of the United States. The iron 
works were discontinued before his death and saw and grist mills erected on 
the old foundation, and at present a jewelry shop, some years since estab- 
lished, is using the water power. 

There is now scarcely a survivor of those historic times, scarcely one 
born within the days of Washington ; and the few remaining relics of that 
interesting past are fast disappearing. Some perhaps remember the old 
manor house in its latter days and the workshop, in whose belfry hung a large 
bell which summoned the workmen to their meals from distant fields ; and the 
limits of the deer park were pointed out until recently. Some memories will 
no doubt recall the oft-repeated tales of former splendors connected with this 
baronial-like residence and its opulent owners, with its many romances, 
brilliant and shadowy, and perhaps a restless, wandering ghost. The bell 
has long since ceased its noisy clangor and the belfry been torn down; the 
laborers' busy days of toil on those broad fields are over; the haunts of 
the deer have vanished, and the giants of the park have bowed to the ruthless 
blows of the woodman's axe or fallen neglected beneath the ravages of time ; 
while the fine old mansion itself lias lost all prestige of state and antiquity 
by being improved into a modern dwelling, and its rare old furniture is scat- 
tered to°the winds of heaven. If any of the former owners who looked up 
with pride to that ancient roof with its venerable gables and welcomed their 
friends within those walls with stately pomp and dignified hospitality could 
now revisit the earth, they would search in vain for one single landmark of 
their once beautiful home, and sorrowing they would find themselves in the 
midst of an unknown people surrounded with scenes new and strange. 

There are some very interesting circumstances connected with the early 
history of that portion of the town now called Mechanicsville or Mechanics. 
In the early part of the eighteenth century a saw and grist mill stood by the 
stream there. Previous to 1740 one Robert Saunderson bought the premises 
and set up a forge for manufacturing iron. This " Bloomery," the name 
then given to the business, became quite a celebrated establishment. Not 
very much is known of Mr. Saunderson. He was a merchant of Boston at 
the\ime of his purchase, was supposed to be an emigrant from England, and 
was doubtless a man of substance. He built for himself a house here some- 
what after the English style and superior to any in town at that age, where 
he lived in an elegant and fashionable manner. He furnished it as befitted 
an opulent gentleman and extended liberal hospitality to his numerous friends 
and neighbors, providing the highest entertainment for them. He had his 
wine cellar, his carriage and span of horses, and maintained a state of great 
luxurv. There appears to be no mention traditionally or otherwise of a 
Madame Saunderson, and it would therefore seem probable that Mr. Savin- 



670 -I SKETCH OF THE 

dersoD may have been that very interesting personage, a rich bachelor. In 

some w:ivs t lie world changes not a whit; by the present we can frequently 
read the past ; and, if this conjecture be true, it is reasonably certain that his 
lonely condition was not due to lack of sympathy on the part of any of the 
fair damsels of his day. 

His house and its surroundings must have formed an attractive scene, 
a picturesque sylvan retreat. There was the pretty pond with gently sloping- 
wooded banks, the little river flowing cheerfully by, and the unique dwelling 
itself in its setting of green, shaded with primeval trees by day and lighted 
up with the lurid fires of the forge by night. It is easy to picture the house 
and its varied throngs of guests. There is the real son of the Pilgrims, 
sturdy, solemn, austere in garb and manner ; there is the stately colonial 
dame in her stiff, rich robes, with her dignified portly lord, becomingly proud 
of his comely person, his handsome dress, and his exalted position ; there is 
the modest Puritan maiden, bewitching in her innocence and in spite of her 
primness and the plain severity of her costume ; by her side the city-bred 
young lady, wearing her toilet of the latest fashion with haughty grace, 
conscious of her charms, certain of her conquests ; and there are quaint, 
demure children, the counterpart in miniature of their stern and sober elders. 
Again perhaps we see a gathering of youths and maidens who dare to laugh 
and be merry under the encouraging eye of their gracious host ; or possibly 
some gentlemen of gentility from the far-off town of Boston have driven 
out to this country residence, to feast upon their old friend's good things, 
to test the merits of his wine cellar, pronounce upon the rich mellowness of 
his oldest and rarest liquids, and to drink the health of His Majesty, the 
King, " after the good old English customs." Still again, in imagination, we 
may hear the conversation of some manly group as they talk of politics, of 
their conduct in the old home land, of their being well or ill managed in the 
new. Now and again the righteous indignation of some elder over a fresh 
act of injustice on the part of the mother country is forcibly expressed, or 
we listen to the fiery speech of some hot-blooded youth, who springs to his 
feet and with hand on sword hilt stands ready to avenge that and every 
wrong. By the light of the years which have intervened we can see in 
a scene like this, one which very probably may have taken place here, our 
great Republic in embryo, and yet as we look back we can but marvel at 
those wondrous changes the time has wrought. 

After a time Mr. Saunderson sold a portion of his property in this town, 
but for what special reason does not appear, nor is anything whatever known 
of his subsequent history. Robert Lightfoot, who was also a Boston mer- 
chant, was the purchaser, and he became the "Iron Master" in this place. 
He is supposed to have lived in this house, which in later clays became still 
more famous, partly owing to its peculiar construction and partly to the 
scenes which it is known were enacted within its walls. It came in time to 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOU'iH. 671 

be known as the " chapel," from the shape in which it was built. It was 
externally in the form usual to chapels and was two stories high. The 
upper part was occupied by the family, and the lower floor by the domestics 
of the household and perhaps farm servants, for the estate comprised much 
more than the premises occupied by the bloomery. The kl old chapel" stood 
facing the pond and about one hundred feet from it. It was about square 
in shape, the first story built of stone with very low rooms and stone-flagged 
floors, but the second story was very high. There was a large circular hall 
in the centre with a narrow passageway leading into it from each side of 
the house, and there was a row of triangulnr-shaped rooms all around. 
These were all lofty, airy apartments, and all opened into the great central 
hall. Some parts of the house were elaborately finished, and it long 
continued to be the most stylish building in town and renowned for its 
hospitality. Mr. Lightfoot appears to have fully maintained the reputation 
established by his predecessor, for he administered the civilities of the age 
to many friends and acquaintances, entertaining them with generous liber- 
ality. He came here in 1742. How long he remained is not known, but he 
removed from here to Newport, R. I., and in 1759 Thomas Cobb purchased 
the ik Bloomery" and all its appurtenances of him and John Merritt and 
wife, of Providence, who were then part owners of the premises. 

Mr. Cobb was born in Taunton and married Lydia, oldest daughter of 
James Leonard, Jr., one of the founders of the Chartley Iron Works, this 
connection being probably the cause or the effect of his entering upon the 
business of an iron manufacturer. We may naturally suppose the business 
here to have been a profitable one, as Mr. Cobb made quite extensive pur- 
chases of land besides that of the property of the forge, etc., which belonged 
to his predecessors. May 11, 1760, he bought land on the Bay Road, of 
Hezekiah Peck, of this town. The witnesses to the transaction were John 
Daggett and George Leonard, Jr. September 11, 1762, he purchased of 
Amos Sweet, son of John Sweet, two tracts of land, one of twenty acres 
assigned to Amos in the division of his father's estate, and another lot 
assigned to Sarah, his sister, containing about thirty-one and a half acres, 
■• with part of a dwelling-house standing on the same." May 18, 1764, he 
purchased of Benjamin Sweet, another heir of John Sweet, a tract contain- 
ing thirty-four and three-fourths acres, adjoining the forge pond and his 
other lands, his entire purchase in Attleborough amounting to one hundred 
and fifty-five acres, including the iron works. He lived in the "chapel" 
house, and during his residence of twenty or more years in town he identified 
himself thoroughly with the people of his vicinity and took an interest in 
their civil and religious concerns. As a token of his personal regard and 
appreciation, he gave in his will a legacy to the then pastor of the Second 
Church, Rev. Peter Thacher. " For the friendship and good will I bear the 
Rev. Peter Thacher of Attleborough, I give him £30, lawful money, to be 



672 A SKETCH OF THE 

paid him by my Executors herein after named out of my estate within one 
year after my decease." 

The records mention five children of Mr. Cobb : Thomas, of Taunton, to 
whom on January 22, 1765, he sold all his lands in that place; Jonathan, to 
whom on the same date he sold " My mansion house, etc. in Attleborough, 
all which I bought of Robert Lightfoot, John Merritt, Hezekiah Peck, Amos 
Sweet, and Benjamin Sweet"; David; and two daughters. David was born 
here September 11. 174*, a quite conclusive proof that his father was then 
carrying on the iron works either as superintendent for Lightfoot or by lease 
for himself. He held a greater diversity of public occupations and number 
of offices than any other living man in that age and discharged them all with 
honor and credit. He became a physician, a general, a judge, was President 
of the Senate, Speaker of the House, member of Congress oue term, Coun- 
cillor, and Lieutenant-Governor. 1 He married Eleanor Bradish by whom he 
had a large family of children, and he died in 1880 at the advanced age of 
eighty-two. Mr. Cobb's two charming and attractive daughters, Hannah and 
Sally, were regarded as accomplished ladies and ornaments to society. 

Though Mr. Cobb disposed of his property here to one of his sons he con- 
tinued his residence in town for some years, but finally removed to Taunton. 

The history of any house would not be complete without romances, and 
the "chapel" annals do not lack in that regard. Here the Rev. Josiah 
docker, an eminent clergyman of Taunton, found a wife. He was the 
sixth minister of the First Church of Taunton and the progenitor of the 
prominent family of that name there at the present day. In Mr. Crocker's 
"Family Bible" is the following record: "Attleborough, Nov. 5"', 1761. 
Then were Josiah Crocker and Miss Hannah Cobb joined together in the 
solemn covenant of matrimony at her father's, by the Hon. George Leonard, 
Esq. May God's countenance shine upon us. Rev. Mr. Thacher made the 
first prayer and gave advice. Col. Leonard declared us married according to 
law, and Rev. Mr. Weld made last prayer." 2 

This was doubtless a brilliant affair and an event of great importance in 
the town. We should read with eager interest a description of this occasion. 
We would like to see the names of the chief guests, know what was the 
dress of the bride, scan a list of the marriage gifts, even to be informed what 
viands composed the wedding feast. We would read with pleasure the 
words of good advice spoken by the reverend pastor, learn how the courtly 
" Judge" pronounced the couple " man and wife," and hear in what solemn, 
formal phrase congratulations were offered ; but the curtain has long since 
fallen upon every actor in this scene, and of these details the past yields no 
record. 

Nine years after this a famous young man here wooed and won his bride. 



1 See .Mini-try of Taunton, vol. i, p. 236. 2 See Blake's Ministry of Taunton, vol. i, p. 337 



HISTORY OF ATTLEB0B0U<rI1. 673 

On the records of publications of marriage I find the following: "The 
Intentions of Marriage between Robert Treat Paine, Esq. of Taunton, and 
Miss Sally Cobb of Attleborough were entered the 3d day of March, 1770." 
It is a great honor to have any special connection with the Declaration of 
Independence, and our town may claim with pride that one of its signers 
married his wife here, though she was only an adopted daughter. 

No special record of this wedding comes to us beyond the fact that it was 
attended by Rev. Mr. Timelier, but it surely must have been quite as brilliant 
as its predecessor and have had fully as long a line of distinguished guests. 

The celebrated groom, learned jurist, eminent judge, and patriotic states- 
man in the trying days of the Revolution, was the son of Rev. Thomas 
Paine, minister of Weymouth. His mother was a daughter of Samuel Treat, 
of Connecticut. He was born in Boston, March 11. 1731, and graduated at 
Harvard College in 1749. He at first studied theology and fitted for the 
ministry and in 1755 was a chaplain in the army. He visited Europe subse- 
quently on some mercantile enterprise and on his return to Boston studied 
law. About 175'.) he removed to Taunton and there commenced the practice 
of this profession, in which he became eminent. In 1770 he acted for the 
attorney-general in the famous trial of Captain Preston for the Boston Mas- 
sacre of the 5th of March. He was chosen a delegate to the Continental 
Congress, which convened September 5, 1774, and later he was one of the 
grand men whose signatures on the glorious Declaration of Independence 
are our pride and boast. In 1775. after the adoption of the Constitution of 
Massachusetts, he was appointed the first attorney-general of this State. He 
was superseded in 177G, but again appointed in 17-sO, and held the office 
until 1790. He was a judge of the Superior Court of this State from 1790 
till 1804, when he resigned on account of deafness. In 1 780 he removed to 
Boston, where he continued to reside until his death, which occurred May 1 1. 
1814, when he had reached the age of eighty-three. His administration of 
justice was rigid, but just, and his manner on the bench rather stern and 
severe, but he was a man of strict, sterling uprightness. By his talents, 
integrity, and learning, he rendered good service to his country in the high 
offices he held and in the various lofty stations he occupied. 

The author does not know the exact date of the removal of the Cobb 
family from town, but probably the father went to Taunton shortly subsequent 
to 1770. The next purchaser of the bloomery was a Mr. Robinson, who 
continued the works for a time and then converted them to the ancient pur- 
pose, that of a saw and grist mill. In the early part of the present century 
the manufacture at present carried on at this spot was commenced, and of 
the old * w Bloomery " and k ' Chapel " nothing remains. The walls of the old 
house in its days of glory witnessed many a social assembly, many an elegant 
entertainment; many distinguished visitors sat abound its hospitable board, 
many honored friends of high and low degree have gathered there, for its 



674 .1 SKETCH OF THE 

door stood ever wide open, and all who stepped over the threshold received 
a true welcome from the dwellers within. The author well remembers the 
house when it had been reduced to a common tenement and its ancient 
honors and fame had vanished. It was burned in 1849 or 1850 in the night, 
and thus passed out of sight forever, numbering itself among the host of 
tilings that have been. All is now changed here in this pretty spot, and 
nothing is left to remind us of this long-ago time. The raging furnace and 
the hiss of heated iron have given place to the humming water-wheel and 
the clatter of shuttle and loom, and the fine old mansion with its charming 
occupants is gone, its very existence but a passing, shadowy remembrance. 

Quite as striking as the changes about the site of the old iron works are 
those which have taken place in the East village and its vicinity since the 
early part of this century. At that time the Ingraham house stood on the 
corner now occupied by the residence of the late Charles E. Hayward l and 
was moved back toward the river to its present site, to make room for that 
residence. There was no other dwelling-house on that side of the road 
between it and the present centre of the village. About where Dr. Bronson's 
house now stands there was a small grocery store, kept by Amos Walton, 
and just above there was a blacksmith's shop. The grocery was moved 
away to make room for Squire Bolkcom's house, the first dwelling-house on 
that corner. It was built very near if not exactly upon the site of the one 
now there, and Orville Bolkcom lived in it for some time and up to 1850, 
when it was burned down. Probably the next house built on that side of the 
road was the building so long used as a double tenement-house standing next 
to the residence of Mr. Fisher, now behind CrandaU's Block. Opposite 
Bolkcom's was the Gideon Sweet house, which stood there until quite recently 
and was moved away to give place to Bates Opera House. Jt was built for 
a tavern, but was never used as such. The bar, however, was left in its 
place until the Rev. Mr. Crane became the occupant of the house and had 
it removed. Idle then owner of this property was Mr. Sanford, the father-in- 
law of Mr. Crane. Later Mr. Jonathan Bliss owned it; his heirs retained 
it for some time after his death, and finally, after passing through other 
hands, it passed into those of the present owner, Mr. Bates. 

The space between South Main Street and Railroad Avenue, now occupied 
by Horton and Pierce blocks and various small buildings, was very early 
owned by one Jonas Richardson, a physician, then by Abijah Everett, also 
J\ physician, who practised in this vicinity for a number of years. He sold 
to Jabez Ellis, ami he in turn to Amos Wilmarth, and not very long after- 
wards probably the estate came into the hands of Colonel Bolkcom, who kept 
a tavern on the spot for a number of years. It was pretty generally known 



1 Now the property of Mr. Fred. A. Newell, who Is making alterations anil improvement- and will 
occupy it as his own residence. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 675 

as a place of amusement. A hall was built during Colonel Bolkeom's occu- 
pation, which was used for various purposes, balls, siugiug schools, lyceums, 
society meetings, etc. This was the only public hall in this part of the town 
where the young and gay of a past generation were taught the graces of 
dancing under the inspiring strains of Obed Robinson's violin. This, too, 
was the principal courtroom of that day, where civil and criminal cases were 
tried. Sheriff's juries were more common in that day. Many of the distin- 
guished advocates of a past generation have appeared in that hall. The 
voices of William Baylies, Judge Wheaton, of Norton, Judge Warren, of 
New Bedford, Cushman, of Pawtucket, and other lawyers of the day, have 
been heard there. The riot which occurred during the construction of the 
railroad has been referred to, when the Washington Rifle Company, under Cap- 
tain Holman, turned out. This was done under the direction of Sheriff Sweet. 
The warrant was executed in Canton, and twelve or fifteen of the rioters 
were arrested and brought to this town for their trial, which doubtless took 
place in Bolkeom's Hall, and a number of the most active iu the riot were 
In, a, a! over — committed to Taunton jail to appear before the Grand Jury. 
Colonel Bolkcom was a widely known man in his day. He was social and 
generous. He was kind to the poor and did many friendly deeds. It is 
said that particularly fat and tender turkeys frequently found their way from 
his larder to the minister's kitchen. He was a man of considerable ability, 
and for three years consecutively, 1811, 1812, and 1813, he represented the 
town in the General Court. A small portion of his famous old inn still 
remains near the western corner of the lot on which it stood, a part of the 
house so long occupied by Dr. Sanford. 

To the east of the property just mentioned was quite early the house 
known later as the Hodges house. This was built by Betsy Hicks, and in it 
she kept a beer and cigar shop, and beyond this still was a blacksmith's shop, 
at one time kept by Colonel Bolkcom, who also at one time owned a small 
machine shop which stood on the present site of the Wolfenden Dye 
Works. On the north side of the road where Briggs' Block uow is, there 
stood a small building containing a harness and a tailor's shop ; and where the 
church now stands, on a part of the " meeting-house lot," was the Franklin 
schoolhouse, "a little old fashioned building painted yellow." Crossing the 
common halfway, one came to the first church building, with its attendant 
row of horse sheds and its even then ancient horse block, round which, in 
its day, we may be certain the manly youths did congregate whenever pretty 
riders approached to dismount. Beyond the common oue came to the Hol- 
man house. Seventy years ago these mentioued were probably all or very 
nearly all of the buildings in the village, but gradually and continually they 
have increased until now through the centre almost every foot of land is 
occupied. Deacon Wales' house and blacksmith's shop on County Street 
have long been one of the landmarks, and the house where Mr. Joseph 



676 A SKETCH OF THE 

Capron lives has been built sixty-five years, and nearly as long ago the 
schoolhou.se gave its place to the church. 

At one time Otis Capron and Capron Peck owned thirty acres in the centre 
of the village, that upon which Ilorton Block stands and from there on 
south to the Jesse Carpenter farm. They sold off some of this to the Rail- 
road House Company, who built a shop on it for use during the construction 
of the railroad, which was later burned down. The house on Union Street 
lately occupied by Nathan C. Luther was built and used for a boarding-house 
for the nn.M] who then worked on the railroad. This same company owned 
what was called the Temperance Hotel. The members were Jonathan Bliss, 
N. W. Sanford, and Daniel Carpenter. They erected the Bank building, 
now a part of Park Hotel, and they also formed the original Steam Power 
Company. Afterward Leprilete Sweet and Virgil Capron bought the portion 
of their property held under that name. The old Bolkcom tavern passed into 
many different hands. After Colonel Bolkcom, Moses Richardson became its 
owner, then Moses Wilmarth. It was also at one time the property of Jona- 
than Bliss & Co., of Lyman W. Dean, and lastly of Dr. Edward Sanford, 
who left it a few years since to occupy his new residence across the street. 

About where the Murray Church now stands stood at one time a house 
known as the Cheney house, and quite a distance farther south was the 
Daniel Carpenter house, which is still owned and occupied by some of his 
descendants bearing the same name. On this same side of South Main 
Street a large amount of land was for many years owned by Leprilete 
Sweet. His farm was well conducted and he was a prosperous man. He 
was a large cranberry grower and was the first farmer in town to introduce 
the process of making cranberry land and of especially cultivating the fruit 
in that way- Previously the cranberry meadows had been pretty much left 
to themselves, little assistance having been given to nature. Mr. Sweet was 
very successful with this new process as Mr. Alger has since been so signally. 
Opposite Mr. Sweet's was the Jesse R. Carpenter farm, under his care a 
model of thrift and neatness. Pie for many years had a large butchering 
establishment on the place. In the house until within a few years the old 
brick oven was regularly if not exclusively used, and cheese at least sufficient 
for family use was made. Both these farms have been very much k ' cut up" 
and made into small lots, which have been sold and built upon, and they are 
now a part of the village. 

Leaving the village and passing up North Main Street, at the earliest time 
of which we write there was not a single dwelling on the right-hand side of 
the road between the centre and "Brady's corner," but some sixty or seventy 
years ago a house was built on that side — the Pardon Bailey house, and 
probably the first erected — which was known later as the Carpenter house, 
later entirely remodeled as the Rodolphus Bliss house, and is now the prop- 
erty and residence of Dr. James M. Solomon. In the yard attached to this 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 077 

house stood a little shop occupied by one Edmund Barney, and it is said this 
was the first place where jewelry was ever made in the East village. About 
half a mile from " Bolkcom's corner," on the same side with the Ingraham 
house was an old house with a gambrel roof, which we find there still, stand- 
ing where it has stood these scores upon scores of years, its right to retain 
possession of its ancient site almost disputed by the Branch Railroad, which 
crosses the street here nearly grazing one corner, and which did totally 
demolish the little unpainted building on the opposite side where Polly Wood- 
cock, something of a "character" and a terror to many a small child, lived 
a lono- time. "Polly's" house was called "the shop," for it was built as 
such, and it is said that the first power loom in the country was built in it. 

This is not the original Peck house but was bought and moved here, exactly 
when is not known, but doubtless much more than a hundred years ago. The 
first house stood, it is thought, a little nearer the pond, just about where the 
track was laid west of the present one, that position being indicated from the 
old well as found by the railroad company. That older house was attached 
to the L of the present one at right angles, running south, and remained until 
a few j^ears ago. It was long used as a wash house, and in it years ago were 
kept the great meal bins and the ponderous looms. It must have been built 
by Hezekiah Peck, the first of this town, who settled here soon after 1700. 

The founder of this family in this country came here in 1638 and settled 
in Hingham, this State. He with others fled from persecution, bringing 
their pastor, Robert Peck, his brother, with them. The town clerk of Hing- 
ham speaking of this Mr. Peck says: " Mr. Joseph Peck, and his wife, with 
three sons and daughter, and two men servants, and three maid servants, 
came from Old Hingham, and settled at New Hingham." They came over in 
the ship Diligent, of Ipswich. Mr. Peck was of that class called gentry in 
England, whose rank is next to that of baronet, and they are entitled to coat 
armor, etc. His fifth child, Nicholas, settled in Seekonk — or Rehoboth — 
and became a man of great prominence there. He was one of the original 
proprietors of the Rehoboth North Purchase and his name is frequently found 
on the early records, is often mentioned in this book. By his will, dated 
October 2, 1707, and " in the sixth year of her Majestie's Reign," he gives to 
his son Hezekiah his "sixth allotment drawn in the Rehoboth North pur- 
chased lands which appears by record," etc. The father died iu 1710, and 
it would seem that he antedated his will in regard to this land and gave 
it to his son before his death, for there is a record showing that on December 
23, 170-, this Hezekiah had land laid out to him in payment of laud taken 
from his lot for a road. This road is the Boston Road or the "East Bay 
Road," of which North Main Street is a part, and it seems safe to conclude 
that the " sixth allotment" above mentioned must have included the present 
Peck lands on both sides of that street. Hezekiah sold his lands in Rehoboth 
(or Seekonk) in 1705 and removed to Swansey, where he lived for a time, and 



678 A SKETCH OF THE 

theu came to this town and. according to the above date, before 1710. In 
1713 more lands were laid out to him on Bungay plain. December 25, 1721, 
a small piece was laid out to him lying "at the South West end of great 
Bungay meadows, it Being a small gore of land Lying in a three square 
manner Bounded Northward Pecks own land and on Coopers Southward and 
Abraham Commins on the East side." In 1724 one John Peck came into 
possession of lands laid out on the east side of the river, and the northerly 
and easterly bounds of one of these lots are described as the " Land of the 
Heirs of Hezekiah Peck Deceast until It Comes to the South AVest Corner of 
the old Home lot of Sd Hezekiah Peck," and another boundary mentioned is 
land of John Sweet. This would probably be in the vicinity of what is now 
Mechanics, those of that name having early owned lands there. 

Hezekiah married Deborah Cooper and they had eight children. Of these 
Hezekiah was fourth and the oldest son. He married Elizabeth Carder and 
remained on the home place. He died in 1753 and was buried near his father 
and mother in the family burying ground. He had ten children, and it may 
naturally be conjectured that he found the old house rather too contracted 
for his large family to grow in and that he purchased the preseut house, add- 
ing it to his former dwelling. If this conjecture is true, theu it has occupied 
its present position over a hundred and fifty years. Hezekiah, third child 
and oldest son of the above, followed in his father's footsteps and remained 
at home. He married Ann Skinner, of Mansfield, and they had four chil- 
dren. Of these Jonathan was the third son and youngest child. He re- 
mained on the homestead and became a highly respected man and prominent 
in the public affairs of his community. His wife was Sabra Capron. They 
had four sons, but all died young excepting the oldest, Capron, who resided 
all his life in town, though only a portion of it in the old home. He was 
connected with the cotton factory at the Falls at one time and lived in the 
house now occupied by H. N. Daggett, and the little hill back of it is called 
from him ''Peck's mountain." He at length purchased the house on the 
corner of North Main and Sanford streets, which was built by Dr. Savery, 
and resided there for many years until his death. He married Lydia Daggett, 
sister of the author of this book, and they had twelve children. Of this 
large family only four lived to maturity, three daughters — Sabra, Sally, and 
Lydia — and one son, Jonathan. He was born in this town November 25, 
1829. His early life was spent chiefly at home, but during the Civil War he 
was in the employ of the government at various places. His subsequent life 
was passed chiefly at the South and West, the choice of localities being par- 
tially on account of his health, which rendered it necessary for him to avoid 
the rigors of a New England climate, for many years of his life were a fight 
with that dreadful disease so often termed our " curse." He latterly became 
interested in some ranches at the far West and in cattle raising. He married 
and had two children. The elder, a son, died at the age of three ; the 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 679 

younger, Mary Lydia Peck, is living in Ohio. Mr. Peck died while on a 
visit to his home, September 21, 1881, the last male member of the family. 

Mr. Capron Peck and his wife, as is rarely the case, lived to celebrate 
the fiftieth anniversary of their wedding. A house full of relatives and 
friends met in their pleasant home to greet and congratulate them on that 
happy occasion — in June, 1874 — the last anniversary, as it proved, of their 
married life. During his long residence in the East village Mr. Peck was 
active and prominent in church and parish affairs and in those of the com- 
munity, and he held various local offices. He died September 7, 1874, aged 
seventy-seven years, seven months, and three days, and Mrs. Peck died Feb- 
ruary 2, 1882, aged seventy-nine years, three months, and sixteen days. 

Her death was the ending of a life full of years and " full of good works 
and alms deeds which she did." Her days were occupied with the homely 
cares, the homely duties of life, for her deepest feelings were centred in her 
family ; but the whole community surrounding her was her " neighbor," and 
she dwelt in it not to be ministered unto but to minister to others in their times 
of need. How many kind words she said ! How many kind acts she per- 
formed ! How many wearisome burdens she helped troubled souls to bear ! 
Never too busy, never too tired to respond to calls for aid, during many years 
she went again and again to the bedside of sickness and to the chamber of 
death. Her charity was the purest the world ever knows, for in giving it she 
gave of herself. How much pain she lessened, how much grief she soothed, 
how many aching hearts she comforted, how many times her willing feet 
crossed the threshold of stricken homes carrying consolation and hope, will 
never be known until the Book of Life gives up its hidden records by-aud-by. 
Sweet, gentle, motherly, all who knew her loved her, young or old. Unself- 
ish and loving in her nature, she was forgetful of self and mindful of others. 
She did her every duty quietly, she bore her every sorrow silently ; when these 
were all done and the last blow of bereavement decreed had fallen upon her 
aged head, one by one the loosened cords binding her to earth gave way, and 
soon with her usual gentle calmness she passed on to the other world. In the 
best sense of the word " Aunt" Peck was a good woman. Such a Christian 
life as hers is a blessing to the community in which it is lived, and its influence 
is felt in ways we wot not of and to far wider bounds than she in her modest 
humility ever dreamed, because such helpful deeds as she so often did are 
those little things which go to make up the great sum total of effort for the 
good of needy humanity, and each one whether known or unknown is a benefit 
to the world. 

There are very few, if any, other cases in town where any portions of the 
original allotments of the proprietors of the North Purchase have been retained 
in the same family and under the same name up to the present time, as appears 
conclusively to be the case with some of this old Peck farm. A part of this 
land must have come into the possession of Ensign Nicholas Peck over two 



680 A SKETCH OF THE 

hundred years ago, and six generations of his descendants and name have 
dwelt on the same spot. Though it may and it is to be hoped that it will 
remain in the family for many generations to come, in the natural order of 
events its ownership must during the days of the coming generation be vested 
in another name, since no male descendant of the line which has owned it so 
Ions; survives. So one by one ancient landmarks pass away, and so one by 
one old and once numerous families are becoming extinct within our borders. 

For a great many years a dwelling-house has stood on the site of Philip 
Brady's residence at the intersection of West with North Main Street, and 
about two miles north on the latter street — formerly the "Old Bay Road," 
now frequently termed the " New Boston Road" — the old Daggett homestead 
still stands. This was built about 1721 and was used as an inn in the days 
of stages over this post road. Its old sign is still in existence. Scattered 
here and there over the eastern part of the town there are still other ancient 
dwellings, but here as elsewhere they are fast disappearing. 

Banfield Capron once owned a great amount of land in this part of the 
town, the saying in regard to him being that he bought "all the land between 
Bungay river and the Falls." This saying must be somewhat discounted, but 
that he owned very large tracts of land is well known. According to the 
author he owned where Joab Daggett lived — on the Bay Road — and one of 
his granddaughters, Diodema Capron, who married a Barrows, lived in a house 
which stood in an open space on the south side of the mill road near where it 
joins the New Boston Road. Besides those lands which he bought, Mr. Capron 
had the Callender lands from his wife. Some of these were, it is said, on the 
south side of the river, but the Callender house stood where Mr. Brady's now 
stands. One of his descendants — probably Joseph Capron, Jr., a grandson, 
and the grandfather of Joseph W. Capron — built the house long occupied by 
the late Deacon Joseph M. Newcomb, and that portion of the original lands 
has been in the family for over two hundred years, for Mrs. Newcomb was a 
descendant of Banfield Capron. Five generations have occupied the place. 
The land purchased by Jonathan and George Bliss at the Farmers was a por- 
tion of the Capron farm, and a part near by is now owned and occupied by 
descendants — the family of the late Sumner E. Capron. [This portion has 
since been sold.] 

Among the families which came to this town early was that of Bishop, 
several members of it having come from Salem in 1703. One of the brothers 
was Joseph, elsewhere named, and his son Zepheniah married Sarah Stone, 
granddaughter of Rev. Samuel Newman, the first minister of Rehoboth. His 
farm was near the easterly line of the town, running to the Chartley Brook, 
and in 1766 he built the house which still remains on it. He had eleven chil- 
dren. Members of this family were prominent in town affairs during the Rev- 
olution and a number were in active service. The names of at least six 
different ones may be found in the lists of volunteers from the town at that 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 681 

time, and one or two were in more than one expedition. Two were taken 
prisoners. One of these, Zepheniah, above mentioned, died on board the 
prison ship Jersey, off New York harbor ; and the other, Hezekiah, lived to 
be paroled. On the Bishop farm many guns were forged which acted their 
part in the war for Independence. Zepheniah the second kept the Bishop 
tavern on the old turnpike, a relay house, and of course a place of "refresh- 
ment for man and beast." One Dexter Bishop, who lived in the east part of 
the town, attained the very advanced age of ninety-six years. He was born 
in 1780, while the guns of the Revolution were still sounding ; and on the clay 
when Fort Sumter was fired upon he, still strong and vigorous at the age of 
eighty-one, was in the woods, felling trees and hewing timber for sleepers for 
the Boston and Providence Railroad. His youthful companion and assistant 
on that day was a grandson, Robert H. Kirk, a skilled carpenter and mill- 
wright, who lives in Pawtucket. He has charge of several important public 
works, among them the dam connected with the city water works. Another 
grandchild is Mrs. A. F. Lee, of this town. The third Zepheniah Bishop 
lives near the old homestead. 

Another old house is the one owned and occupied by Jacob Briggs at the 
time of his death. It is supposed to have been built by Caleb Parmenter, who 
is known to have lived there as early as 1748. Three brothers of that name 
came to this country and Caleb settled in this town. His wife, Elizabeth, 
was one of the original members of the Second Congregational Church. In 
those early days bears frequently came out of the swamp not far from that 
house, and upon a certain occasion one of them must have ventured too near 
to suit the comfort or safety of Mrs. Parmenter, so taking down the gun from 
the ceiling hooks, where guns then rested, she shot him from one of the west 
windows. Caleb Parmenter, Jr., at the age of eighteen, enlisted in the Rev- 
olutionary army and was in the battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill. He 
married Elizabeth Rounds, a daughter of Nathaniel Rounds, a Baptist clergy- 
man, who lived in South Rehoboth and who subsequently came to this town 
and bought the farm known to this generation as the Zenas Carpenter farm. 
Tradition says that he entertained Whitefield at his home here and that a reli- 
gious service was held under those grand old elms. Mr. Parmenter was pro- 
moted to the rank of captain, and the title was given to him during his entire 
life. He built the house where Horatio Parmenter now lives and lived there 
for many years. He and his wife lived together over seventy-two years and 
attained the remarkable ages of ninety-four and ninety-six years, respectively. 

The transformation which has taken place in the North village is quite as 
astonishing as that of the East village. Starting at " Hatch's " some seventy 
years ago and walking down on the west side of the road, now Washington 
Street, one came at once upon a part of the old Garrison house. This yet 
clings to the spot and looks strong and steady enough to defy old Time 
himself for many years to come. It is the quaint, comfortable home of 



682 A SKETCH OF THE 

" Aunt " Cynthia Hatch. 1 Next in the early (lays came the church, which 
was then where the schoolhouse now is ; next was " Grandpa" Tift't's house ; 
and next William Blackinton's, on the site of William 1). Whiting's handsome 
residence. Tins old liouse stands directly hack of its former site on Broad 
Street. The next house in order was Ellis Blackinton's on St. Mary's, or 
the " round house " lot, and still farther south stood Leonard Blackinton's, 
near the spot occupied by Earl William's market, and then came the dwelling- 
bouse of Samuel Guild, next to where Guild's Block is now. The only other 
house mi the west side was the " long house," then owned by Preston 
Draper. It had been a hotel and subsequently was moved away. About 
opposite this point on the east side of the way was " Brimstone Corner," as 
it was formerly called. What gave rise to this name we cannot positively say, 
possibly the fiery quality of the old-time liquors sold on the spot or the heated 
tone of the discussions, no doubt frequently held there, may have had 
something to do with it. On this corner stood the long, low structure known 
as the Union House, built by Richard Robinson. It was a social gathering- 
place from far and near and its " dances" were much talked of. It was the 
rendezvous for the men of its time who enjoyed " club " life, and many tales 
have been told of those days of sociability, and many amusing stories are 
current of the "cronies" of the village who were wont to congregate within 
the " bar." The tavern was finally burned, but not before it had attained 
a reputation quite as famous in a kindred way as that of " Bolkcom's." The 
tavern has given place to the hotel, and now the Wainsutta House 
occupies this spot, and the long, low structure's place is many times filled by 
a handsome, high, modern block. 

Going north from here the first house was Parnell Fisher's, the same now 
occupied by Silas Aldrich ; then came the old parsonage, the house long lived 
in by "Ma" Day and in which she died. There were one or two stores 
along the road, and the building in which one of these was kept by " Parson " 
Forbush now stands on the top of Watery Hill. One Benjamin Chandler 
had a little store here at one time where, it is said, " everything was sold." 
His house was not far from the church, and probably the store was near by. 
Josiah Draper's house stood near Hatch's "or little beyond," and "Uncle" 
Sam Draper's "was near the river and stood until recently." To the west 
of Washington Street and south of the well-known " corner," the space now 
so thickly studded with handsome places and comfortable houses at the 
period of which we write was a huckleberry pasture, rough and full of 
shrubs. Now the only unoccupied land on the street is the triangle in front 
of the Baptist Church and belonging to it. 

A few relics of the palmy days of the Hatch House yet remain. An 
unusually tall and handsome mahogany clock, its case dark and rich-hued 



1 Mrs. Hatch lias since died. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOliOUdll. G83 

with the mellow tints of time, still ticks out the hours in a solemn and 
dignified manner, as befits a timepiece of its age and experience, for it has 
stood before exalted personages, and impressive scenes have passed before 
its view. It was made in England, but by whom is not apparent, the only 
name upon it being that of a Boston dealer, from whom probably Colonel 
Hatch purchased it. Its ancient comrade, the great sideboard, still keeps it 
company, like it, of two shades of real mahogany and having the " tone" 
which only ripened years are able to bestow. It is very large and has 
space sufficient to hold all the flasks and decanters which even a hotel 
dining-room of a century ago might require. It is withal sideboard and 
writing-desk combined, has its row of pigeon-holes and small drawers, with 
sliding writing lid below. It was here the mail was kept when Colonel Hatch 
was postmaster, and the present owner, his granddaughter, not long since 
accidentally discovered a secret drawer and within it a copy of a Boston 
newspaper for 1800, with wrapper and address intact. The person to whom 
it had been sent having never called for it, it had probably been put in that 
inner drawer for safe keeping and been forgotten, and there it had lain 
undisturbed for eighty-seven years. The silver stirrups and brass epaulets 
which Colonel Hatch wore in the War of 1812 and the silver eagle ornament 
for his horse's breastplate hang by the side of the old hotel sign, while an 
aged chair and the posts of an ancient bedstead look down upon these from 
their loftier perches on the opposite wall of the shed, for a lowly roof now 
protects them. Would they had the powers of speech to recount the history 
of the days when they were young ! 

No doubt they all witnessed the occurrences of a certain bright June 
morning some seventy years ago. A great crowd had gathered about the 
hotel, sure sign that something unusual was looked for, and presently a fine 
barouche, drawn by four handsome steeds and " preceded by mounted and 
uniformed marshals," drove up iu dashing style. Of the occupants, one in 
Continental costume — cocked hat, swallow-tailed coat, short breeches, low 
shoes, with shining buckles on knee and foot, and lace ruffles falling grace- 
fully over shirt front and hand — received special and marked attention. 
He was James Monroe, President of these United States, who was making 
a tour of the middle and eastern States. He was to dine at " Polley's," but 
halted at the "Steam Boat Hotel" for some light "refreshment." No 
doubt this consisted of crackers, cheese, and Jamaica rum, and with as little 
doubt these were of excellent quality. We can imagine with what alacrity 
and pleasure the model host himself served his illustrious guest, and how 
proudly the gay sign swayed itself in the breezes of that ever memorable day. 

Early in this century a second and rival line of stages was established, and 
then there were busy times at the hostelries when the fresh relays of horses 
were brought out, and great were the contests between the hostlers at all 
these different inns along the route, as to which of them should make the 



684 A SKETCH OF THE 

quickest transfers, thus causing the least delay and helping to make the run- 
ning- time shorter for their respective coaches. 

The old pike road was built iu 1802, by an incorporated stock company 
called the Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike Company. The incorporators were 
Ephraim Starkweather, Oliver S. and Oziel Wilkinson, Eliphalet Slack, 
Samuel S. and William Blackinton, Israel Hatch, Elijah Daggett, Joseph 
Holmes, Fisher Ames, James Richardson, John and Timothy Whiting, and 
Timothy Gay, Jr. It began at the courthouse in Dedham and ran to North 
Attleborough meetinghouse, then to Pawtucket bridge and Providence in a 
straight line -'as near as maybe." It was four rods wide all the way, or 
rather " not less than four rods wide." There were two toll gates in this 
town. The running time between Boston and Providence was six hours". 
Fully seven miles an hour including stops l was not slow travel for the four 
or six horses, though the single " iron horse " can cover the ground nowa- 
days in one sixth of the time. 

In the early days, however, there were swifter ways of transmitting mes- 
sages of importance than by the stages themselves, though electricity had not 
then as now anything to do with the methods used. Perhaps we have not 
after all advanced in some ways quite as much as we are prone to think, for, 
with no steam and no electric fire save that which sparkled in the breasts of 
stout determined men and through them excited to their utmost exertion 
willing intelligent steeds, President Jackson's message was " brought 
through by express riders from Providence to Boston iu 2 hours and 4o min- 
utes. It was lashed around a whip handle, thrown from the boat to a rider, 
who dashed away to ride alongside a waiting relay a few miles on the road, 
the burden being exchanged at full speed of both horses."- One of those 
fleet horses with his bold, impetuous rider must have dashed through our 
town over the old pike road, leaving behind him a wake of mysterious won- 
der, almost dread, like that caused by a solitary engine flashing by on the 
iron road. This was the true, the admirable American enterprise, which 
then, now, and ever overcomes all obstacles and, by taking or making 
means, attains signal success and compasses its desired ends. 

It was once necessary for Rehoboth people, if they were called upon to go 
to Boston, to ride up to Hatch's on horseback and there take the stage; 
and it is told of Colonel Frederic Drown, of that town, a representative to 
the General Court, that he used to take his young daughter behind him on his 
horse, that she might ride the animal back home, a journey for her of over 
1 hirly miles and for the most part of extreme loneliness. In Revolutionary 
davs the women often molded the bullets taken by their husbands and sons 



1 It should be remembered that one long halt was made for dinner ami that the stages, which were 
heavy in themselves, were cumbered with baggage, mails, packages, etc., beside- the passengers. 
These things considered, the rate of speed was very creditable. 

-Sec Bristol County Republican for July 12, 187s. Article copied from Boston Advertiser. 



HIST OB Y OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 685 

when they were called into service, for they were obliged to engage in many 
occupations in those "days that tried men's souls." The ordinary cabinet- 
makers of those times were frequently coffin-makers also, and their wives 
kept " mourning " to let or to lend on funeral occasions. Such was the case 
with the Colonel Drown above mentioned and his wife, and very probably 
they may have supplied wants of that kind in this towu. 

It was the custom among our ancestors before matches were invented, if 
the kitchen hearth fire burned entirely out, for some member of the family to 
take a tin lantern and go to a neighbor's in search of the necessary coals 
to relight it ; perhaps in long-forgotten corners of some of the old garrets in 
town such lanterns may yet be hidden away. The great kitchen fire was in 
common the only one in the house, the " best parlor" being used only upon 
occasions of unusual ceremony. Those who are accustomed only to the lux- 
urious steam-heated, brilliantly lighted houses of to-day can scarcely imagine 
what the temperature of the dwellings of our fathers was or realize the dim 
twilight which pervaded their lt living-rooms" after nightfall. Some are still 
living who remember when outside doors were never locked, even at night. 
One of our townsmen says it was the invariable custom of his father's house 
when he was a young man to leave all doors unbolted, and often, on returning 
late from some social gathering, he has found his room occupied by a friend, 
who, feeling too tired to take the longer walk necessary to reach his own 
home and knowing the ways of the house, had entered after the family had 
retired and helped himself to lodgings, sure of a welcome. The frequent 
robberies which have taken place in recent years, in spite of bolts and bars, 
attest that great changes have taken place in the entire social structure, even 
in the very neighborhood where this citizen then lived. 

At one time mails were brought to this town from Taunton on horseback, 
and the post rider bestowed kt the news " verbally upon whomsoever he met 
on his way. Mr. Joseph Capron relates that one day between seventy-five 
and eighty years ago he started for Taunton with his father, with a load of 
hay or produce. They met the mail-carrier on the way, who announced to 
them that war with Great Britain had been declared. He rode on to spread 
the terrible tidings, and the others pursued their journey, but the dire fore- 
bodings of all dreadful calamities and the terrible personal fright the boy 
experienced that day have never been forgotten ; as he, now grown old, 
expresses it : "I have n't got over it yet." To other parts of the town the 
same announcement must have come over the old turnpike to Hatch's. 

There were a number of our citizens who enlisted in the War of 1812, and, 
as we have seen, the militia companies were called out once or twice ; but 
there are only a very few unsatisfactory records to be found, and tradition 
has preserved but little to enlighten us regarding the small amount of service 
wmich it fell to the town to render. One John Dunham was killed, but acci- 
dentally. He was with his company at Fairhaven. Drill was just over and 



686 A SKETCH OF THE 

some man was cleaning a gun, which went off, and the bullet passed through 
the wall into an adjoining room, killing Dunham, who was sitting there. A 
man by the name of Jenks enlisted here. He was not a native of this town, 
"but was courting a girl here." He subsequently deserted, was caught, and 
suffered the penalty of the law. We are glad he was not an Attleborough 
man. These are the only incidents we have been able to gather together, 
besides the references made elsewhere to those who served in this war, in 
personal sketches, etc. 

The mill built by Ingraham & Richardson at Mechanics had not been long 
finished when, early in 1815, the news came that the treaty of Ghent had 
been signed and peace declared, and the mill and Mr. Ingraham's house were 
brilliantly illuminated in honor of this event. Deacon Peter Thacher used to 
cart goods for this firm to and from New York — a week's trip each way with 
oxen, though later with horses he could accomplish the journey in some- 
what shorter time. Now the same number of hours as the oxen required 
days is sufficient to enable a traveler to go from one place to the other. 

As has been stated, Israil Hatch was the first postmaster in town, and the 
people from all parts for a considerable time went to his tavern for their mail. 
Before an office was established in East Attleborough someone from that 
village rode up on horseback to the "North" biweekly for such mail matter 
as might be waiting there, and among others Mr. Joseph Caprou frequently did 
this. Now the town has eight or nine mails daily, and by the present genera- 
tion, though continents intervene or " oceans roll between," news, even from 
the antipodes, which is two weeks old, is considered " stale and unprofitable." 
The first " post route " established between Boston and New York was as early 
as 1704. It passed through this town, and the postman at that time doubtless 
left what few communications there might be for persons of this vicinity at 
Woodcock's Ordinary. Messages relating to business or other matters were, 
if of sufficient importance, sent by special carrier ; but great events only 
called for the writing of letters in those days, especially to people living far 
away from the towns. 

In 1789 Colonel Hatch was first appointed postmaster, and he received two 
subsequent appointments, one in 1805 and another in 1809. How long he 
retained the office could not be positively ascertained, but it seems probable 
up to the time of his death, in 1837, for no one recalls another postmaster 
until that date, when, under President Van Buren's administration, Herbert 
Draper was appointed. His successor, under Harrison and Tyler, w r as 
Albert Barrows ; and his again, under Polk, in 1845, was H. M. Richards. 
Under Taylor and Fillmore, in 1849, W. D. Cotton received the appointment ; 
and under Pierce and also Buchanan, from 1853 to 1861. J. D. Richards 
held the office. T. R. Jones was appointed under Lincoln and retained the 
position for more than twenty years, through the administrations of Johnson, 
Grant, Haves, Garfield, and Arthur. He was thoroughly efficient and filled 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 687 

the place with entire acceptance to the general community. About a year 
before the expiration of President Arthur's term Mr. Jones resigned and 
B. Porter, Jr., was appointed his successor for four years. His term 
expired May 1, 1888, and J. D. Richards became his successor, the first 
postmaster appointed in the town of North Attleborough. The present 
quarters of this postoffice in Wamsutta Block are commodious and in a 
situation convenient to everybody in the village. It is both a registry and 
money order office and the salary attached amounts to about $1,800 a year. 

About 1820 the first postmaster for lt East Attleborough" ' was appointed. 
Ezra Bassettwas the appointee, and he kept the mail in a little office building- 
adjoining the Gideon Sweet house. This was brought to him by the stages 
running then between Taunton and Providence. He held the position only 
a few months. Rev. Nathan Holman was next appointed, probably about 
1821, and had charge for six years. Samuel Holman attended to the mails, 
which were kept in a table drawer for distribution. The third appointment 
was given to Orville Bolkcom, and he had the mail in the tavern probably. 
One informant says that Bassett kept the mail in Squire Bolkcom's house 
instead of in his own office, but more probably it was Bolkcom who first kept 
it there — his father's house — and later he may have transferred it to the 
tavern. Succeeding him was Colonel Willard Blackintou, who was efficient 
in this, as in whatever he undertook. He was appointed not much later than 
1830 and retained the office several 3'ears, until 1836, when Lyman W. Dean 
took it. The mails still continued to be kept in the tavern, then owned by 
Mr. Dean. He made various alterations and improvements and introduced 
boxes for the first time. He also obtained the right to carry the mails to 
North and West Attleborough after the construction of the railroad, and the 
postal matter came chiefly by its means. Mr. Dean continued through the 
terms of Van Buren, Harrison, Polk, and Taylor, and for about four months 
under Fillmore. Then, in 1850, Nathan C. Luther received the appointment. 

Previous to this time the office, fixtures, etc., had been removed to Dean's 
Hotel, now, enlarged, Park Hotel. This was then the "Bank Building," as 
it was called, it having been originally erected for the old Attleborough Bank, 
but after that was removed to North Attleborough its use as such was no 
longer required. Before its removal the postoffice was in the parlor on the 
left of the entrance, which was then in the centre of the end toward Park 
Street, and the rooms of the bank on the right. These afterwards became 
the postoffice. Mr. Luther resided in the building, occupying a tenement 
in the upper part of the house, and Mr. Godfrey Wheelock, a well-known 



1 This name, it is said, never properly belonged to the village, though it has long been familiarly so 
called. It was too often called the " Precinct " or the " East Precinct," but how the first postmaster's 
commission read has not been ascertained. When the railroad station was built the place received 
the name of " Attleborough," largely through the instrumentality of the late John Daggett. He 
would prefer that simple name without any prefix. 



688 A SKETCH OF THE 

resident of the town for many years, lived below. A great many have no 
knowledge of this building as it was then, but it presented quite an imposing 
appearance to youthful eyes, with its tall Muted columns, as did the similar 
one on the rising ground above the road entering the village of North 
Attleborough, which has been permitted to retain much of its old-time 
aspect in the midst of its modern surroundings. In 1858 Mr. Dean was 
reappointed and continued through the terms of Pierce and Buchanan, 
meanwhile turning the building into the hotel long known by his name and 
personally conducted by him. The postoffice remained here for a great 
many years. In 1861 Mr. Luther again assumed its duties aud continued 
them in this place until 1873, when he built a small house near the foot of 
Bank Street especially for the business of the office, though the second story 
was arranged as a dwelling. In 1876 he removed the office to Sturdy 
Building, where the enlarged quarters necessary were obtained, and where 
for the first time lock boxes were introduced. Mr. Luther discharged his 
official duties in this position for twenty years to the satisfaction of every- 
body. In 1881 he resigned, and Abijah T. Wales was appointed in his 
place, and he in turn was succeeded by the present occupant of the office, 
Philip E. Brady, appointed in 1886. He has moved the establishment to 
Bates Opera House, where still larger space is occupied, and additional 
improvements in the way of fixtures, boxes, etc., have been made. This 
office is also a registry and money order one aud its salary nearly the same 
as at North Attleborough (1887). 

Until within a few years the postal facilities at the Falls were very limited. 
For a long time a small building stood by the roadside, opposite the residence 
of Mr. Willard Robinson, into which a bag was tossed from the passing 
stages. Whoever chose opened this, looked for his own letters and papers, 
and left the rest of the mail scattered about the floor, to be searched again by 
anyone who happened along or who thought he wanted a letter; and the 
Falls village proper did not then fare much better. For a number of years 
the mail there was kept in the " store," the building which stands facing the 
road from East Attleborough just where it turns toward the north (whose 
piazza, from resting very near the ground, makes its appearance somewhat 
singular). Here Randall Pierce took charge of such mail matter as came to 
his hands. Finally it was decided by the citizens of this community that 
a regular postoffice in their midst could not any longer be regarded as 
a matter of desirable convenience only, but that it had become a matter 
of urgent necessity ; and Handel N. Daggett determined to get one 
established, if possible. AVith characteristic promptness he immediately 
started for Washington. He had an interview with one of our then 
Congressmen, Mr. Ames, who promised his assistance and made a special 
appointment in regard to making the presentation of the matter to the 
proper authorities. At the hour named Mr. Daggett was at the place 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 689 

designated, but not Mr. Ames, who forgot all about it. Mr. Daggett theu 
sought out our Congressman from Fall River, Mr. James Burlington, who 
rendered him material assistance. He had taken neither a petition nor 
a map of the town or village with which to work, but in some way the 
Gordian knot was cut, and the ball of governmental red tape unwound so 
rapidly that "between the hours of twelve o'clock noon, and two o'clock 
in the afternoon," a postoffice was established at the " Falls village in 
Attleborough, Massachusetts," and the postmaster appointed. In the issue 
of the Boston Evening Journal for that same day an item appeared stating 
the fact of this establishment and announcing that Joseph J. Freeman was 
the new postmaster. The exact date of this remarkable transaction has not 
been ascertained, but it was probably not far from the time of the construc- 
tion of the branch railroad in 1871. Henry W. Gleason was the successor 
of Mr. Freeman after a few years, and Will. N. Fisher followed him. His 
successor, and the present postmaster, is James B. Parsons. 

Almost nothing could be obtained in the way of information regarding 
other offices and other postmasters in town, and the process of getting an 
accurate list from the Department at Washington would require so much time 
and labor that it was deemed unwise to make any attempt in that direction. 
One of the earliest to have the office at South Attleborough was Milton 
Barrows, who kept it in his " tavern," which stands yet, about three quarters 
of a mile south of the " city." The mere mention of this old house will call 
pleasant recollections of a social nature to the minds of not a few of the 
elders in various parts of the town ; for when these same elders were young 
the sounds of the " fiddle" were most enticing, and they were often heard 
and merrily responded to in the great dancing-hall at " Barrows'." But no 
matter how many gathered there in those days when our old people were 
ii boys and girls together," the accommodations were ample for all, and the 
kitchen and larder equal to every emergency. These country inns are almost 
all gone, but Barrows' and Newell's houses stay yet in their original places, 
little changed outwardly, to prove that the tales which have come down to us 
of •' real good times" in " days of yore " are true. 

Some few years since, the Department at Washington issued an order for 
all postoffices to keep an exact account of all the mails sent out during a 
specified week, and the statistics taken in our town were published in the 
Chronicle. They are the figures given by five offices, Dodgeville being 
excepted, and include the five classes of mail matter inclusive of postal 
cards — letters, papers, circulars, and merchandise being the four classes in 
order. The five offices sent out 4,191 letters, 1,100 postal cards, 809 pieces 
of second and third class matter, and 186 packages of fourth class matter, 
making a total of 6,286 pieces. North and East Attleborough offices had of 
course the largest figures, the latter 88 more letters and 50 more postals ; 
while the former exceeded the latter in the other classes combined by 359 



690 1 SKETCH OF THE 

pieces, with a total excess of 221 pieces. If similar statistics could Lave 
been procured for the present time, 1887, these figures would probably have 
been materially increased, though the general introduction of the telephone 
doubtless keeps the number of letters reduced, especially in the larger offices, 
as a great amount of business is transacted by its use. In no other way 
perhaps is the growth of the town shown more clearly than in the lines just 
indicated — the great increase in the postal facilities demanded, and the 
almost universal adoption of all the modern means for promoting the prompt 
and easy conduct of business affairs ; and nothing perhaps would more 
astonish the former inhabitants, if they could return to walk about our 
streets, than to witness the present modes of managing daily commercial 
concerns. 



HIST OB Y OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 691 



CHAPTER XX. 

MISCELLANEOUS, CONTINUED. 

THE town has been visited by two extraordinary storms of wind. The 
first, known as " the great September gale," occurred in that month in 
the year 1815. Buildings were unroofed or utterly demolished, great trees 
were torn up by the roots, and much serious damage was doue. It was dur- 
ing this gale that a schooner was blown up on to Weybosset Street in Provi- 
dence, to about opposite the postoffice building there. The morning after, 
Mr. Ezra Ingraham's father rode up to Hatch's to get the mail and it was 
almost impossible for his horse to pick his way along the roads, they were so 
full of obstructions. A distillery belonging to Roger Farnum which stood 
on the south side of what is now Elm Street in North Attleborough was 
blown down. Of how long it had stood there or how large an amount of 
business was done in it nothing seems to be known, but it is certain that the 
great tornado brought it to a violent and tragic end, and no attempts were 
ever made to set up another. It is possible the owner may have looked upon 
its destruction in the light of a judgment. No lives were lost in this town, 
but the author of this work very nearly lost his. He was at the time a lad 
of ten and with a brother was at work or at play in the " sheep barn" on 
his father's place. The boys " heard the wind blow," but had no idea of the 
fury of the gale until they attempted to open the "'great door" of the barn 
and found this utterly impossible to do. They then went to the other end of 
the barn to the small "sheep door." This was kept closed by a rail or beam 
leaning against it from without. All efforts here failed for a time, but finally 
by dint of great exertions in pushing on the door they managed to move the 
beam just enough to enable them to get out, and they got to the house as 
quickly as they were able. They had scarcely entered the door in safety 
when a crashing noise caused them to turn and look out, and lo ! the barn 
they had just the moment before quitted, with so much difficulty, lay on the 
ground a complete ruin. A resident of "New Boston," some half-mile 
beyond the Daggett place was heard to declare with assurance " that salt 
spray dashed against her windows." As the storm came from the south over 
Narragansett Bay there might have been an odor of the "salt sea" in the 
air, giving occasion for the "old lady's" statement. There were many 
occurrences more remarkable than that, had it been true, and the storm was 
long remembered with a feeling closely akin to terror. 

The second gale occurred also in September, in 1869. It came suddenlv 
and lasted for some hours, but raged with less fury and for a shorter time 



692 A SKETCH OF THE 

than the former one, and the damage was less severe. Many beautiful and 
valuable trees, however, were uprooted, and among these one of the three 
notably large and handsome ones near the Tiffany house. There were some 
amusing as well as thrilling incidents. Among the former was a story told 
of an unfortunate calf, which, after the storm had abated, was found astride 
the ridgepole of a low shed upon which he had been blown, and the iron 
chain with which he had been fastened to a stake was still attached to his 
halter. A good many people who were caught out in this gale had narrow 
escapes, but no one in this town sustained any serious injury. To watch the 
progress of this storm was an experience never to be forgotten. The noise 
of the winds was " like the sound of rushing, mighty waves," like the 
ungovernable raging of angry waters. Great trees reeled and tottered like a 
drunkard, recovered themselves for a brief instant, and then fell with a crash 
that shook the earth ; and houses whose foundations were thought to be 
almost immovably fixed, with stanch oak timbers and the heaviest of beams, 
swaved and shivered, as an aspen sapling trembles in a summer breeze. 
Wave after wave of wind swept on with frightful, bellowing roar, then sud- 
denly an utter, awful silence would fall upon everything, while the elements 
gathered themselves together to rush on in yet mightier power, a more dread- 
ful torrent of destruction thau before. The commotion was appalling, and 
the awe and terror produced were heightened because the agency was invisi- 
ble. It seemed as if the controlling power of the universe had for a moment 
stayed His hand and as if the destroying fiends thus let loose upon the earth 
were hurling themselves hither and thither in uncontrolled fury, a fearful 
"besom of destruction," shrieking and howling in fierce, wild delirium as 
they worked their devilish will. The whole scene was grand but too terrible, 
and those who looked upon it never wish to see its like again. 

Before leaving entirely the familiar reminiscences of earlier days, it seems 
appropriate to make mention of a social club which had quite a flourishing 
existence in the east part of the town fifty or sixty years ago. It had but 
few members aud only one is living, but he not long since recalled its days 
with pleasure. It was called the "Bachelors' Club." As the name indicates, 
only unmarried men could become members. The meetings were held in the 
office of one Mr. Bedford, "an Englishman and a jeweler." This "office" 
was a small building some half-mile or more perhaps "down the Norton 
road," on the place owned by Timothy and later Ferdinand Bolkcom, and the 
entertainment provided for the club, we are told, was "a keg of rum, or a 
barrel of cider, with crackers and cheese." One particular incident of the 
latter days of the club has often been related in later years. One of the by- 
laws very appropriately prohibited the members from visiting young ladies, 
the consequences following upon the indulgence in such a course of action 
being naturally considered detrimental to the welfare of the club as tending 
very materially to lessen its members. Upon one occasion it was ascertained 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 693 

beyond a doubt that Mr. Orville Bolkcom bad called upon a certain young 
lady, and the dignity of the club of course demanded a thorough investiga- 
tion of the matter. The fact was reported to the officers by another young 
lady, probably a friend of the one who had been guilty of causing the 
infringement of rules, and who looked upon it as a grave offence, and they 
determined to have a trial " according to law." 

Necessary arrangements were completed with all possible secrecy and 
dispatch, and upon the appointed evening the clubroom was filled to over- 
flowing ; all the members were present and outsiders whose presence was 
necessary to the proper conduct of the case. Who the judge and jury were 
is not known, but the author was clerk. Some inkling of the matter had 
reached the ears of the delinquent, and it was with great difficulty that he 
was persuaded to "attend a club meeting" upon that particular evening. 
His presence obtained, however, the court was called to order, and the trial 
proceeded with great solemnity and ceremony. The informer was chief 
witness, a sister of one of the members and possessed of the same fun- 
loving nature and the same power of relating facts or fancies with telling 
effect. Hers was not the only testimony taken, but it was so ample even in 
minute details that it was sufficient of itself to prove a decided case against 
the accused, who, in the face of it, or possibly on account of his indignation 
at having fallen into the trap so cleverly laid for him, attempted to say very 
little in his own defence. In due time the jury retired, but the evidence was 
so overwhelming it required but little discussion, and the}' soon returned to 
the courtroom with a unanimous verdict of " Guilty in the highest degree." 
The judge at once pronounced the sentence with becoming gravity and 
awarded the punishment, which provided that the guilty party " should visit 
the young lady as often as he pleased." Thus ended the " mock trial " which 
was locally so famous and caused so much merriment in the recitals of after 
years. Mr. Bolkcom married soon after this, but we think not the young 
lady in question ; the author followed his example before very long, and 
somewhat later Major Holman. He was the last to retain his membership 
in the letter as well as the spirit, and the club died a natural death when all 
of its members were finally turned from bachelors into benedicts. 

Two disasters on Long Island Sound have touched the people of our town 
closely. About twenty years ago the steamer Metis was wrecked and cast 
ashore at Watch Hill, Conn., and Miss Augusta Perry, for many years one 
of our successful teachers, a person whom none knew but to respect and 
love, was drowned. A strange fate befell her after death. She was identi- 
fied as another person, and her body was sent to Pawtucket, where it was 
prepared for burial, arrayed in garments befitting a bride, and thence sent to 
her supposed family in New York State. There the mistake was discovered 
aud she was sent back to her own town and people to be buried. 

June 12, 1880, will long be looked back upon in Attleborough as a day of 



694 A SKETCH OF THE 

great calamity. On the night preceding, about midnight, the steamer Narra- 
gansett collided with the steamer Stonington near Cornfield Light. The 
evening had been pleasant ; " an hour before was beautiful," though some say 
that previous to the accident :i fog had arisen, which at the time had become 
dense. Be that as it may, the passengers one and all attribute the occur- 
rence to gross carelessness, and one at least from our town expresses the 
cause with one short word of three letters, the same which has often been 
found underlying many a wholesale disaster and ruin. The Stonington 
struck the Narragansett about amidships, and through tk the gaping cleft, the 
ravenous waters rushed to devour their prey " ; and to make the horrid process 
more complete fire speedily burst forth to their assistance. On the ill-fated 
steamer the shock was terrible ; partitions were crushed out and berths splin- 
tered into a thousand fragments. Before it could be fully realized the water 
was foot-deep over the saloon deck, and in ten minutes the boat's keel had 
struck the bottom. In as short a time three steamers had come to her 
assistance, but notwithstanding all their earnest efforts many perished. The 
Stonington picked up a number of the drowning passengers, but a large hole 
in her side below the water line made the danger of her sinking so great that 
she transferred the most of those she rescued to the City of New York. 
These steamers remained in the vicinity as long as any living persons were 
to be found, and then pursued their courses, rendering meanwhile all the 
assistance that could be rendered to such of the nearly perished ones as they 
had taken on board. 

Twelve of the passengers on the Narragansett were on their way to this 
town, and most of them were residents. They were James J. and Edwin 
J.Horton, Simeon Bowen, Milton Blackinton, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Goudier, 
P. M. Carpenter, Robert Fulton, Mrs. Frederick Stilson with two young 
children, coming to her family home, and Miss Martha Perry, coming on a 
visit to friends. No boat train passed through on the morning of the 
twelfth, and there began to be some questioning as to the reason, which was 
tinged with anxiety, and at half-past eight o'clock the first rumors came. 
These were conflicting and told nothing with certainty but the fact of an 
accident, and that several Attleborough people were en route for home. The 
anxiety had now become general ; people could not set themselves to work, 
but they gathered in throngs about the depot to get upon the instant every 
scrap of information the wires might bring. The first " ray of light" in the 
deepeuing gloom of uncertainty was a telegram from Mr. Bowen ; and soon 
after, about midday, he arrived, with Mr. Blackinton and Miss Perry on the 
same train. Great was the relief at their arrival, but they brought no 
tidings of the other missing ones, and the fears for their safety were 
redoubled. Messages of inquiry were repeatedly sent to every place where 
it was thought possible to obtain news, but no answers came ; aud, as hour 
after hour dragged slowly on, suspense deepened to agony, and hope almost 



HISTORY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. 695 

abandoned itself to despair. From half-past eleven until after four o'clock 
in the afternoon not a word came over the wires to relieve the terrible doubts 
and fears. Then the safe arrival of Mr. James Horton, Mr. Carpenter, and 
Mrs. Stilson in New York was announced, but the joyful intelligence had a 
heavy coloring of sadness in the accompanying statement that Mr. Edwin 
Horton and the two children were missing. Later came the announcement 
of the safety of Mr. and Mrs. Goudier, and all were thus in some manner 
heard from with the exception of Mr. Fulton. 

Individual experiences differed greatly, but all were sufficiently harrowing. 
Mr. Bowen in spite of the wild disorder, the aimless rushing to and fro of 
dazed and frightened people, managed to make his way to the bow of the 
boat, and here for about two hours he contrived to keep a hold and was then 
taken off iu a small boat by the captain and clerk of the steamer. 

Mr. Blackiuton's first experience of the collision was in being thrown from 
his berth in the lower cabin. He dressed quickly and went to the upper deck, 
where he found the confusion • i indescribable." He attempted to go back to 
the cabin to get a life-preserver, but finding that impossible returned to the 
deck and stayed by the wheel-house. When almost everybody had jumped 
overboard he found a life-preserver without strings. He, however, took it 
with him when he jumped into the water and it buoyed him up until he found 
a floating board, which served him better. His efforts were directed toward 
reaching the Stonington, and when he had succeeded iu getting near he was 
picked up by a small boat and taken on board, where he received the best 
of care and where he remained until he took the cars for home. 

Mr. and Mrs. Goudier both had thrilling experiences. He heard the pilot's 
order to the engineer to reverse the engines, and this was instantly followed 
by the crash. Both wei*e thrown from their berths and it was with difficulty 
they got out of their stateroom, for the lights were put out by the encounter. 
Mr. Goudier went back for their clothing, some of which they managed to 
put on, but neither had shoes or stockings. They reached the main deck 
together, but the water was then waist high and the boat rapidly sinking. 
Seeing an officer with a life-preserver near, Mr. Goudier asked for it for his 
wife. It was refused him. A gentleman at once stepped forward, took off 
his and fastened it about Mrs. Goudier, quietly saying he would take his 
chance. To this noble, chivalrous man Mrs. Goudier owed her life ; and her 
gratitude has been none the less earnest that she has not been able to express 
it, for she never learned even his name. At this juncture a colored man 
standing by her told her to jump overboard, but she was afraid to do this, so 
he offered to jump with her if she would hold him by the hand. Just then 
some one said : " Put her in the life-boat." This was accordingly done ; but 
by a sudden jerking of the ropes, as she was the only person in the boat, she 
was thrown out and into the water. She became unconscious, and on reviv- 
ing found herself in a small boat. Seeing a lady in the water alongside 



696 A SKETCH OF THE 

holding up a baby, Mrs. G-oudier took it, handed it to the gentleman next 
her, and then seized the neck of the lady's dress and assisted her to place her 
elbow over the edge of the boat, thus by her presence of mind saving two 
lives. She fainted again, but continued to clutch tightly the dress of the 
person she was holding up. This boatload were taken on board the City of 
New York, where the kindest treatment and the most efficient aid possible 
were given to all the sufferers by both crew and servants. Mr. G-oudier had 
seen the life-boat launched, and with the aid of two men had placed his wife 
near it, bidden her get in, and said " Good-by." Just then a woman clinging 
to a mattress begged him to save her little boy. He tried to reach the child. 
but something knocked him senseless. When he came to himself the woman 
and child had both disappeared, and he was obliged to save himself from fast 
approaching flames. He finally reached the steamer's bow, where he spoke 
witli Mr. Bowen. Between thirty and forty people were there at the time, 
and in imminent danger of being driven off by the burning pilot-house. A 
slight protection was afforded by dipping blankets in the water to hold up 
1 iet ween 1 hemsel ves and the flames. After a time some thirty or more of 
these persons were taken off in a boat, Mr. Bowen being of the number. A 
half-hour later perhaps, the eight or nine who remained w r ere also taken off, 
and Mr. Goudier was the very last to leave the wreck for this rescuing boat. 
All were taken to the City of New York, where Mr. Goudier at once com- 
menced a search for his wife. This was for some time fruitless, and he sup- 
posed her to be lost ; but presently a gentleman accosted him and on learning 
his name took him to the steward's room, where she lay well cared for but still 
unconscious. When consciousness returned, the steward with great kindness 
provided a stateroom for them, saying it would "be more comfortable." 

The Horton brothers were in a stateroom on the side of the steamboat 
which was struck. Mr. James Horton's berth was knocked from under him, 
and the adjoining stateroom splintered into a thousand fragments. Looking 
through this he " saw the lights of a passing steamer." Realizing what had 
happened he, yet with great self-control, forced himself to dress entirely, 
even to his necktie, for he appreciated the necessity for calmness in facing 
such extreme danger as he felt certain had overtaken them. His brother also 
dressed entirely, and together they went out, passing Mr. Carpenter and Mrs. 
Stilson in the saloon. They went on to the outside, and there together still 
they assisted at putting life-preservers on some of the women. Most of the 
company gathered there went overboard, and suddenly Mr. Horton lost sight 
of his brother, whom he never saw again in life, and of Mr. Carpenter and 
Mrs. Stilson also, who had not been far off. He then climbed up on to the 
hurricane deck, two men giving him a helping hand. At this time men were 
launching the life-raft, so he slid down the bulwarks and as it came near 
swung off, "caught it, and got on." He stayed upon the raft two hours, 
when he was placed on the Stonington, but subsequently was taken to the 



HIS TOE 7 OF ATTLEBOBOUHIL 697 

City of New York and to New York, returning home from there by train. 
Mr. Horton calls the man who had charge of this raft, he thinks the second 
mate of the wrecked steamer, a hero. He did all a single man could do to 
save life and bravely kept near the Narragansett in spite of the fire and all 
the floating obstructions as long as he could find anyone to take on to the 
raft. 

Miss Perry's experiences were very thrilling. She heard a crash, which 
was followed by total darkness in the ladies' cabin. Some one brought in a 
lantern, and she tried to light the gas but could not. She dressed, and a 
gentleman assisted her to put a life-preserver on. Then another crash came 
and with it a great volume of water which was soon shoulder high. She 
made her way out of the saloon and tried to reach the gateway, but the water 
swept her off the steamer to a distance of about thirty feet and near to a 
life-boat. She caught a rope, clung to it for a while, and was then swept 
back to the steamer. She climbed upon a rail and clung to that until she saw 
a chance to get to a raft, and plunging into the water was pulled upon it. 
It was the same onto which Mr. Horton had been taken ; but Miss Perry 
remained upon the steamer Stonington, which put back to Stonington town, 
and from there she took the train for this town. Much kindness was shown 
to such of the sufferers as were taken there by the people of that pi act-. 
Seeing that Miss Perry had no hat, some generous woman took off the bonnet 
from her own head and tied it upon hers. 

Mr. Carpenter, like all who were asleep, was awakened by the awful crash 
of the collision and partially dressing himself left his stateroom to ascertain 
the cause. Mrs. Stilson joined him and they attempted to go forward, but 
were prevented by smoke. This was not more than ten minutes after the 
two steamboats collided. Turning back, before they could cross the saloon, 
" the smoke and fire came up the gangway in a perfect whirl." Then all the 
lights suddenly went out, sure proof that great danger was imminent. Then 
they tried to reach the stateroom where the children were, but the heat and 
smoke made it quite impossible. They managed to get to the stern of the 
boat, where some people were to be seen. Here they became separated, and 
Mr. Carpenter went into the water. He swam away from the steamer in 
order not to get pulled under by the people who were constantly jumping 
overboard at that time. The water was so cold as to soon chill him 
thoroughly, but he remained in it from that time, a little after twelve o'clock, 
until a quarter past two. After a time he found a small bit of plank and 
later another piece, and these he held together and so managed to keep his 
head above water. At one time a woman floated near him and she begged 
his assistance in holding her head up. He did the best he could for, her, 
pushing away a beer keg which kept hitting her head, and he tried to encour- 
age her to believe she would be picked up by someone. Something in the 
water struck against his leg and lamed him, but presently he caught a 



698 A SKETCH OF THE 

floating chair, got his legs around its back and held on to it as tightly as he 
could. After this lie must have become unconscious as he remembered little 
else with distinctness until he found himself on the City of New York. 
When found he was holding the chair so firmly that it was with considerable 
difficulty his grasp was loosened. 

Mrs. Stilson's experience was as trying to nerve and soul as anyone could 
have. She was aroused from partial sleep by the dreadful shock and at once 
deemed the occurrence, whatever it was, serious. She immediately went to 
Mr. Carpenter's door and spoke to him. He answered her call and then she 
returned to her own room, dressed partially, and with Mi'. Carpenter went to 
find out what had happened, locking her stateroom door. Like many others 
she testified to hearing no orders from officers and to seeing no attempts on 
their part to quiet the panic or direct the terrified people in regard to chances 
of saving themselves. Seeing the situation her first thought was for her 
children, and with Mr. Carpenter she started for her room. All attempts to 
reach them were fruitless, and she soon realized that she must abandon them 
to their fate — death either by fire or water. Very soon she lost sight of her 
companion, and presently she was washed overboard. Seeing a rope she 
contrived to get hold of it and with its help to climb upon the deck, where 
she found a life-preserver and fastened it on. The thought came to her that 
unless she made strenuous exertions her husband would surely have to mourn 
the loss of wife and children both, and she must therefore do all her frail 
strength allowed to prevent this and save herself, and the thought nerved her 
to efforts that were almost superhuman. She climbed to the hurricane deck, 
where she saw a boat was being launched, in which she took a place. Some 
men were also in it and the man in charge bade them get out, but Mrs. 
Stilson did this instead and helped to push the boat off. Turning her head 
for a moment to avoid the blinding smoke, when she turned it back the boat 
was gone and she was alone. But she did not give up her courage yet. She 
caught a rope and swung herself into the water, going completely under. 
When she rose to the surface she found herself near a boat, into which she 
asked to be taken. Some of the men said it was already too full, but one 
man among them was brave enough to risk the danger of swamping and 
insisted upon her being helped on board. This no doubt saved her life, but 
her generous preserver's name has remained unknown. She was so chilled 
and exhausted by this time, having been in the water probably for an hour 
and a half, that she herself began to fear she could not survive, and she 
asked the occupants of the boat to put their hands about her neck. She had 
to do this to keep any warmth in her body. There were no oars in this boat 
and the men in it were obliged to move it about as they best could until they 
were rescued and all put upon the City of New York. Mrs. Stilson was put 
into a berth and given brandy and blankets. Here she soon saw Mr. Hortou 
and learned of Mr. Carpenter's safety, and with him returned home by train 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 699 

from New York. She did not once lose consciousness through all those 
terrible hours of agony. She would not yield to despair, but with wonderful 
fortitude and calmness bore the double strain to which she was subjected — 
the severe physical shocks and consequent suffering, and the bitter anguish 
of resigning her lovely children to so cruel and relentless a fate. For three 
days she had to endure the added pain of not knowing whether the sea 
would ever give up to her her dead, but finally the two little bodies were 
found and brought to this town for burial. 

Of the two men who perished little can be said. Mr. Edwiu Hortou lived 
in the water probably for quite two hours, as Mr. Carpenter saw and spoke 
to him twice. The last time he appeared almost exhausted and much dis- 
couraged, and doubtless did not long survive. Of Mr. Fulton's experience 
no single word can be said, for he was found among the dead. A sadder 
case than this could scarcely be imagined, for by his death a wife, with five 
young children, was left almost penniless to face the world alone. Many 
people throughout the town were very generous in rendering every possible 
aid to her in her sore distress, and very substantial proofs of sympathy were 
shown — notably by the one who at the same time mourned a similar loss. 

Severe criticism was generally and freely bestowed upon the management 
of the steamboat company at that time, for everybody felt that the accident 
might and should have been avoided. Whether this be so or not can only be 
fully known when the world's history is read by the light of eternity, but it 
is certain that all who knew of or experienced the horrors of that awful 
night will pray with the utmost fervor that heaven will in the future avert all 
such fearful catastrophes, and we that our town may never again be called 
upon to mourn over such a sorrowful disaster. 

In the month of February, 1873, thirteen women in the city of Philadel- 
phia, received an appointment as a Women's Centennial Executive Commit- 
tee. They were to cooperate with the members of the Centennial Commis- 
sion, to contribute to the success of the contemplated exhibition. This 
number was subsequently augmented by the addition of one woman from 
each State and Territory. They were given authority to dispose of Centennial 
stock and to raise as much money as possible for the proposed object. A 
complete organization was not effected and the women's committee fully at 
work until January, 1875. In due time appeals were made to women all over 
the country through the medium of the public press. The matter was taken 
up in this town, a committee was appointed, and the following appeal written 
and published in the Chronicle: — 

To the Ladies of Attleboro : 

An appeal comes to you from the Ladies Centennial Committee, asking your co-operation in 
carrying out the plans of the International Exposition to be held at Philadelphia, in 1876. The 
objects of the Exhibition are to commemorate the birth of the nation, to show the Industrial, 
Literary, and Scientific development of a hundred years, and to keep fresh in the hearts and 
homes of our people, the memories of Revolutionary men and measures. Shall we. who are 



700 A SKETCH OF THE 

reaping the benefits of -.ill those self-sacrifices, fail to do cur pari in commemorating them? 
The ladies are to have a portion of the Exhibition building assigned them to be under their 
special supervision. A Woman's Auxiliary Committee has been organized, and similar organi- 
zations are recommended in every town and city in the Union to aid in carrying out this plan. 
A large proportion of the states have responded to the call. Will you, ladies of Attleboro, 
have a -hare in this -rami undertaking? It has been proposed that a meeting he called at some 

central point, at an early day.t -ganize and adopt Mich plans and measures as shall he deemed 

most advisable to accomplish the desired end. Shall we not. one and all. be interested and come 
to the meeting prepared to do what we can and thereby show to our children and the genera- 
tions who are to come after us. our appreciation of the noble deeds of the women as well a- the 
men who figured so extensively in the day- of the Revolution. 

-Air-. John Daggett, 

Chairman of Committee. 

At a meeting of this committee. Airs. L. B. Sweet was elected treasurer, 
and it was decided that a portfolio should be made up for the exhibition, 
consisting of a large number of pictures, it was thought from thirty to fifty, 
such as photographs of buildings, illustrations of the gas and water works, 
etc., together with a short sketch of the town's history. To raise the neces- 
sary funds it was decided to have a tea-party, which should include the triple 
attractions of good food, good music, and good speeches, to say nothing of 
good company. On this occasion there were a number of interesting old 
relics on exhibition, among them an earthen plate brought over in the May- 
flower. There were several ancient books, one entitled Divine Fancies, 
and published in 1660; a Tune Book, dated 1721, and a copy of Bulklev's 
Sermons, printed in 1646, and bearing on its cover the quotation, "The 
wicked borroweth & returneth not," conclusive evidence that a certain 
familiar custom of our own time was almost coexistent with books them- 
selves, and has been transmitted to us through the ages with perfect exacti- 
tude. There were also to be seen several pieces of Continental scrip, some 
homespun garments and homemade kerchiefs, the deed of a slave who was 
sold in Freetown in 1732, a copy of the Thanksgiving proclamation for 1800 
by Governor Strong, and a velvet dress coat worn by one of the speakers of 
the evening at the advanced age of three years. 

The toasts were prepared by Mrs. L. B. Sweet, and Dr. G. B. Fittz was 
the toastmaster. 

The first was" The Day we Celebrate; the Landing of the Pilgrims, Deo. 22,1020." 
Hon. John Daggett responded, giving a brief account of the Pilgrims from the time they left 
the old England, until they landed in the New. and claiming a special interest in Forefathers 
Day for this town, because it was once a corner of Plymouth Colony, and anion- it- citizens 
are descendants of the voyagers on the Mayflower. His closing sentiment was: " The Pilgrims 
of l'l\ mouth, and their descendants, — may we always abide in their principle-, and never cease 
to honor their memory." 

This w a- followed by the singing of •' The Pilgrims " by a choir. 

■■our Public Schools; the principles that founded and sustained them are the true foun- 
dations of civil liberty," was responded to by Mr. s. P. Lathrop, who said there need not be 
given a history of public school-, to prove that upon them depended the safety id' our republican 
institutions, because that is the general belief of the present day, only " sectarian bigots" be- 
lieving otherwise. He further said, —" We are thankful today that our father- earh laid the 



HISTOEY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 701 

foundations of our public schools," and he closed his speech with a fitting sentiment in regard 
to our duty in maintaining tbem. 

" Old Hundred " was then sung. 

The third toast was, — "The Mothers of our Land; their heroism, prudence, and other 
graces nerved the hearts and upheld the hands of our fathers in the times which tried men's 
souls. May their daughters emulate their example." 1 Rev. J. C. Gowan gave the response to 
this with a high tribute to the women of the Revolution, and to all true mothers, and their 
mighty influence, and expressed his belief that the women of today are as patriotic a- those <>f 
old. His closing sentiment was: " The great want of America. — mothers.'' 

To the toast: " Our Manufacturing and Commercial Interests," Mr. Homer M. Daggett 
was called upon to respond. He spoke of the growth of manufactures in this town, saying that 
the first mill established in 1790, "ran three cards and seventy spindles," and that the largest 
mills at that period had no more than fifty looms; — and in contrast stated that a factory musl 
now contain over a thousand looms to lie anything accounted of. He closed his remarks by say- 
ing: " Attleboro, as the outgrowth of her manufactories, shows more fine dwellings than any 
other similar town in New England." 

The last toast was: " The Future of Our Country'' responded to by Rev. Samuel Bell, who 
in the course of his remarks spoke of the fact that in Greece the downfall of Republican life 
occurred when there was a departure from the Doric style of architecture, and of his fears 
from signs of a similar nature seen in this land, — the tendency to depart from severe simple 
Republicanism — that "in another century this Republic would be lost, unless saved by the 
great vitality of national life evidently existing.*' The united singing of " America,"' ended this 
very pleasant social evening. 

Another entertainment consisting of music and tableaux was given by the 
ladies. The Declaration of Independence was on that occasion read by 
a young lady of the East village, and it seemed a little ironical that one of 
English parentage should have been selected to render that part of the 
program, though she acquitted herself in the proper, patriotic manner. 
These entertainments were both financially successful, and some fifty or 
sixty dollars were raised, which were used in the purchase of stock. The 
Centennial Board of Finance sold shares at ten dollars each, which were 
represented by handsome certificates. Probably five or six were bought 
with the money raised here, and these were presented to as many of the 
schools, which each appropriately framed its own. 

Beyond the temporary awakening of special patriotic feelings, and the 
social good times which ensued, little was done with regard to the Centennial. 
The proposed portfolio of views and historical sketches was never prepared, 
and no action was taken by the citizens beyond a previously recorded vote in 
town meeting. For some reason the business men declined to show their 
manufactures, and the great jewelry interest of our town had unhappily no 
representation in that remarkable and interesting exhibition. This was a 
matter greatly to be regretted, as its magnitude made it well worthy a promi- 
nent place in the manufactures of the country, and a proper display of these 
goods in their variety of style and finish would have made an attractive 
exhibit and been a credit to the town. 

In the month of February, 1886, the most widespread and disastrous flood 
ever known there occurred in various parts of New England. It will doubt- 
less lono; be known as the " Great Freshet." It is certain that in several 



"02 A SKETCH OF THE 

instances the '* oldest inhabitant " was known to acknowledge he bad never 
seen its like, and in our town and vicinity so much water had never been 
visible before. The previous condition of things was entirely favorable to 
the results effected, for the ground was covered with a considerable body of 
snow and ice so compactly frozen that no single drop of water could penetrate 
it and reach the soil beneath, but everything must collect and remain upon 
the surface. A heavy rain set in, which continued uninterruptedly for thirty- 
six hours and was accompanied by a great and continually increasing rise 
in temperature. This at last broke up and partially dissolved the thick bed- 
dings of ice and snow, and, these contributing themselves to the descending 
floods from above, a great deluge was the natural consequence. Our tow r n 
suffered severely, and for a number of hours the inhabitants were in anxious 
suspense lest the disaster should prove overwhelming. The territory adjacent 
to the Ten Mile River was of course subjected to the greatest danger, though 
every stream became a powerful river, and every tiniest brooklet an impet- 
uous torrent, each adding its greater or lesser mite to augment the sum total 
of damage. 

Plainville from being at the head of Ten Mile River naturally suffered the 
least from its rise, but even there many of the streets were gullied, and many 
houses and other buildings inundated so that business was generally 
suspended. 

The storm was so severe during the day of Friday, February 12, that a 
number of cellars in North Attleborough which had never before suffered in 
that way were inundated, and just at nightfall "the rain took a fresh start, 
and rained for six hours, as few ever saw it rain." Notwithstanding this 
and the fact that people heard various bulky articles in their cellars tumbling 
about in a vigorous manner all through the night, the inhabitants of that 
village were unprepared for the sights which greeted their eyes on Saturday 
morning. The dam at "Whiting's Pond had given way during the night at 
one side, and the remainder was threatening to follow' at any moment. 
" Below it the inundation extended in a broad lake, reaching completely 
round the pumping station on one side and as far as West street on the 
other. At West street a small river was flowing in, fed from the meadow 
near Circular street, which Was, in turn, supplied by a torrent which fell with 
a roar across Circular street. At the corner of Broad and West streets the 
water was over the tops of a man's rubber boots. The water swept down 
stream, crossing Park street at School street so deep that the water rose to 
the hubs of wheels. One man in the vicinity secured his floating woodshed 
with ropes, and several families were advised to move out. At Fisher street 
the stream w r ent directly across the road, and swept up and into the lock-up." 
At that time Blaneyville was under water, "the loss and discomfort some- 
thing dreadful," and the limits of the " Company's pond" reached on the 
west to the -back doors of houses on East Street and into Mr. Stanley's shop 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 703 

on Orne Street, while on the east side the water flowed quite up to Mrs. E. I. 
Richards' stable and far into the confines of the swamp. It entirely sur- 
rounded the factories here, reaching also Mr. Bounett's shop, and over the 
Elm Street bridge it was two feet deep. 

The greatest damage was at the railroad crossing near Whitney's shop. 
For a hundred feet the sleepers were undermined. " At daybreak a huge 
pile of cord wood, lumber and driftwood of various kinds was piled up 
against the track," but after some time it was broken up and went floating 
off down the stream. The neighboring shops were all flooded, Whitney's the 
worst of all, and the only shops in the village that could run were H. F. 
Barrows' and F. S. Draper's. Chestnut Street was so gullied as to be 
" almost impassable," and all along Washington Street the damage and loss 
were verv great. R. Knapp & Co.'s basement was filled with water tk flush 
with the street." In Annawan Block the water reached up to the floor and 
ran out under the door sills. The bank building had more than four feet of 
water in its cellar, and at the Wamsutta House it reached the furnace fires, 
but did not quite extinguish them. In all these places and many more the 
damage was considerable, but Bard en Brothers suffered "'more severely than 
any of the storekeepers in North Attleborough." The cellar of their build- 
ing having always been very dry, they stored many of their supplies of goods 
there, and at this time these were worth some S3, 000 or $4,000. The water 
invaded these premises to the depth of three or four feet, and engines were 
set to work to pump it out with some degree of success. In the Universalist 
church and parsonage cellars the water was several feet deep, and fires went 
out, as was the case in the adjoining residence of Mrs. Simeon Bowen. 
''Many of the houses along Washington street suffered, but chiefly near the 
Baptist church and below the depot, as indicated by the course of the stream." 
In one block on the corner of East and Elm streets the basement tenants 
were turned out about midnight on Friday night " by a stream as large as 
a man's body, entering from the rear" of the building, and in some places 
people were kept busy all night fighting the water and trying to prevent it 
from entering their cellars in unmanageable quantities. Only a few of the 
occurrences which took place have been cited, but what has been said is per- 
haps sufficient to show something of the power developed and maintained by 
the flood here. 

The Falls was considered " the keystone of the situation," and, had the 
dam there given way, the destruction ensuing would have been something 
fearful. As it was, the greatest suffering was caused here. Some time on 
Friday the officers of the braid mill were requested by telephone " to let the 
water go, as it was backing up at the Company's shop." At noon the water 
at the Falls " was going over the capsils, and then all the flash boards were 
taken up." There was no rise at nightfall, but anticipating that there might 
be trouble Mr. Daggett left several men on the watch. At one o'clock the 



704 A SKETCH OF THE 

pond began to rise ; al half-past one its gain was six inches and a gain aver- 
aging four inches an hour continued until five o'clock in the morning, when 
the highest point was reached and when the water was rushing over the dam 
in enormous quantities. It was three feet higher than the capsills, and 
" everything below the dam was flooded." The blacksmith's shop was inun- 
dated, and everything movable floated aimlessly around. The great 
absorbing question was. " Will the dam stand the pressure?" and everybody 
anxiously feared its strength would wholly fail, especially as a large place 
was undermined at the south side. Happily it was sufficiently strong to 
endure the crucial test of those vast masses of relentless, onsetting waters, 
and the town was spared the more awful devastation that must have followed 
upon its downfall. Stanley Brothers and W. D. Fisher & Co. removed the 
stock and tools from their shops, expecting to see the building swept bodily 
down stream, and their expectation was very nearly a realization. " The 
floor settled six inches, the bridge was badly wrecked, and the old carpenter's 
shop was undermined." The tenants in many houses in the vicinity received 
notice to quit their premises, and some confusion resulted, but it is said that 
all acquitted themselves excellently well and accepted the dangerous situa- 
tion with great courage. The scene here was full of grandeur, of sublime, 
fearful beauty, but overwhelming to the beholder with the manifestation of 
infinite power. 

The bridge at the Robinsonville dam was totally wrecked and the water was 
on a level with the railroad and washing over the road. There was a large 
washout at that point and the railroad bridge was rendered unsafe. Common- 
wealth Avenue had two and a half feet of water on it and all the streets at 
and near the Falls in the course of the river were more or less washed. Elm 
Street was impassable from J. F. Sturdy's residence to the railroad, it being 
" packed with barrels, lumber and rubbish," which had floated down there. 
The basement of N. B. Follett & Co.'s store had some three feet of water in 
it. The company were somewhat prepared for the emergency and so suffered 
small loss comparatively, but in many houses the loss was considerable. The 
bridge on Clifton Street was swept away " and assumed an upright position 
about 100 feet down stream," and Commonwealth Avenue had a bad washout 
just west of the Agricultural Association grounds. 

At the Farmers the damage was also considerable. A part of the bank at 
the dam there gave way. and for a time, it is said, "the scene beggared all 
description." The footbridge to the foundry was washed away and a corner 
of the old building itself. The small stone bridge near the residence of 
H. M. Daggett fell in on oue side, and the road there was badly gullied. The 
tiny brook between his house and that of Sumner E. Capron, which that bridge 
crosses, swelled to a torrent of no mean size and rose to the height of Mr. 
Capron's garden fence ; and people wishing to get from one side of the stream 
to the other had to cross on the top of the fence, which afforded but a preca- 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUHII. 705 

rious foothold in the rolling, tumbling waters. Mr. H. N. Daggett early sent 
word to the Farmers of the imminent danger at the Falls and the prospect 
that the dam there would yield to the pressure from above, advising the resi- 
dents to be prepared for that exigency. Tbe yard and garden of his own 
house in that village, then occupied by the Rev. Mr. Philbrook, were flooded 
and the water reached the level of the barn floor. The grounds of the cottage 
just across the river there were filled with dirt and stones, for the swollen 
river rushed through the yard with great force, tearing down fences and 
dashing the debris it collected upon whatever opposed its onward course. 
The residents in this house, Mrs. Elmira Cole and her three children, were 
removed early on Saturday morning by one of the neighbors, H. S. Babcock. 
Even at that time the water had risen to the height of the switch handle on 
the railroad. The bridge at the crossing there sank down on one side and the 
track was washed away for a hundred feet or more, while the bridge at Dean- 
town at the head of the mill pond there was a complete wreck. 

The condition of affairs at Mechanics a little lower down the river caused 
great anxiety during the entire day Saturday, for upon the security of the 
dam at that place depended, it was thought, the safety of the buildings at the 
County Street bridge still further down. All the morning there was a steady 
rising of the water in the Mechanics pond and every moment was full of fearful 
apprehensions for its endurance. The dam there is some sixty feet long and 
it kept intact until midday, when quite a section was washed away and the 
pent up tloods, now let loose, rushed on in ungovernable fury, carrying every- 
thing that lay in their path — small buildings, the foundations of a tenement- 
house, and huge masses of ice cakes, whose cracking and tearing as they 
plunged madly forward augmented the horrors of the scene. Enough of the 
dam held to prevent the entire body of water from going at once, but enough 
poured out to noticeably increase the height of the waters in the meadows 
below in a very short time and to lower the depth of the pond eighteen inches 
almost immediately. Reaching the bridge over the road from the East village, 
the torrent seized and lifted it up bodily — a fragile toy in its mighty hand — 
and bore it aw T ay down the stream. The mill tenement-houses by the bridge 
had been flooded long before and deserted by the inmates, who had removed 
such of their furniture as they could to a place of safety. 

In East Attleborough the residents were threatened with a threefold danger. 
Not only was a wide-spread destruction from the freshet itself impending, but 
incalculable loss from fire should any break out, and an entire famine of water 
in the Avaterworks. Early in the evening of Friday the fires at the pumping 
station were extinguished by the spreading waters of the river, and until the 
Monday morning following there was no way of obtaining a new supply, the 
pump being the only dependence for filling the tank. The registrar issued 
printed notices and sent out special messengers through the village, enjoining 
the people to practise the utmost possible economy in their use of water. 



706 -1 SKETCH OF Tin-: 

Fortunately the supply previously stored was sufficient to last until pumping 
could be again resumed, though in many buildings the force had failed to 
cany to the second stories. As early as Thursday the river here had swollen 
from the rain to unusual proportions and by Friday noon the water had made 
its determined way into the boiler-room of the pumping station. At six 
o'clock in the afternoon it was eighteen inches deep there, and an hour later 
twenty-three inches deep, and soon after the engine fires went out. This rise 
continued all night and on Saturday morning County Street for some distance 
" was fi nihil ile only in long boots," while during the night Mr. Wales had 
been obliged to move his horse and various things from his stable. 

At an early hour it was announced that there could be no railroad traffic 
and consequently no mails. Business generally was suspended and great 
crowds, among which were many women, gathered themselves together to 
watch the Hoods, all fascinated by the sight and yet terrified at the fury of the 
maddened waters. A bystander at this place says: ik Every moment the 
water grew deeper and increased in force. By ten o'clock it was nearly 
impossible for a person to stand upright in the stream which, separated by 
Bushee's shop, formed two violent currents, one of which rushed under the 
bridge, and the other poured between this shop and Wales' blacksmith's shop. 
Carboys were tossed about, and a number belonging to A. Bushee & Co. and 
Horton, Angell & Co. went down the stream. YV. I). Wilmarth & Co. also 
lost their carboys. The stream was now 200 to 300 feet wide and gaining in 
violence. It tore off the fence on the Wilmarth side and poured impetuously 
between the coffin-trimming factory and the old Advocate office. At the 
former, a breakwater was hastily built near the bridge, banked with coal, which 
diverted a great deal of the water. Every moment the torrent between the 
buildings grew fiercer, and it seemed impossible that the latter could stand the 
pressure. The dip house belonging to Messrs. A. Bushee & Co. finally left its 
foundation, and sailing along, was caught by the shop. By noon the water 
was up to the bridge and soon was over it. The water rose to five feet two 
inches in the boiler room, which was four and a half feet higher than ever 
before. The scene after noon was very exciting. All business was sus- 
pended and every one who could got a place to view the still swelling water. 
A rope had been stretched across the street to keep people off the bridge, 
which it seemed must inevitably be swept away. The little foot bridge in 
Hayward's meadow had long before come down, and was under the bridge. 
A little after one o'clock Mechanics bridge rose from its foundation, and 
sailed majestically down stream. It was necessary to prevent it from striking 
the other bridge and boats put out for it. Mr. Edward Weaver was the first 
man on it. and he, Wallace Collom, and W. II. Blaney, with lines secured it 
to a convenient tree." This danger avoided, a new one arose, that from the 
immense masses of floating ice ; and the fire alarm was sounded and the fire- 
men put on duty to ward off these great blocks from bridge and buildings and 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 707 

keep them in midstream, and the men proved themselves as well adapted for 
and as zealous in this work as in their more legitimate one. For two hours 
the fight was a desperate one, as the waters continued to mount higher and 
higher and many of the ice cakes proved almost unmanageable. The iron 
railing of the bridge was broken off, great lumps of ice were piled up in the 
road, sidewalks and roadbed were torn up, and tons of sand and gravel 
thrown up upon the higher land ; and the meadows to the south were flooded as 
far as could be seen. Fears were at one time entertained for the safety of 
Wilmarth's shop, but its foundations proved solid enough to withstand the 
long-sustained shock. About two o'clock the waters reached their greatest 
height and not long after began slowly but surlily and with great reluctance 
to subside. Sunday morning they had greatly abated but there was still a 
deep, though narrow stream between the two shops, and the course of the 
mighty torrent of the day before was marked by a wide line of devastation. 
The damage was not in reality very serious at this point and in a few days 
the shops were running smoothly and the necessary repairs to street and bridge 
had been made ; but if the river-bed was ou a level with the central portion of 
the village instead of through low-lying meadows, it is impossible to calculate 
what the results would have been. 

The Wolfenden Dye Works, though situated very near the river, by singular 
good fortune escaped serious injury, though at three different times during 
the increase of the freshet articles were moved to a safe distance. Every- 
thing movable was upset, but the actual loss was small. The dam at 
Dodgeville had been considered an unusually strong one and great reliance 
was placed upon it all through this critical time, and not vainly, for it stood 
the test as a whole, though it sustained considerable damage. A new wall, 
then but recently built between the dam and the waste-house, was however 
entirely washed away, and opposite that spot about twelve feet of banking 
also, the water forcing itself under the roadway. Some preparations had 
been made here for a rise of water, but of course wholly out of proportion 
to that which actually occurred. The lower floor and boiler-room of the mill 
were filled with the unwelcome element, the machinery was a good deal 
injured, and about two hundred and lifty tons of coal lost. It is said that 
over a thousand persons visited this place during Saturday. 

The bridge on the road which runs from a point between Dodgeville and 
Hebronville to the town farm was badly washed out and damaged, and 
another bridge, lifted from its foundations somewhere above, floated down 
and sympathetically joined this wreck. The dam at Hebronville, which is 
a fine piece of work, held its position firmly, though it was hard pressed, but 
the water rose there to an immense height and pursued its rapid course 
almost unchallenged through the first floor of the mill. A large piece was 
torn away from the corner of the brick blacksmith's shop, and of the more 
than a thousand bales of cotton in the cotton-house about half were soaked 
through. Nearly three hundred tons of coal were lost here. 



708 A SKETCH OF THE 

At Orr's mill near the "City" there was a scene of wild confusion when 
the waters were assuaged. The dam there was a solidly built granite wall, 
and it had wide and deep abutments, which had been strengthened but a 
few years previous. About three o'clock on Saturday afternoon the north 
side yielded to the enormous weight of the collected torrents above, and 
these rushed tumultuously onward, driving everything before them in their 
resistless course. Four huge elm trees standing near the dam were torn up 
by the roots and swept away to a distance of six or seven hundred feet; 
great rocks and stones weighing tons were tossed about like pebbles, and 
gravel and debris were whirled hither and thither like feathers dancing in 
a summer's breeze. For acres around, the ground was strewn with a hetero- 
geneous mass of rubbish. When the dam broke, the current seized upon 
a new way for itself nearer the road, making a powerful stream between the 
bleachery and ice-house, which excavated a chasm of several feet in depth. 
A shed which adjoined the ice-house was swept away, and the basement of 
the bleachery filled with water. The bridges on this river (Seven Mile) 
above and below this point were destroyed, and the stream near the residence 
of Elisha G. May formed an entirely new channel for itself, while the after 
scene in all directions was fearful. The street running through South 
Attleborough was filled with water, a lake was formed in front of the school- 
house, and the cellars on both sides of the way were flooded. One end of 
the bridge fell in, but when the water had subsided it was found it could still 
be used, and the damage altogether in this village was not severe. 

At Adamsdale, on the contrary, it was very great. The bridge crossing 
the old road above the mill was carried away, and below the mill the once 
narrow stream swelled to a river nearly a hundred feet wide. Here another 
bridge was carried away and a great excavation from sixty to eighty feet in 
width was dug out in the south bank, and as far as the eye could reach the 
meadows along the river course were covered with debris of every descrip- 
tion. The mill basement was inundated, the floor forced up in places, the 
oil tanks tipped over ; in fact there was a general wreckage of everything. 
A barn standing near by was uplifted ; one half of it containing hay, etc., 
was left a few rods off, and the other half deposited fully half a mile away. 
The inhabitants were kept up all of Friday night in a state of intense anxi- 
ety. An eyewitness here said: "Every moment the angry stream writhed 
with greater violence, every moment the peril increased. At midnight the 
houses were deserted, and the little band of villagers hastily sought the high 
land, expecting their little homes to be carried away, and that the mill where 
they labored, would be in ruins. These last calamities are happily averted, 
but about half-past five Saturday morning, the massive granite dam, which 
seemed impregnable, gave way with a crash, and the vast body of water 
rushed down tumultuously, overrunning the banks, dashing through the 
streets, tossing great cakes of ice like playthings, and forming a scene which 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOU<rIL 709 

was indescribable, and the full terror of which was kindly hid by the early 
darkness from the alarmed villagers. Morning showed the desolation, the 
rushing torrent, the ruined dam, and the torn up streets. Large cakes of 
ice were lying around, and some of great size were leaning against the corner 
of A. B. Carpenter's cottage, where they evidently saved the house, for the 
water had rushed around it with a force which would have driven it away, in 
all probability, had the ice not saved it." 

The damage to the town's property in the way of highways and bridges 
was very considerable and was often found to be most severe where least 
expected. In a number of instances old bridges which had not been con- 
sidered altogether safe to drive over remained intact, while newer ones were 
completely destroyed, the examination of the authorities into the condition 
of things after the storm of waters had spent itself showing that, if the 
doctrine of the survival of the fittest can be connected with inanimate mat- 
ters, it had in various cases at this time been most peculiarly misapplied. 
Brooks too small to be indicated on the maps of the town took this oppor- 
tunity to force themselves into prominent notice and, broadened and deep- 
ened to respectable rivers, rendered the highways in their courses quite 
impassable. On Broad Street, near Whiting's factory', the bridge remained 
firm in spite of the adjacent severe washout, and that on Fisher Street also ; 
but the roadbed east of the latter was cut down to the rocks. Half of the 
wooden bridge on Chestnut Street was taken away, and the entire street had 
the appearance of consistent and persistent neglect. At Deantown the 
road bridge kept its entirety, though there was a bad washout near it. This 
was the more remarkable because the railroad bridge b} T the pond above was 
wholly destroyed. " The famous selectmen's bridge at Hebronville stood 
through it all, and never turned a hair," someone remarked, while the new 
stone bridges at Oldtown, which were constructed at a cost of $1,400, were 
entirely carried away, "with the exception of a narrow roadway on the 
extreme southern edge." Hunt's bridge bore the continuous and tremendous 
pressure from the large ponds above it most nobly. This bridge is a stone 
arch " 24 feet span, 18 feet in the clear," and the abutments are filled in 
with rock for a distance of fourteen feet back from the edges. It was built 
by Jesse Carpenter, and that is equivalent to saying it is of thorough and 
substantial construction all through, equally sound in every part. The stone- 
arched bridge near Mr. Sweetland's house on the Holmes neighborhood 
road gave way, and all passage on the road was barred. Luckily, just before 
it fell, the milkmen returning from North Attleborough had crossed on their 
homeward journey. There were also other and numerous washouts in vari- 
ous parts of the town, some cellars on Pleasant Street were flooded, and in 
Bearswamp and viciuity the water was very abundant, but the more impor- 
tant damages have been mentioned. Soon after the freshet the estimated 
loss was placed at from $25,000 to $50,000. Including all injuries to per- 



710 A SKETCH OF THE 

sonal property and merchandise, and the delays caused to business men, etc., 
the latter figure may have been nearly reached, though no positive statement 
can be made; the town loss as estimated by one of the then selectmen was 
about §14,000. 

There were of course many amusing incidents, and many accidents 
occurred, but fortunately in this town no fatalities. Mr. William Ilenshaw, 
while leading his horse across a washout, fell and injured his hip, but not 
seriously. Mr. G. A. Dean aud Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Sweet, on their way 
home from New York, found themselves " stormbound " with many other 
persons at New Loudon. Conn. A party of thirty, in which they were 
included, chartered a tug — by an arrangement highly favorable to the owner 
financially — and came to Pawtucket, where, in order to land, the gentlemen 
had to wade ashore and assist the ladies. From there our townspeople 
finally reached home in a coach, only after "a long and roundabout 
journey." At County Street some man attempted to drive through the waters 
while they were subsiding. For a time all went well, but suddenly the 
horse went down, leaving onl} 7 his ears visible. It was thought he must be 
dead, but aid was rendered as promptly as possible, and the beast developed 
such lively and vigorous mulish qualities that all doubts as to his animate 
condition speedily vanished. At this place considerable enterprise was 
developed in a manner that proved convenient to numbers of people. When 
the street became quite impassable as a street, Wallace Collom got a boat, 
and all during Saturday ferried persons across the river, many making the 
little voyage from curiosity, aud others as the only means of reaching their 
homes on the farther side. Mr. J. M. Bates rendered most valuable service 
to East Attleborough by pumping water from the wells at his shops into the 
mains, thus materially supplementing the supply in the tower tank. O. W. 
Hawkins & Co. displayed commendable enterprise in their line. Mr. 
Hawkins and a companion drove to Providence on Saturday, to obtain their 
supply of the Bulletin. It was a perilous drive, but they managed to over- 
come the difficulties and avoid the dangers, and performed the feat in safety, 
having the welcome newspapers in town in the early evening of that day. 

Previous to the occurrence of the freshet there had been continued and 
somewhat animated discussion b} T the citizens of East Attleborough as to the 
advisability and feasibility of taking water from North Attleborough, and 
many had been positive that such a thing was quite impossible. The Chron- 
icle of February 16, 1886, says : " But such have changed their minds within 
the last twenty-four hours. North Attleborough has proved its superiority 
to the home product by completely silencing the batteries of the latter. 
Powerless before North Attleborough's supply, the boilers of the Attleboro' 
pumping station ceased to act. Like Joseph's sheaf, the North water supply 
compelled obeisance to itself." On the other baud it was generally acknowl- 
edged that had there been proper sewerage in the North village the damage 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 711 

from the flood would have been materially lessened, and the Advocate of a 
little later date informed its readers that so universally was this want realized 
that in North Attleborough even the infants were ''crying for a sewer." 
For several days at this time the town was cut off from communication with 
the outside world as regarded mails. The Rehoboth carrier managed to get 
his bag to the East village on Saturday afternoon, and this was the only out 
of town mail — and of course a small and unimportant one — between 
Friday and Monday night. The mail and express packages from North 
Attleborough reached Attleborough some time on Saturday, but the former 
was returned, and the latter had to await the opening of rail traffic. A mail 
was sent to Boston and one to Providence on Monday, the fifteenth, at noon, 
and one received from the former place on the evening of the same day, 
which included a New York mail, while communication with the t; North " 
was hud by carriage. On Monday evening the midnight train on the Branch 
Road went through, arriving at the North Attleborough station at 12.40 a.m. 
This was a very hazardous trip, and at the time the water at the Farmers 
was still so high that it flowed into the door of the baggage car. On the 
following day a gravel train, while attending to repairs, ran into a soft place 
in the road and only got back to a firm place with a good deal of difficulty. 
Regular travel on this road was resumed on Thursday, the eighteenth. The 
Taunton Branch track was badly damaged, and as work on the main line of 
the Old Colony Road had to be done first the repairs there were delayed, and 
the passengers from "Taunton way" for this town and beyond had to travel 
by the old route through Mansfield. Very serious results followed the freshet 
on the Boston & Providence Road, but sufficient repairs were speedily made 
to enable some traffic to be resumed, and trains commenced running on 
the seventeenth, Wednesday. The first through train for New York left 
Boston on the morning of that day, but it was delayed for six hours in 
Providence on account of a " break in the Stoniugton line." The first train 
from Boston to Providence left the former place at 3.50 p.m. of the same 
day and passed through this town at 4. 43. A few days later trains were 
running regularly. 

Throughout this entire vicinity and indeed in all portions of the State the 
freshet was more or less felt, but with the greatest severity in the eastern 
parts, where in some places it caused not only great inconvenience but actual 
suffering. Strange to say, the coming of a freshet was foretold in a curious 
manner, and the visible signs of the prophecy commented upon. Some 
weeks previous Mr. A. A. Folsom, superintendent of the Boston & Provi- 
dence Railroad, called the attention of several gentlemen going over the 
road upon one occasion to a large number of hillocks of earth rising from 
all parts of the Neponset marshes. These little elevations were the work of 
muskrats and were thrown up to a height of several feet. When these 
reach an unusual height, it is said to betoken an expectation on the part of 



712 A SKETCH OF THE 

these little animals of high water over their marshy homes. Mr. FolsoiQ 
observed that he had never seen these mounds so high before and added: 
•• We will have an opportunity of testing the truth of the old aphorism 
regarding the foresight of the muskrat. If there is very high water the 
coming spring, the coincidence will be something remarkable." What was 
foretold by these wise little prophets of instinct was fulfilled to the letter, 
but people when forewarned are by no means always like them forearmed, even 
to the best of their ability. Jn this case, however, no one could have been 
adequately prepared, because the freshet was wholly unprecedented in its 
magnitude; in deed and truth the waters "were increased greatly" and 
" prevailed exceedingly upon the earth." Now that matters are long since 
restored to their wonted order, those who saw this furious onslaught of the 
elements and the wide trails of devastation their ruthless stormy passing 
left behind can look back upon the experiences of those days as something 
to be highly prized. To witness the manifestation of such exalted, mighty 
power, to behold scenes of such majestic, superhuman grandeur is indeed an 
experience whose memories are great and abiding; but those who saw the 
most and felt the deepest, in this time when it seemed as if once more 
"the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of 
heaven opened." will ever welcome the bright appearing of the " bow iu the 
cloud " and with the most fervent gratitude remember the promise of the 
Lord to Noah of old: " Neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy 
the earth." 

A good many years ago a marked improvement in building began to be 
manifest, but for a score of years probably this was confined almost entirely 
to private residences. The first substantial and notable improvement made 
in buildings for public and business purposes was the erection in 1876 of a 
handsome three-story brick block on the corner of Park Street and Railroad 
Avenue in East Attleborough by Mr. James H. Sturdy. Mr. Sturdy showed 
both enterprise and public spirit in no small degree in thus early making so 
large an outlay for such purposes. He was subjected to some considerable 
criticism for what was termed his lack of wisdom, for many people were of 
the opinion that such a building was obviously long in advance of the needs 
of the time. It was speedily proved, however, that his foresight and judg- 
ment were entirely correct, for Sturdy Block became at once useful to the 
community and is an ornament to the village. It afforded suitable accom- 
modations for the First National Bank, Postoffice, Town Clerk's Office, 
Masonic Fraternity, various stores, and some private offices. One of the 
most appreciable features of this enterprise, one for which the owner deserves 
the thanks of the entire community, was the appropriate fitting up of the 
space to be occupied by the postoffice. Lock boxes and other modem 
improvements were introduced at Mr. Sturdy's expense, and for the first 
time a proper place for the reception and distribution of mails was provided, 







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HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 713 

there having never before been a place so suitable in town or one adequate 
to the demands in the larger sections. 

The example so promptly and well set by Mr. Sturdy has been followed in 
frequently recurring instances, and in both of the larger villages of the town 
there are many solid and haudsome structures for business uses. Conspicu- 
ous among these are Bates Opera House, Horton Block, and Pierce Block in 
East Attleborough ; and all the buildings in their vicinity which are occupied 
as stores are markedly superior in every way to those of the same kind of 
twenty years ago, whether they are of recent construction or old buildings 
remodeled. Among the most conspicuous in North Attleborough is Wamsutta 
Block, which, with its commodious theatre adjoining the hotel, covers a large 
space and presents a fine appearance, while the Bank Building, Kendall Block, 
Codding Block, Odd Fellows Building, aud many others give to their vicinity 
on Washington Street quite the look of a city thoroughfare. Indeed this 
entire street, which runs a straight, wide way through the centre of the village 
from the Baptist Church to a considerable distance on the road to Oldtown, 
presents a striking appearance, one calculated to produce a very favorable 
impression upon a stranger. It is a street of which any enterprising manu- 
facturing village would have reason to be proud. 

The first really elegant private residences in town were those built, now a 
long time ago, by Messrs. E. I. and Josiah Richards. The latter is more 
conspicuous from its elevated situation, and the attractions of its extensive 
lawns have been enhanced in recent years by the pretty cottage where Mr. 
Richards' sou resides. The former has large and well-kept grounds, by 
which the river runs. It looks a handsome, luxurious home, and the style of 
the house adds a dignity which enhances the beauty of the whole place. 
The opposite houses, those of Mr. Codding and the late Dr. Foster, impress 
the passer-by with the feeling that their owners have prospered well in the 
world, and that within their walls there reigns that ample comfort which is 
but another name for luxury. The next elegant residence to be built was 
that of Mr. W. D. Whiting at the other end of the North village. This was 
a very costly house, probably the most so in town, and is very handsome, 
though its style and that of those before mentioned have been superseded by 
the "Queen Anne" in all its varied modifications. Not far away stands the 
kt round house " built by Mr. Tift't. This could never have praise for its 
beauty, but it has had fame from its oddity. A number of the older resi- 
dences along Washington Street have been modernized, notably that of the 
late Stephen Richardson, and several handsome new ones erected within a few 
years, among these that of Mr. Theron Smith and Mr. H. F. Barrows, whose 
commodious grounds have been brought to their present state of attraction 
only by great labor and expense. On the side streets running west from 
Washington Street, the old huckleberry pasture land of sixty years ago, are 
scores of pretty homes, and many of the houses, built as modern fashion 



714 A SKETCH OF THE 

dictates, are very charming. Among these and in other situations are those 
of Dr. Foster. Dr. Burden, 0. M. Draper, Edward Price, Arthur Codding, 
E. I. Franklin, T. G. Frothingham, Clarence Fisher, Edwin Sturtevant, 
Charles P. Young-. E. L. Hixon, Hervey Richards, and many others. 

At the Falls village also are a number of very pretty homes, those of 
several members of the Freeman family and the Stanley brothers being 
especially worthy of mention. Wherever the name of Sturdy is connected 
with a place as its owner, there one is sure to find what is comfortable and 
attractive, as in this part of the town in the case of J. F. Sturdy and his 
family. A large amount of territory is now included in the Falls since 
the adjacent village became a part of it. and the houses are scattered far and 
wide. Here and there some of the finer old houses have been allowed to 
remain in their original state unchanged. This is the case with the squarely 
proportioned commodious residence of the late Willard Robinson. It was 
always peculiar to itself with its quaint panel-like style of painting of several 
shades or colors, but it has always had that air of comfort and solidity about 
it which makes one feel that its owner must be what he was, a man of digni- 
fied, high-toned respectability. The two houses which on the Avhole have 
been more successfully modernized than any others in town are in this vicinity. 
One is the residence of R. F. Simmons at what was formerly called only 
Robinsonville and is the " old Robinson house " of a certain branch of that 
family. The alterations were made under the last owner of the name, Mr. 
Frank Robinson, and so artistically that they are improvements, not dis- 
figurements, and give the house the twofold attraction of what is old and 
what is new. The too much plainness of the old style is relieved and the too 
much ornateness of the new is toned down in a happy manner, and the result 
is a charming country house. The other is the residence of H. X. Daggett 
at the Falls village proper. It has greatly the advantage in point of situa- 
tion, as it is on elevated ground near the little eminence known as "Peck's 
mountain." The broad, sloping lawn in front is very inviting in its appear- 
ance and is properly allowed to be almost entirely plain turf, having only 
a few shrubs near the house and a few trees at the foot near the street. 
Great taste has been displayed in the changes and additions made to the 
building itself, for it is still wholly an old-fashioned house, and the noble elm 
that has stood there these scores of years yet bends approvingly over it. by 
no means the smallest attraction of the place. Inside it is still of " ye olden 
time." with its low ceilings, high windows, and narrow passageways; but the 
former discomforts have been banished and their places occupied with the 
luxuries of these latter days. 

In East Attleborough the finer houses are not so elegant and striking as 
some of those at the North village, but there are many which are equally 
comfortable and attractive-looking, and the entire village has more uniformity 
in this direction. The late Charles E. Havward was among the first of his 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 715 

generation to erect a then "new style " of house, and though the fashion has 
changed, the place retains the substantial aspect which cannot be out of date, 
and around it for that owner's sake many pleasant memories will always 
cluster. The nearest neighbor, built by Mr. Samuel Carpenter, was in its 
early days one of the finest houses in the village, and its grounds were 
an excellent example of a fashion then prevalent of filling almost every foot- 
of space with close-set trees and large flowering shrubs, almost hiding the 
house itself from the view of passers-by. In its present owner's hands, Mr. 
Gardner Hodges, it has been much altered and improved, according to the 
present taste, but all traces of the former aspect have not by any means 
been removed, and those who knew it as it was formerly can still recognize 
the lt Uncle Sam" Carpenter place. One sees with pleasure the well- 
appointed, well-kept place of Mr. J. M. Bates near by, who has made much 
of the material he had in house and grounds both. Just above, on North 
Main Street, is the place of Mr. Watson, one of the best appointed in the 
village. Peck Street has several very attractive houses, particularly those of 
Mr. Tucker, the Messrs. Bliss, aud Mr. Wexell ; and that of Mr. Sweet is a 
model of neatness and good care. Among other pleasant places are those 
of Air. Short and Mr. Newell on Bank Street, and the Horton brothers on 
Pleasant Street, the house of the late Gideon M. Horton being the hand- 
somest, built in the latest style. The attractions of South Main Street have 
recently been greatly enhanced by the newly erected houses of Messrs. Smith, 
Crosby, and Cuminings, which are extremely pretty and are all quite near 
those of the gentlemen who lead the way here — Messrs. Sturdy and Dean. 
County Street Hill is now almost entirely covered with dwellings, the finest 
in style and situation being those of Mr. Blackinton, now Mr. Bigney's, and 
Mr. Marsh. The latter is a charming house and commands very pretty 
views. One of the prettiest houses on the other side of the railroad is that 
of Mr. Bullock on Union Street, and the village has f/xtended itself far east 
of this spot, lately nearly the extreme limit, even beyond the meadows on the 
Bearcroft Road, following the lead of Mr. James Sturdy, who selected here 
the elevated site on which he has established his home, and to whom it is 
due that this situation has become desirable. North Main Street changes 
every year, but the Peck house still retains its ample garden, and its wonted 
pleasant look, and its open door for the friendly calls of an extensive list of 
" neighbors " from all over the town and far outside its limits. The old 
Carpenter house just west of this has been entirely made over and after 
a desmxble manner, but one misses the kindly, cheerful faces of its long- 
time occupants, and there, as in many places, has cause to regret the changes 
time must so often bring. 

Leaving the busy, bustling North or East village, one may soon reach parts 
of the town which have been virtually the same for nearly half a century. 
By whichever road the traveler drives he will pass thrifty-looking farms with 



716 A SKETCH OF THE 

commodious dwelling-houses and ample, well-built barns. Especially is this 
true of the road through the Read and Ide neighborhood, than which we think 
there cannot be a pleasanter of its kind perhaps in all the State, though 
equally pleasant may be the one beyond Oldtown to the Holmes neighbor- 
hood and thence on to North Attleborough. These drives would be a 
revelation to those who have heard of Attleborough only as a great 
manufacturing town, and a surprise to some born and brought up within its 
limits. From one point of view — that of marked material prosperity — 
there is cause for a large measure of regret in the fact that South and AVest 
Attleborough have been doomed to a state of comparative stagnation for so 
many years. This is especially true because the opportunity for rapid 
growth was formerly almost within the grasp of these sections, and harder 
for the people because hopes in this direction were legitimately raised, only, 
as it proved, to be disappointed. The first railroad line surveyed in town was 
through its western part, and had that line been adopted the naturally 
resulting benefits, which have been felt in other portions, would doubtless in 
large measure have accrued to these villages. Now, as for more than 
a generation past, so few opportunities in any line of business offer 
themselves to young men just starting in life that these almost everyone are 
forced to search elsewhere for chances of maintenance or success; and for 
this reason the population continues year after year to be about the same. 
From another point of view — that of calm, contented, simple living in the 
midst of the turbulence, the perplexity, and the multiplicity of requirements 
in niDeteenth-century life — there is cause for rejoicing that any spot and 
any people are permitted to continue for even a score of years the same. 
We turn with a feeling of relief from the ever changing, hurrying present 
and contemplate with a real satisfaction scenes that partake of an older, 
slower-moving time. No lack of thrift or abundant comfort is manifest in 
these western villages and their surroundings, but they have about them an 
atmosphere of true quiet and peace, and it seems as if life were really lived 
here with tranquillity and earnestness of purpose and not confusedly and 
half-aimlessly rushed through. At the entrance to South Attleborough is the 
old Ingraham house, where it must have stood for nearly a hundred years, 
and on both sides of the "village street " are the long-familiar dwellings, 
the Draper house, the Barrows house, and many another. There is the 
tannery on the century-old site, though it now stands clothed in new gar- 
ments ; and a little beyond the centre rises the cheerful little chapel, quite 
modern but perfectly in keeping with the entire scene, blending the newer 
and older in a pretty picture. Over the same road one drives or walks, as 
beforetime turning northward, and soon the old "First Church" is seen, 
pointing its spire heavenward from the spot where our town forefathers first 
planted a house of God. Near by is the parsonage, — long may its present 
occupant remain there, — the schoolhouse, where one early stood, and the 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 717 

queer little powder-house. A picture of quiet peace aud plenty is to be 
found in the neatly kept homestead of Mr. May, not far from the church, 
and its outward appearance but faintly mirrors the tranquil happiness that 
reigns within. A kindly spirit of helpfulness dwells here, and though many 
of its fellows have vanished from the land, this is still a pattern New 
England country home. Not far away southward is the old Newell house. 
It still shows how the famous old tavern looked, for its outward appearance 
is not much altered, and it is still literally the Newell house, being occupied 
by the fifth generation of that family. Long may its stanch old timbers 
weather wintry blasts to come, aud may there never be wanting one of the 
well-known name to dwell beneath its time-honored roof ! All around are 
scattered the homes of the farmers, who, with their families Sabbath after 
Sabbath, gather at this historic spot, to the sound of the " meeting-house " 
bell, as their fathers and their fathers' fathers did before them. This whole 
place is full of cherished recollections and hallowed associations of kk ye 
olden time." Long may it be ere their memory fades away, and may that 
day be late in its appearing when the sway of the peaceful contented past 
still lingering over this pretty region shall give place to the engrossing power 
of the restless, dissatisfied present ! 

As we have mentioned some of the handsome buildings in town we should 
not omit to mention those who have carried out the ideas of owners and 
architects in their construction. Bennett & French and Edmund S. Cargill 
are the principal builders in North Attleborough, and they have had charge 
of some of the finest buildings recently erected there, both public and private. 
In East Attleborough William H. Goff is prominent, and has built a number 
of the new houses and Bates Opera House. His success in carrying out the 
architect's plan in the latter case is alone sufficient to attest his ability. 
Here also Charles N. Grant has within a few years become prominent in this 
line. He built the residences of Mr. Marsh and Mr. J. M. Fisher in the East 
village and that of Mr. Mackreth at the Falls. He built the new Y. M. C. 
A. building on County Street and the residence of Mr. G. St. J. Sheffield, 
which was the home for a generation of the author of this work. 

We are justly entitled to a considerable degree of pride in the position of 
our town by reason of the ability displayed by our business men, and we may 
honestly congratulate ourselves upon its outward appearance. On the whole 
and as a whole it has a remarkably thrifty look ; there is very little shabbi- 
ness to be found, comparatively speaking, in any part of its territory, and 
few if any tokens of extreme poverty, and in the cases where such tokens 
are more or less evident examination would probably show them to be the 
result of shiftlessness not necessity. We may also be proud of the long list 
of highly gifted men to whom Attleborough may claim the honor of giving 
birth. Many of these her sons have gone forth to take prominent places 
in the literary and intellectual world, and many others, both sous and 



718 -I SKETCH OF THE 

daughters, destined to remain at home, have there quietly cultivated the 
talents given them, and their attainments though not always widely known 
are both creditable and worthy. Our newspapers have long testified to the 
ability of sons both by birth and adoption. The editorial columns of the 
older of these may safely challenge comparison with those of many a city 
journal of repute, and its whole tone is higher than many of these ; while 
the younger, attempting less in this particular direction, may as safely 
challenge comparison as a sprightly, interesting publication, a "newsy" 
town newspaper. Each in its own line deserves equal credit with the other, 
and both are creditable to the town. 

"We nave now in town three writers. Mrs. Lucy B. Sweet has these many 
years been called "our town poet." Her words come from the depths of a 
womanly heart and appeal to the hearts of her readers, and whether they be 
in prose or verse are spoken ever and with " no uncertain sound " on the 
side of the highest right and the best good. Many will recall the songs she 
sang so full of faith and cheer during the gloomy days of the Rebellion and 
remember that hearts were gladdened and courage w r as strengthened by their 
bright brave words. A younger woman has somewhat recently entered this 
same field of verse — Miss Mary A. Mathias, of West Attleborough, whose 
poems are especially well known to the readers of the Chronicle. Her talents 
are unquestioned and her productions have "the ring of the true metal in 
them." Some years since several charming story books for children and 
young people made their appearance, published by an unknown writer. 
Happily such secrets cannot long be kept and happily too in this instauce the 
pleasant fact transpired that Miss Mary J. Capron, of our town, was their 
author. Miss Capron essayed writing in a line in which success is difficult 
of attainment, that of amusing to gain the attention and at the same time 
instructing children in the highest ways. Her abilities were abundantly 
proved by the success she met with, for these stories were attractive and 
instructive to little people and interesting and useful to their elders. Her 
pen is always occupied in the furtherance of some good work, but it is unfor- 
tunate for her numerous readers that she no longer employs it in this former 
direction. 1 

The fashion of disputes was set at a very early date, according to the 
highest authority in the first days of the infancy of the race, and none ever 
known to the world has been more faithfully followed. One of the most 
ancient of customs, it has been so well maintained that it has never fallen 
into disuse, never been in the least " out of date," but has come down to us 
through all the ages in " unalloyed purity." It can change form, feature, 
dress, and manner to suit every clime and every exigency, but the real spirit 
of controversy — that inherent element of human nature — remains through 

1 Miss Caprou has since died. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 719 

all quite the same ; and disputes nowadays, like one of old, are apt to make 
a display of considerable knowledge of both good and evil. Our town lias 
always purposed to " keep up with the times " as far as possible, sufficiently 
at least not to warrant the stigma of being " out of the world " because " out 
of the fashion " ; and enough of this spirit has been manifested here xt differ- 
ent times to prove our people to be lineal descendants of Adam. Perhaps 
the most lengthy controversy with which any of our citizens have been con- 
nected since the Angle tree boundary line was finally and firmly laid is the 
one, half public, half private, so long going on in the east part of the town. 
It was on the docket for many years, not always active, frequently quite 
dormant, but always ready to arouse itself on the slightest provocation when 
nothing more important claimed the chief attention of the community. Hap- 
pily it has now been brought to a final issue and in a most desirable manner. 

Whereas the planting of one particular tree in the midst of a certain plot 
of ground caused the beginning of the world's first angry discussion recorded, 
which humanly speaking was fraught with such grave results to all the 
following races of men, in the instance of which we write, the planting of 
many common trees in another certain plot of ground has caused the cessa- 
tion of a late and somewhat violent discussiou, whose results promise to be 
filled with cheerful and lasting benefits to at least a small portion of one of 
the races of men. Here, instead of a driving forth of the inhabitants and 
the dying out of a beautiful garden, we look to see a pretty little park grow 
up, under the shade of whose trees as under their "own vine and fig tree " 
the dwellers of the " East Precinct" will meet in the future to amicably dis- 
cuss not angrily dispute over the affairs of the community — even to 
boundary lines — and of the world. 

The controversy to wmich reference is made is the one over the tract of 
land known as "The Attleborough Common," and which during the past ten 
or twelve years has been especially exciting. The parties concerned were 
"The Second Congregational Parish, and The Attleborough Public." 

" The parish based its claim upon three things : on a gift of land from 
John Sweet in 1744; on an alleged purchase of land east of the John Sweet 
lot, in 1794 ; and on a bequest of land from the heirs of Dr. Abijah Everett, 
south of said John Sweet lot, in 1829." Attempts on the part of the parish 
to exclude the public from this ground caused the matter to be brought to a 
legal issue. As can be seen on previous pages of this history, the lands in 
this vicinity were purchased from the Indian owner thereof, for some inhabi- 
tants of Rehoboth, by Captain Thomas Willet and his associates, they 
" having been first authorized and empowered by the Court for that purpose," 
and in this way it came into the hands of the proprietors of the Rehoboth 
North Purchase. The records show how this laud was divided into shares, 
giving the "metes and bounds" of each man's "grant," or "lay out," and 
these records constitute the legal title to the lands. On June 7, 1743, 



720 A SKETCH OF THE 

exactly two months later than the date of the division in the First Parish of 
Attleborough, John Sweet laid out four acres and one hundred and eight 
rods of land. In this was comprised the present kirkyard, a part of the 
land over which at this point the Boston and Providence Railroad passes, 
" and a wedge of land that enters the west side of the common and termi- 
nates in a point two rods wide, just south of the band stand, where the present 
(about 1883) foot-path now crosses." Some of the paving stones that lay 
in front of the old church were at that time visible in the path. Mr. Sweet 
was most assuredly a generous man and withal a public-spirited citizen, and 
a year after taking it up for himself he donated some of the above-men- 
tioned land to the parish for the uses and purposes described in the deed 
which follows : — 



To all peojile to whom these presents shall come, Greeting 

Know you that I, John Sweet, of Attleborough. in the County of Bristol, within his 
Majestie's province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, yeoman, for in consideration 
of the love and good will and respect which I have and do hear towards the inhabitants of 
the Second Precinct in Attleboro and divers good causes and considerations in thereunto 
moving, have given, granted, aliened, confirmed and conveyed, and by these presents do freely, 
fully and absolutely give, grant, alien, convey and confirm unto said inhabitants their Heirs 
and assignees, one acre of land whereon the meeting-house now stands, to be improved for that 
use so long as said precinct shall keep a meeting-house for the public worship of God upon said 
lot and no longer. And if the said precinct shall choose to move the meeting-house to any other 
place in said precinct, that then the said land to return to the said John Sweet, his heirs and 
assignees forever. Said land lying on Bungay plain adjoining to the land belonging to the heirs 
of John Peck and bounded as follows: 

The first corner being a stake and stones for a corner near the southwest corner of the 
meeting-house in the line of said Peck's laud; from thence running north nineteen rods by 
said Peck's land to a stake and stones for a corner; thence east sixteen rods to a stake and 
stones for a corner, — standing on the west side of the highway: thence bounded by the said 
highway southerly till it comes even with the first corner; thence west two rods to the first 
corner. To have and to hold the said granted bargained premises, with all the privileges to 
the same belonging or in any way appertaining to the inhabitants of said precinct, their heirs 
and assignees to their proper use. benefit and behoof. And the said John Sweet for me my 
heirs, executors, administrators do covenant and grant to and with the inhabitants of said 
precinct, their heirs and assignees, that before the unsealing hereof I am the true, sole and 
lawful owner of the above said premises, and am lawfully — and possessed of the same in my 
own proper right, of a good, perfect and absolute estate of inheritance, in fee simple, and have 
in myself good right and lawful authority to convey and confirm said premises in manner as 
above said and the inhabitants of said precinct, their heirs and assignees, shall and may from 
time to time, and at all times by virtue of these presents, lawfully and peaceably and quietly 
have, hold and possess and enjoy the said described premises with the appurtenances free, and 
clear, and freely, and clearly acquitted, exonerated, and discharged of from all other gifts, 
grants, bargains, sales, leases, mortgages with entales. Jointures, Dowers, judgments, execu- 
tions, encumbrances and entent furthermore I, the said John Sweet, for my heirs, executors, 
administrators, do covenent and enjoy the above demise and premises to them the said inhab- 
itants of said precinct, their heirs and assignees against the lawful claims or demands of any 
person or persons whatsoever to warrant, secure and defend. I am witness whereof, I, the 
said John Sweet, have hereunto set my hand and seal this day of one thousand seven hundred 
and forty-four, signed and sealed and delivered in presence of 
Thomas Wilmarth ) 
Robert Titus J J° bu Sweet [L. S.] 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 721 

The church was erected as has been seen, and later the burying-lot laid out 
in the northwest corner of what was called the " meeting-house lot," it being 
a purchase made by the parish. The meetinghouse lot then extended across 
the present railroad tracks near the church and into the present common, and 
to this portion of the common, the northern, the parish have without the 
slightest doubt a valid claim. 

Our information on the *' common" question is to be found in the " His- 
tory of the Attleborough Common," a pamphlet prepared and published in 
1885 by the gentlemen who were then most interested in settling the much 
discussed matter of ownership and in making the spot an ornament to the 
village. Having acknowledged this first asserted claim of the parish to a 
portion of the common, the history goes on to consider the second, " an 
alleged purchase of land." An article in the warrant for a parish meeting 
which was held March 31, 1794, reads as follows : "To see if the inhabitants 
will agree and vote to buy of Dr. Abijah Everett and Dr. Syril Carpenter 
and Abial Dunham, 191 rods of land from of said meeting-house for to 
enlarge the common." A committee was chosen at this meeting to confer 
with the owners of the property and report. This the committee did, in due 
time ''advising the parish to buy eighty-six rods of Dr. Everett, and thirty 
rods of Deacon Syril Carpenter and Abial Dunham." This report was 
accepted, but no report of a subsequent purchase is extant. The vote to 
purchase proves only that the parish was not previously possessed of this 
land, and while it is natural to suppose that the purchase may have been 
made, the absence of records to show actual possession makes the claim only 
a presumptive one and therefore not strong. The third parish claim was for 
a "wedge of land south of the John Sweet lot," the same being a bequest 
from the heirs of Dr. Abijah Everett in 1829. With regard to this claim we 
quote directly from the above-mentioned history of the common. It says : — 

" In describing the claims of the parish to the wedge of land south of the 
John Sweet lot, on what is now Park street, it is necessary to revert to the 
middle of the last century and take our position on what is now Dr. San- 
ford's corner. South Main street was then the Old Bay road, and Park 
street, a highway leading directly to the Common. In 1765 one Jonas Rich- 
ardson lived on this corner and owned a large farm, comprising man}'' acres 
lying south of said highway and east of the Bay Road. This highway then 
existing and running from Dr. Sanford's corner to the meeting-house, a dis- 
tance of some thirty-five rods, was originally laid out three rods wide, but 
had been narrowed to two rods, so that complaint was made to the selectmen 
and the road was again laid out three rods wide in 1765. This road is desig- 
nated in the layout as running from the northwest corner of Jonas Richard- 
son's lands, about thirty-two rods until it came to said meeting-house. 

"In 1787, Jonas Richardson, 'Doctor of Physsick,' sold this farm of 
thirty-one acres to Abijah Everett, who held the same until 1789, when he 



722 -1 SKETCH OF THE 

sold it to Jabez Ellis. In these deeds the distance from the corner to the 
meeting-house, along the highway, is designated as thirty-five and a half 
rods, a part of said highway being the present Park street. 

"In L 795, Jabez Ellis sold the premises to one Amos Wilmarth, and it 
was at this time that the bend in the road where W. H. Hardin's drug store 
now is. (1885) was established, since in the deed passed by Jabez Ellis to 
Amos Wilmarth the frontage on the highway was given at twenty rods instead 
of thirty-five and a half roils, as in all previous deeds, the line then swerving 
from the highway in the direction of the present Park street, while all the 
other boundaries remained unchanged." The south part of the common was 
thus left uuconveyed, and still in the hands of Jabez Ellis. Since this date 
" no legal conveyance of the southern portion of the Common has ever been 
made to any one." On January 31, 1829, Amherst Everett and others, the 
heirs of Dr. Abijah Everett, "quitclaimed their interest in the Common to 
the Second Precinct of Attleborough," but, as in 1789 the father had deeded 
his entire farm to Jabez Ellis, they had in reality no interest in the common 
at all, and this conveyance therefore meant nothing really substantial. Thus 
argued, then, it was proved that the parish had in reality a thoroughly valid 
claim to only " that portion of the present common which is covered by the 
John Sweet deed." 

Within the past fifteen years two lawsuits relating to the titles of this land 
have taken place. The first one arose from the laving out of the highway 
adjoining the railroad and running from Park Street directly into Pleasant 
Street. At this time a small part of the John Sweet lot was taken, and the 
parish called a sheriff's jury, placing their damages against the town at the 
sum of $3,200. The trial was conducted at Union Hall, commencing on 
December 9, 1874, and ending on December 12 following. The jury after 
the hearing consulted for several hours and finally brought in a verdict for 
the plaintiff and awarded 875 damages. 

Again we quote from the history : " Major David E. Holman, whose land 
formerly belonged to Syril Carpenter and Abial Dunham, in common with the 
public had crossed the Common at will and claimed an unobstructed right of 
way. Accordingly in the summer of 1873, Maj. Holman several times 
removed the fence that had been erected by the parish, and opened a way 
across the old John Sweet lot. The fence was replaced by the parish and 
left standing for some time. In the spring of 1876 Maj. Holman again 
removed the fence, crossing the Common south of the old John Sweet lot. 
The parish then brought suit against Mr. Holman in the Superior Court, in 
the March term of 1876, at Taunton. The defendant required the parish to 
specify which trespass the plaintiff relied upon in the case, and the plaintiff 
selected the trespass of 1873, which opened a way across the old John Sweet 
lot. Many old residents of Attleboro, and among them the defendant and 
his brother. Samuel Holman, testified to a clear recollection of the old church 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 723 

and its surroundings. That the land had never been fenced prior to the 
enclosing of the same by the parish in the fall of 1872, and had always been 
open to the public. The court in summing up the case said that for the pur- 
poses of that trial he should hold that the title to the land in question, (which 
involved the old John Sweet lot,) was in the parish, but that the use of it 
was in the public. That the parish might embellish the same and maintain 
their fence, but that at any time when the fence obstructed public usage, 
it might be removed by the public. In this case the defendant claimed a 
private right of way and justified his act under that claim, which position 
the court held was not tenable, as the use of the Common was in the public." 
The court in this case awarded the plaintiff the sum of $25 damage. 

After this suit the matter remained quiescent untill the fall of 1878, 
" when a platform was erected on the south end of the Common for dancino." 
The parish committee attempted to remove this platform, but they were pre- 
vented by G. M. Horton. The parish immediately sued Mr. Horton and the 
case remained on the files of the court for three years, when it was tk discon- 
tinued without coming to a trial." 

Soon after this a movement was set on foot by citizens to purchase the 
right of the parish in the common. "At its annual meeting in March 1881, 
the parish voted to sell this right for $1,000, under proper conditions and 
to proper persons," and the purchase was finally consummated. At the 
annual meeting, March 25, 1882, the old committee on parish lands presented 
a report and was then discharged, a new committeee being appointed in its 
place. The regular parish committee at this time consisted of S. W. 
Carpenter, John Thacher, and N. D. Briggs. To this number were added 
J. H. Sturdy, E. S. Horton, C. E. Bliss, E. S. Capron, and J. B. Savery, and 
they were vested with the necessary power " to sell the parish's right in the 
Common for $1,000, and to determine the conditions." This committee held 
its first meeting on the March 30 following its appointment and then deter- 
mined upon what conditions the transfer should be made. Among these was 
one providing that the property should " be conveyed to fifteen trustees to be 
held in trust for the public, and that the premises should be used for no pur- 
poses injurious to church property." 

The citizens who had interested themselves in this matter had meanwhile 
subscribed the required sum, and early in April they met and chose a commit- 
tee to confer with the one appointed by the parish. This committee consisted 
of the following gentlemen : J. M. Bates, C. E. Haywarcl, B. J. Angell, Henrv 
"VVexel, and G. M. Horton. On the evening of April 6, the two committees 
met in the town clerk's office and w*orked together in perfect harmony. 
Jointly they appointed the following named gentlemen as a board of trustees : 
J. M. Bates, J. H. Sturdy, E. S. Horton, John Thacher, L. Z. Carpenter, 
A. A. Bushee, C. E. Bliss, E. S. Capron, H. S. Babcock, B. J. Angell, 
C. E. Haywarcl, Henry Wexel, J. L. Carpenter, W. H. Goff, and S. W. 



724 A SKETCH OF THE 

Carpenter; and :it the same time "E.S. Horton for the parish, and J. H. 
Sturdy for the donors, were instructed to each have separate deeds executed, 
to be submitted for choice, approval or rejection at a meeting to be held 
in one week." 

The following is a copy of the subscription paper with the names of the 
subscribers and the amounts each subscribed : — 

Attleborough, March 22, 1882. 

We, the undersigned, citizens of Attleboro, who desire to see the "Common" so called, 
placed under different control, and used for the benefit of the Public, agree to pay the sums 
subscribed by ns for the purpose of paying to the second parish the sum of one thousand dol- 
lars, ($1,000) provided that the parish will deed all the right and title that they have in said 
property, ami that deed or conveyance shall be satisfactory to a committee chosen by the 
subscribers or citizens of this place. 

Also m committee to he chosen by the parish, as they deem best, said subscription to be null 
and void if satisfactory settlement cannot be made on or before July, 1882. 

Said parish at a regular meeting voted to release all right and title upon the payment of the 
abo\ e oamed sum. 

.1.31. Bates, Chas. E. Ilayward, B. J. Angell, G. M. Horton, and Mrs. E. J. Horton each 
subscribed $100;— E. S. Horton, Chas. E. Bliss, J. H. Sturdy, A. Bushee & Co.. ffm. Blaekin- 
imi. Watson & Newell, Cummings & Wexel, and Pierce & Carpenter the sum of $50 each; — 
•■< ash" $25; — S. W. Carpenter, G. N. Crandall, L. Z. Carpenter, E. S. Capron, Wm. M. 
Fisher. $10 each; E. Sanford, $5; and again CM. Horton $20 in addition, which completed 
the necessary amount. 

following is the deed from the parish to the trustees : — 

Know all Men by these Presents: 

That the Second Precinct in Attleborough, a corporation duly established by law in Attle- 
borough, in the County of Bristol, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in consideration of 
the sum of one thousand dollars, paid by Joseph M. Bates. James H. Sturdy, Everett S. 
Horton. John Thacher, Lucius '/,. Carpenter, Albert A, Bushee, ('has. E. Bliss. Everett S. 
Capron. Hartford S. Babcock, Benjamin J. Angell, Charles E. Hayward, Henry Wexel, Jesse 
L. Carpenter, William H. Goff, and Shepard W. Carpenter, all of said Attleborough. the 
receipt whereof is hereby acknowledged, do hereby give, grant, bargain, sell and convey unto 
the said Joseph M. Bates, James H. Sturdy, Everett S. Horton, John Thacher, Lucius Z. Car- 
penter, Albert A. Bushee, Chas. E. Bliss, Everett S. Capron, Hartford S. Babcock. Benjamin 
J. Angell, Charles E. Hayward, Henry Wexel, Jesse L. Carpenter, William H. Goff, and 
Shepard W. Carpenter, and their successors and assigns to their own use and behoof forever, 
but in trust nevertheless, for the use and benefit of the inhabitants of the present territorial 
limits of Attleborough Fire District. Xo 1. of said Attleborough. 

The premises to be held forever for public purposes as a Park or Common, and said premises- 
or any part thereof, shall not be sold or conveyed to any person or persons. 

In case the above conditions arc not complied with, then the within granted premises shall 
revert to the Second Precinct in Attleborough. 

Provided, however, that should the premises, or any part of the same, at any time be taken 
by any act of the legislature, the compensation received by reason of the same, shall and may 
be used by the said trustees, or their successors, in the improvement of the remaining portion 
of said premises, the purchase of land for. or improvement of another park within the present 
limits of the said -'Attleboro Fire District No. 1," or towards the establishment or mainte- 
nance of a Public Library for the use of the inhabitants of the said present limits of Attleboro 
Fire District, No. 1. 

The above named trustees shall hold the office of trustees for the period of three years from 
the date of this deed, or until their successors are appointed. 

At the expiration of the said three years, or as soon thereafter as maybe convenient, at a 
meeting of the voters of said district, called by the Secretary of the above named board for 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 725 

that purpose, :i board of fifteen trustees shall be elected for the term of three years, and there- 
after the election of trustees shall occur at the end of each and every three years, or as soon 
thereafter as convenient at a meeting called as aforesaid for that purpose. 

Any vacancy occurring in the board of trustees shall be filled by the then existing board. 

In witness whereof the said Second Precinct in Attleborough has caused its seal to be hereto 
affixed, and these presents to be signed, acknowledged and delivered in its name and behalf, by 
John Thacher, its treasurer, this sixteenth day of June, a.d. 1S82 

In presence of 

[Signed] Job B. Savery. 

Second Precinct in AttJeboro, signed by 

John Thacher [L. S.] 

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. 

Bristol, s.s., June lfit'i 1882. 

Then personally appeared the above John Thacher, and acknowledged the foregoing instru- 
ment to be the free act and deed of the Second Precinct in Attleborough. 
Before me. 

[Signed] job B. Savery, 

Justice of the Feace. 
Bristol County, North District. Sept. 23, 1S82. 
Then received and recorded this deed in book 406 of Land Records, pages 169 and 170. 
Attest. [Signed] J. E. Wilbur, 

Registrar. 

A meeting was held in Sturdy Block September 12, 1883, and the following 
trustees organized : Joseph M. Bates, Everett S. Horton, Lucius Z. 
Carpenter, Charles E. Bliss, Hartford S. Babcock, Charles E. Hayward, 
Jesse L. Carpenter, Shephard W. Carpenter, James H. Sturdy, John 
Thacher, Albert A. Bushee, Everett S. Capron, Benjamin J. Angell, Henry 
Wexel, and William H. Goff, with J. M. Bates, Pres., J. H. Sturdy, Vice- 
Pres., and E. S. Horton, Sec. and Treas. 

It was some time before any practical results beyond consummating the 
purchase could be attained. Plans as to the best methods of embellishing 
the common had to be discussed and decided upon, and then the all-important 
funds needed had to be solicited. Under the earnest and diligent efforts of 
the trustees, none of whom were more diligent than Major Horton, these 
things were finally accomplished. The ground was curbed and properly 
graded, and paths laid out in various directions, the expenditure for this 
work being about 81,500. For doing this work seven persons subscribed 
$100, four $50, eleven $25, and sixteen $10 each, the total amounting to a 
little less than the sum required. The remaining balance owed by the trus- 
tees has been or will very soon be paid. 

Meanwhile the people of the community had been requested to donate trees 
to be set oat on the common when it should be properly prepared, and to this 
call there was a very generous and general response, as may be seen by the 
following list of donors : Geo. Mackie, G. T. Holmes, Seneca Cole, C. M. 
Gustin, C. B. Des Jardins, Ed. Miller, D. C. Club and friends, L. Z. Car- 
penter, Ray Horton, H. S. Babcock, W. O. Sweet, P. M. Carpenter, John 
Mahony, P. E. Brady, Mrs. W. M. Fisher, J. J. Thayer, Robert Burns, 



726 A SKETCH OF THE 

G. A. Adams, T. W. Williams, Mabel Hortou, Mamie Horton, John Thacher, 
E. 1). Kobbins, E. Claflin, Isaac Braman, C. E. Parmenter, Peter Nernev, 
George Randall, Alice Holden, Dr. C. S. Holdeu, J. 0. Mowry, 0. W. 
Hawkins, Elijah Capron, S. N. Carpenter. E. E. Engley, Nella A. Blaekin- 
ton, G. L. Titns, Mrs. Chattertoirs school, J. J. Horton, L. W. Barnes, 
S. M. Holman, E. IE Sweet, C. L. Watson, S. W. Carpenter, F. I. Babcock, 
J. T. Bates, B. A. Cummings, S. H. Sprague, J. C. Cummings, J. L. Car- 
penter, Walter A. (apron, L. B. Capron, Ralph B. Capron, F. A. Newell, 

E. A. Morse, L. T. Starkey, High School classes of '88 and '89, Grammar 
School classes of '88 and '89, Snb Grammar School girls, Sub Grammar 
School boys, and Ladies' Relief Corps. 

Each tree was numbered and the name of the donor of the same attached, 
and these have been planted to the number of ninety-three. May each one 
of these saplings grow and flourish mightily until it shall become a great tree, 
and the whole place be " a thing of beauty, and a joy forever" ! 

This whole work was done under the management of the trustees chosen in 
1883. The only changes made in the board up to 1887 were caused by the 
death of Mr. Hayward and of Mr. Angell, in whose places J. L. Sweet and 

F. A. Newell were elected. 

We have given the history of the Attleborough Common thus at length, 
because the spot is an historic one. Many memories of early days cluster 
about it, and its story furnishes many glimpses full of interest far back into 
the past. It is also a great pleasure to record such actions as those of the 
liberal-minded and public-spirited citizens who enlisted so heartily in this 
laudable enterprise. They had constant need to remember the fact that their 
really beneficial ends were positively possible of attainment only at the cost 
of unremitting effort, for many discouragements met them on the way, and 
many and great obstacles lay in their path ; but with great determination 
they resolutely pushed the work steadily forward to its creditable completion. 
For this they richly deserve hearty congratulations and high encomiums of 
praise from the community and town, and indeed from many a passer-by who 
must have wondered why the enterprising village of East Attleborough left 
this central spot to be so long a blot upon its otherwise pleasing appearance. 

If every controversy could with certainty be brought to its close in so 
amicable and highly promising a manner as this one, the world might well 
adopt the theory that " the end justifies the means." It might even indeed 
be wise to start a small quarrel now and again, that out of the great evil 
thereof a greater good might come. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 727 



CHAPTER XXI. 



CEMETERIES. 



THE oldest graveyard in town, where the first settlers are buried, is the 
"Old North Burying Ground," or "Hatch's burying ground," as it 
is sometimes called, situated on the easterly side of the " Oulde Bay Road," 
later the Boston and Providence turnpike, opposite the Hatch tavern, for- 
merly the site of Woodcock's Ordinary- The situation was the result of 
accident. During Philip's war, Nathaniel Woodcock was slain here b} T the 
Indians and buried on the spot" where he fell, which spot is still pointed out 
in the centre of the yard. This parcel of land, " at least six rods square, 
or the contents thereof," was set aside by John Woodcock, the father of 
Nathaniel, especially for his own family aud his neighbors (for it will be 
remembered it was in this vicinity that the first village settlement in town 
was made), and they were to have the use of it for burial purposes forever, 
as occasion should require. This was the only graveyard in the vicinity for 
several years, " and the little settlement made use in common of neighbor 
Woodcock's ground." No stones or mounds were raised over the earliest 
graves, probably to keep the number of deaths from the knowledge of the 
Indians. As the settlement increased and the enemy therefore became less 
dangerous, the place assumed the appearance of a cemetery. 

Some curious inscriptions were placed upon the stones here. The most 
famous one is doubtless that over Caesar the slave. He was given by his 
mother while he was an infant to Lieutenant Josiah Maxcy. When the latter 
died, Coesar came into the hands of Levi Maxcy. Being a waiter in the 
public house so long kept on the site of the " Old Garrison," and which in 
those days was the resort of many travelers on that route, he was "known 
to all the region round," and after his death many of these travelers " used 
to stop over to visit the ground and read the strange inscription over his 
grave." He was a member of the Baptist church at North Attleborough. 
Tradition has preserved numerous anecdotes of him. He was simple-hearted, 
but proved through a long life a remarkabby honest and faithful servant in 
the family where he lived. He survived his first master, and after his own 
death, January 15, 1780, was buried in the same yard. A decent stone was 
raised over his grave by his younger master, Levi Maxcy, in whose care he 
was left (as has been said), with the following inscription, which in its 
graphic lines will long preserve the memory of " Caesar, the faithful Ethi- 
opian " : — 



728 A SKETCH OF THE 

Bere lies the best of slaves, 
\"\v turning into dust; 
Caesar, the Ethiopian, craves 
A place among the just. 

His faithful soul has fled 
To realms of heavenly light, 
And by the blood that Jesus shed 
Is changed from Black to White. 
January 15, he quitted the stage, 
In the 77th year of his age, 
1780. 

Caesar's stone has been broken in pieces and taken away. The stones in 
this yard were dark, of what we call black slate. The only white one 
erected there was to the memory of the wife of Caesar's owner. 

Upon the stone of Josiah Draper, who died in 1795, was the following 

epitaph : — 

Jesus his Sacrifice and Death, 

Shall be my Finery and Wedding Dress. 

The following is the epitaph of Hannah Walcott, consort of Pentecost 
Walcott : — 

Most suddenly I've lost my breath, 
My eyes are closed in silent death, 
My husband dear pray now prepare 
"With me this dreadful fare to share. 

One Josiah Love, who died November 1, 1791, in his twenty-second year, 
had above him this inscription : — 

My breath has gone at middle Age, 
And Death has swept me oft' the stage. 

There have been very few, if any, interments here since 1810, and the 
larger part of the stones bear date from the latter part of the eighteenth 
century. The Woodcocks, Maxcys, and Blackintons of the Baptist faith, 
lie buried in this spot. Deacon John Daggett, who was the progenitor of 
that family in town, was buried here, and the following was upon his stone : — 

Here lies interred the body of Deacon John Daggett, 
Dec'd, Sept. 7 th 1 724, in the 63d year of his age. 

Upon the stone of one Thomas Daggett, who died in 1778, in the eighty- 
fourth year of his age, are these words : — 

Here lies the man 

Washed in the Saviour's blood, 

( line a sinner. 

Now a saint with God's Christ. 

The stones of some of the Maxcys bear date of 1757 and 1758, and Lieu- 
tenant Josiah Maxcy " died in 1772, in the 64th year of his age, after bury- 
ing his wife and eight children." The following lines were inscribed upon 
his tombstone : — 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 729 

Behold and see as you pass by, 

Mary my wife, and family 

Lie here interred in the cold ground 

Waiting the great Archangel's sound, 

At whose dread trump the earth shall quake 

And all the sleeping dust awake. 

These bodies then shall surely rise 

To the fair mansions in the skies. 

Upon that of an infant son, the following : — 

Jonathan the fourth born son 
Of our posterity, 
God numbers first unto the dust. 
Who in his Grace doth lie. 

To the fifth son, also named Jonathan, these lines were inscribed : — 

Five pleasant children in the Grave 

At present to remain, 

A Sovereign God it thus would have 

Behold, blessed be his name. 

Behold, thyself come see; 

And such once even we as thou, 

And surely thou shalt be 

Even dust as we are now. 

The following inscription belongs to the sixth son in this same family : — 

A pleasant child of earthly clod, 
Poor heart, to Death he did submit. 
O, may his parents hear [bear?] the Rod 
And him that hath appointed it. 

One more epitaph was found belonging to this numerous family, reading 
as follows : — 

In memory of Josiah, son of Mr. Josiah and Mary Maxcy, who died Sep. 23d. 1T6(», in ye 
28th years of his Age, Being ye first born child and ye eight here buried. 

Many now probably all of the above inscriptions are wholly obliterated, for 
some years since the following were the only names that could be found 
designating the resting-places of these worthy dead: " Ebenezer Swan; 
Joseph Guild, ' That pious and excellent man ' ; Deacon Josiah Everett ; 
Richard Everett; Jeremiah Clark; Henry Maxcy; Josiah Love; Nathan 
Richards, his wife Mehitable, and their daughter Grace aged 24 years; 
William Everett ; Martha Smith ; Deacon Joshua Everett ; Mayhew Daggett, 
a representative in the general assembly ; James Manning Daggett ; David 
Whiting, and Sylvia his daughter ; Lionel Daggett, and his wife Esther." 

More than fifty years ago the author wrote thus : '•' This cemetery is now 
in a state of dilapidation, most of the stones have fallen down, and the 
whole is rapidly going to decay. It is the duty of that neighborhood or the 
town, (a dutv which gratitude demands) to see the ground decently enclosed 
and the stones erected, that the few memorials which now exist of our early 
ancestry may be preserved." 



730 A SKETCH OF THE 

The work of decay litis been going on ceaselessly during all the years since 
those words were penned, and at the present time the little burial place is in 
a pitiable condition. Something must be done and that speedily, or every 
trace of this interesting and valuable landmark of antiquity will be lost 
irrecoverably, and nothing be left but a dim, traditional remembrance of its 
existence. 

In 1873 an attempt was made to inaugurate the work of restoration. A 
meeting of citizens was called at the old Universalist Church and a com- 
mittee of five chosen to take this matter in charge. Mr. E. Ira Richards. 
Jr., and Hon. John Daggett were appointed by this committee to solicit 
funds. It was thought that a thousand dollars would be required to properly 
secure the desired and proper result. Mr. Richards collected or made 
subscriptions to the amount of over four hundred dollars, — what Mr. 
Daggett did is not known to the Editor, — but the " committee of five" took 
no further action and the matter was allowed to fall through. 

The spot should at least be enclosed to prevent wanton destruction and 
the depredations of cattle which wander there now at will to graze and 
trample upon and break the few remaining stones, and as many of these as 
possible should be restored and set up. Better still perhaps, as someone 
has suggested, a monument might be erected with the names of the dead, so 
far as these could be ascertained, plainly inscribed upon it. It would doubt- 
less be necessary only to present this matter properly to the wealthy gentle- 
men of the town, to secure their interest and attention, and ensure the 
accomplishment of the laudable purpose in this or some other manner ; and 
Mr. Richards has recently said he stands ready as one to do his share 
" toward preserving an object whose antiquity in itself, almost any other 
town would be proud to possess and prouder still to keep." Or, indeed, 
the matter might with great propriety be brought before the town, asking 
for an appropriation of the necessary amount (a very trifling sum when 
so distributed), and we feel confident that no loyal citizeu would raise a 
dissenting voice against favorable action upon such an article in a town 
warrant. 1 

The next burying ground laid out in town was that at South Attleborough, 
in common parlance called "the city." It originally consisted of about two 
acres given to the town for the purpose July 21, 1715, by the North Pur- 



1 This matter has at length been taken in hand by the citizens of North Attleborough, and at a 
certain town meeting it was voted that that town should appropriate §1,000 toward the preservation 
of this ground provided a like sum should be subscribed by private individuals. That amount has 
been raised and two committees, one for the town and one for the citizens, have been appointed to 
act conjointly In carrying ont the proposed plan. The little burial plot will be fenced and improved 
under t lie direction of a landscape gardener, and the money remaining after that is completed will be 
used lor a monument to mark this spot where lie our earliest dead. It is in the highest degree meet 
and proper to observe this bicentennial year by preserving from further desecration one of the most 
interesting of all the historical spots within the original limits of the old town, and it is always well 
for the living to thus honor their brave and pious dead. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOVirll. 731 

chase. 1 It has bad additions and is the regular place of interment for the 
people of South and West Attleborough. The inhabitants of the Read and 
Ide neighborhood also come here to bury their dead. Its situation is a pleas- 
ant one, on a little rise of ground, at the junction of the road from this 
"neighborhood" with that from the East village to South Attleborough, near 
the old "city mill." It is one of the most interesting of the cemeteries in 
town, for here lie buried many of the leaders in our public affairs a century 
ago — men whose names should ever be honored — and, side by side with 
them, many "mothers in Israel" whose memories are reverenced by all who 
knew them. Here are found such well-known names as May, Tyler, Newell, 
Ide, Robinson, Read, Barrows, Guild, Titus, Draper, Whiting, Carpenter, 
Tingley, Day, Peck, Capron, Woodcock, Fuller, Hunt, Maxcy, etc. 

It is a pleasure to wander about this little city of the dead, for one is not 
saddened by signs of destruction or neglect. Time, it is true, has worked 
his will on the ancient monuments, but gently and tenderly as is his wont, 
for his touch is never harsh or rough. The more modern portions of the 
ground are as usual laid out in lots with graveled pathways between, and 
some of these are enclosed by fences or close arbor vita? hedges, and there 
are numerous handsome and substantial monuments. The central and most 
elevated part is the most ancient, and here, covering a considerable tract of 
land, stand row upon row of black slate stones with now and again upon the 
outskirts a gleam of white marble. Almost all traces of paths are obliterated 
— perhaps but few were ever made — and people of different families with 
seemingly no connection lie closely side by side. These stones are all in a 
remarkable state of preservation, only two among the many having appar- 
ently been broken, and one of these has been carefully mended ; but while 
they are all upright and promise to stand firm for many years to come a large 
proportion are so moss-grown as to render it a matter of exceeding difficulty 
to trace the inscriptions. On some a few words will be quite legible, or a 
name or two, a date or a line of poetry can be read ; sometimes nothing can be 
traced correctly, while again the whole inscription is quite plain. Some of 
the stones are curiously ornamented — angel faces meet the eye and the 
familiar funeral urns ; now and again a grinning skull is seen, sometimes 
with the cross-bones underneath, and one was noticed with a tracery of 
leaves all around, and two hands with the finger tips just meeting finished this 
at the top. Underneath lies the " Bodey " of one " Mr. Christopher Bowen," 
a young man who died in 1749. 

A few inscriptions were copied to be placed here. The quaintest as well 
as the oldest stone found is about two feet high, its top rounded, with the 
following inscription in five close lines crowded into the circular space, leav- 
ing; the rest of the stone bare : " Here lies the Body of Martha the wife of 



1 See N. P. Books, vol. ii, p. '2S. 



732 A SKETCH OF THE 

John French Aged 43. Died August the 17 m the year 1717." Two stones, 
side by side, erected to the memory of a father and daughter, the former 
quaintly ornamented, are noticeable for the orthography and peculiar arrange- 
ment of the inscriptions : — 

Here lieth y e 
Here lietb the body Body of Aiiiv 

Of Insiue Jeremiah y e Daughter of 

Whipple, who departed, Insine Jeremiah 

This life may ye 14* Whipple who 

1721 in ye 38 year Died April ye 27 

of his age. 17-2! \ n ye ' 3 a 

year of Her Age. 

The date 1726 was found several times. A Mr. Samuel Bishop died in 
that year, Hannah Stephens, "y e wife of John Stephens, Dec'd January y e 
14 th ," and Samuel French, a boy in his twelfth year. Priscilla Robbins, 
"aged 18 years and 10 months," died in 1729. Mr. Jacob Newell died 
"Feb y , loth: 1779 in y e 75 th Year of his age." The rest of his epitaph is 
illegible, but that of Sarah, his widow, who died in October of the same 
year in her seventy-second year, is as follows : — 

Let worms devour my flesh, 
And crumble it to dust, 
My God shall raise my frame, 
To live among the just. 



Another reads : — 



In Memory of E" : 

Noah Fuller who 

Died Auguft ye 10* 

1786 in ye 74* 

Year of his age. 

The poetry here is illegible, but that inscribed to Lieutenant Aaron Bar- 
rows, who died December 21, 1801, in his fifty-eighth year, is perfect in its 
preservation and certainly after its style is complete : — 

My time has come next may he thine. 
Prepare for it whilst thou hast time, 
And that thou may'st prepared be. 
Live unto Him who died for thee. 

One inscription can be seen where the surname, Robinson, is divided, 
though there seems to be sufficient space on the line for the full name, but 
here as in other instances the intention is apparent to make the lines even in 
length, like the pages of a book. Perhaps the most curious epitaph in this 
yard is that on the tombstone of ''the Frenchman," so long a resident of the 
neighboring village and the donor of the school legacy in that district. This 
epitaph he composed himself, and entire it reads as follows : — 

Joseph Antoine Riehaud, 

a native of Ginaservis. 

born Jan. -24. 174s. 

died Dec. 23, 1825. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEB0B0UC4H. 733 

Tu an invisible eternal 

God. To him alone I trust 

my poor soul. And when nature 

revives again, 

My soul return In a 

different form 

Full of blessing. 

A number of persons buried here lived to a very advanced age. Lieuten- 
ant Moses Tyler died October 9, 1804, in his eighty-third year. His wife 
Patience died in 1756, so it would seem that in a remarkable degree he was 
faithful to her memory by living a widower for nearly fifty years. Beneath 
one of the numerous large evergreens growing here and nearly covered by its 
low-bending branches are four small stones in a row with such a record as 
combined has rarely, perhaps never, been seen elsewhere, for each of the 
persons to whom they were erected passed the fourscore mark in years. 
Edward Pitcher died December 26, 1707, in his eighty-second year; Mrs. 
Keziah Pitcher died June 17, 1808, aged eighty-two years; Mr. Samuel 
Newell died March 31, 1830, in his eighty-third year ; and Mrs. Mary Read, 
relict of Amos Read, died in 1834, aged eighty-two. One Beuj. Allen died 
in 1808 in his eighty-seventh year, and his inscription makes him suggest 
to passers by his grave : "Tho' with age and pain I die, Yet I hope to live 
on high." The three most aged persons, so far as discovered, placed here 
for their final sleep, are the widow Damiris Tree, who died November 18, 
1780, " in y e 92d Year of her age," Jeremiah Pierce, who died during his 
ninety-fourth year, and Captain Samuel Robinson, who died November 2, 
1826, in his ninety-eighth year. 

Rather hopeful and cheering are the lines inscribed to one Loammi Day 
and Mary, his wife : — 

Calm is the spot that hides the good and just. 
And sweet their slumbers on the bed of dust. 
Her bright example wipes our tears away. 
And points the passage to the realms of day. 

One more epitaph is given because the expression of sentiment it shows is 
all too rare in this world of forgetfulness aud is worthy of preservation in 
annals far more widespread than these can ever hope to be : — 

In Memory 

of 

Martin Robinson, 

Born in Attleborough. 

March 20, 1792. 

Died in Providence, 

Feb. 13, 1852. 

This monument is erected by his 

Providence friends. 

As a token of their high regard for his many virtues, 

his great integrity of character, 

and purity of life. 



734 A SKETCH OF THE 

On the highest spot, nearly in the centre of the cemetery, in the very midst 
of the beloved people for whom he so long labored, as if still leading and 
ministering unto them, lies the Rev. Habijah Weld, his wife by his side, 
surrounded by various members of his numerous family ; and a few rods 
away his successor, Rev. John Wilder, his first wife, Esther, "the excellent 
consort," three daughters, Esther, Betsey Brown, and Julia Green Wilder, 
and an infant son, who lived but twenty days and was named Habijah Weld, 
are buried. 

One lingers here willingly and still lingers, more and more loth to leave the 
sacred spot where the quiet belonging to a city of the dead still reigns. In 
the restful atmosphere and peaceful silence of such an enclosure visions of 
the past best love to gather, and here is one ancient burial place where 
memories of the early days may be recalled undisturbed as yet by the dis- 
tracting noises and tumults of our busy life to-day, though not very far away 
on the one side there throbs a great modern engine, and on the other now and 
again through the trees may be caught glimpses of a lightning-driven car 
speeding swiftly on its way. 

There were in the course of time several small burial lots set apart for the 
accommodation of families or the inhabitants of sections in various parts of 
the town. Among these was a small tract on Washington Street in North 
Attleborough at the terminus of the Branch Railroad. The interments made 
in it never reached a large number, and recently all the bodies have been re- 
moved to Mount Hope Cemetery, but no disposition of the land has been made. 

The Mann burying ground is a small family yard on the land of Mr. 
Gamaliel B. Draper on the " Old Post Road" running through the w r estern 
part of the town. Its occupants are all members of the family of Dr. 
Bezaleel Maun and their descendants. The epitaphs of Dr. Mann, of his 
wife, and of his son, Dr. Herbert Maun, who was lost in the awful catastro- 
phe to the brig General Arnold in Plymouth Harbor, have already been given 
in a previous chapter. 

The inscriptions on some of the other stones erected to the dead here are 

given : — 

This Stone 

is erected to the memory 

of 

Mrs. Mary Draper, 

wife of Mr. Josiah Draper, & eldest 

Daughter of Dr. B. & B. Mann. She 

died May 2d, 1808, in the 54th Year of 

her age. 

She conducted her household and her 

affairs with discretion. She tempered 

her authority with a happy mixture of 

tender affection. 

She met Death with the resignation 

and hope of a Christian. 



HIS TOBY OF ATT XE BOROUGH. 735 

There is no stone erected to the memory of Mr. Josiah Draper. On that 
of a son is the following : — 

In memory of Benjamin 
son of Mr. Josiah Draper, 

& Mrs. Mary, his wife, 
who died Oct, 12th, 1802, 
in ye 18th year of his age. 
In bloom of youth I was cut down, 
Just as the grass & flowers were mown. 
From death's arrest no age is free, 
Prepare to die and follow me. 

Sacred 
To the memory of 
Bebe Mann ('apron, 

only daughter of 

Doctor Seth Capron, 

it Eunice, his wife. 

She died grievously 

lamented on the 25th, 

day of Dec, a.i>. 1796. 

Aged 21 months & IT days. 

Here lies Eliza Maun, 
daughter of Jno. Milton 
Mann, & of his wife E 

lizabeth Manu, who 
died Decem'r 27th, 1790, 
aged 1 Year, 9 Months <fc 8 Days. 
This sweet unfolding beauteous flow'r, 
Th' all bounteous God in love had given, 
But soon, too soou 't was crop'd from earth 
To bloom in heaven, 
Transplanted hence. 

The only other cemetery in what is properly West Attleborough is the 
Paine burying ground. This is in the Holmes neighborhood, and the land 
was given for the purpose about forty years ago by a resident of that vicinity, 
named Paine. Members of the Sweetland and Holmes families constitute 
the majority of the persons buried there. 

There is a cemetery connected with the little church at Briggsville, and 
though both it and the meetinghouse are over the Rehoboth line many of its 
silent inhabitants were once residents of this town. Doubtless numbers of 
the stones here bear quite ancient dates. 

Upon a small island in the mill pond at Dodgeville, connected with the laud 
by a roadway lined with trees, is the burial place of the family from whom 
the village derives its name, who owned and carried on the manufactory there 
many years ago. Only persons of the name of Dodge or members of the 
family are buried in this ground. It is a pretty spot planted with trees and 
surrounded by gently lapping water. The sleep of its inmates must be 
peaceful with the soft green grass of the summer time above them or the 



736 A SKETCH OF THE 

pure white mantle of winter snow; they heed not the hum and clatter of the 
busy mills hard by, but rest calmly with murmuring waters all around them 
and beautiful trees whispering soothingly over their heads. 

Between Woodlawn Cemetery and the Branch Railroad there is a little 
knoll shaded by old trees, and overgrown with wild, tangled shrubs and 
vines, and containing a small cluster of gravestones. This has for genera- 
tions been known as the "■old Peck burying-ground." It is no doubt a part 
of the farm of Hezekiah Peck who settled here "■soon after 1700," and 
whose house stood near where the present "old Peck house " now stands, 
where the railroad crosses North Main Street. By the books of the Pro- 
priety it may be seen that as early as 1709 he and his family began to have 
large tracts of land laid out to them along the Bungay " Cedar Swamps," — 
which extended from North Main Street at Blackintonville for quite a 
distance up the river, — also on " Bungay plain," and at the southwest end 
of the "great Bungay meadows" ; and this latter " lay out " very probably 
includes this burial spot. It is a part of what is known in the Caprou family 
as the " 30 acre lot," the bounds of which are given as follows : " Beginning 
at the Bungay river bridge, running along by North Main St. to the land now 
owned by Mrs. B. B. Day, and Mr. A. M. Everett, then east between Mr. 
E. B. Bliss' and Mrs. Lucas Daggett's house, crossing Bank St. to John 
Sweet's land, then north to the river, then by the river back to the bridge." 
Subsequently to 1753 the widow of Hezekiah Peck the second of this town 
sold her dower right in her husband's lands to Joseph Capron, of this town. 
Very probably this thirty-acre lot was set apart as her dower, and the Joseph 
Capron to whom she sold it was her husband's nephew — the son of Judith 
Peck and Captain Joseph Capron. He was grandfather to Joseph W. 
Capron of this town. February 3, 1797, Sarah, widow of the above- 
mentioned Joseph, sold this same laud to Jonathan Peck, her son-in-law. 
He was grandson of Hezekiah the second, and father of the late Capron 
Peck. It is said that at one time there was a road along the south side of 
this land, running from North Main Street, as it is now called, to the 
" Norton road," now Pleasant Street. 

The first Hezekiah Peck of this towu was without doubt the first person 
buried in this ground, the spot being probably selected by his family at his 
death in 1723. The site was a pleasant one, in view of his house and more 
convenient than the Woodcock ground, four miles away, or the newly laid out 
one at South Attleborough, not very much nearer. A writer speaking of 
him and his wife says : "They were buried near his residence, the place 
afterwards becoming the family burial ground." Like the ground now best 
known as the " old Hatch burying-ground," this spot was used most probably 
as both a family and neighborhood burial place. 

It is supposed that Banfield Capron, the first of that name in town, was 
buried here, but there is not the slightest trace of his grave to be found. 



HISTORY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. 737 

There was no lack of means in his family, but his numerous children, to 
whom he had been very generous, one and all " forgot to erect a stone to his 
memory." This fate was by no means singular, for many a worthy man lies 
in the bosom of mother earth, whose resting-place almost from the very 
beginning has been forgotten and unknown. Some of his descendants were 
buried in this spot, probably during the forty or more years when it was in 
possession of his family ; and some of these have been removed to the Old 
Kirk Yard, and from one lot to another there. Mr. Capron used this thirty- 
acre lot as a pasturing field for cows, and portions of it have been devoted 
to that purpose up to the present time. These animals have no doubt 
knocked down and trodden upon numbers of the gravestones, but their 
vandalism has been equaled or surpassed during these many years by that 
dreaded destroyer, the typical " small boy," whose chief end and aim in life 
seems to be to demolish whatever he can lay his hands on, and upon whose 
natural ear the sound of cracking stones, if he wields the hammer, falls with 
a peculiar attraction, even like strains of entrancing music upon a more 
cultivated ear. 

There are at this time of writing but twenty-one stones remaining. Four 
of these are lying flat upon the ground, nearly all are more or less chipped 
and broken, and many of the inscriptions are almost entirely effaced. All 
are of the old-fashioned black slate and are hoary with the lichen grow'th 
of more than six scores of years. The lettering on a few is still traceable. 

The most ancient stone, that erected to the memory of the first occupant 

of the little cemetery, is still almost intact, and its quaint inscription reads 

as follows : — 

Here lies ye Body 

of M r Hezekiah 

Peck, who Depart 

e«l this Life August 

Ye Oth 1723 in ye 62<J 

Year of his age. 



Two more 
undestroyed : 



of this same family were found whose stones were still 

Here lies ye Body 

of Mrs. Deborah 

Peck, Relict of 

M r Hezekiah 

Peck. Deed 

March ye 5 th 1736 

in ye T2 (l year 

of her Age. 

In Memory of Mr. 

Hezekiah Peck 

Dec d (date not legible) 

1753 in — 58* Year 

of his Age. 

Blessed are the Dead 

that die in the Lord. 



738 A SKETCH OF THE 

On still another of this name could be traced only the name, Mr. John 
Peck, and the single date, 1730. 

On two of these black or dark-may stones near the top is cut a cherub's 
face with outspread wings on either side. One of these bears the name of 
T. W". Richardson and the date 1749; the other, the inscription which 
follows : — 

In memory of Mrs. 

Lydia ye Wife of 

Mr. Josiah Cooper, 

Who Dei-' Odor 

Ye 3*1' 1739. 

Aged 3S years. 

Another stone is thus inscribed : — 

1742 

Here lyeth the body of 

Fitz Tolman, Dyd 

Sep' 14, 1727. 

The first date must probably indicate the year in which the stone was 
erected. One inscription was found entirely illegible, with the exception of 
the name, which was Wellman ; and of another only 

1735 in 44 
Year of his age 

remained to be seen. 

There is a group of stones belonging to various members of an Atwell 
familv. Upon the largest of these, that erected to the father of the family, 
a handsome coat-of-arms is cut. This consists of a crown with a rampant 
unicorn on either side, but no motto could be found. The stone is thus 

inscribed : — 

Sacred 

To the memory of 

Mr. Richard 

Atwell. 

He died January 26 

a.D. 17(17 

In the 63<i y ear 

Of his Age. 

Amos Atwell of Providence, 

his son. 

From sentiments of 

Filial Duty, erected this 

Monument. 



On another of this group was deciphered : — 



Sarah Atwell, his daughter 
Nov. Hi, 1747. in the 
20 ,h year of her age. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 739 

On another: " Atwell a son Dec. 29, 1739"; and on still another: 

" Mary Atwell, 1755 "; all else was illegible. 

The most curious epitaph, still to be seen here, is that on a stone raised 
to the memory of Mr. John Buckle ; but no dates are traceable. The 
epitaph reads : — 

Death's steps are swift. 
Yet no noise it makes, 
His band unseen 
Yet most surely takes. 

There was once a stone here whose inscription stated of the man lying 
beneath that " He died while eating his supper." It has now entirely 
disappeared, nor, so far as the writer knows, has tradition preserved any 
further facts with regard to this unfortunate being. Such a statement as 
the one made, without any explanations, is rather unsatisfactory and gives 
rise to unpleasant conjecture. Out of consideration for the feelings of those 
who might read this inscription or as a necessary warning, the friends of 
that man ought to have told posterity whether or not it was the supper that 
killed him. 1 There are no signs of mounds, even where headstones are still 
standing, and no idea can be formed by an examination of the ground as to 
the number of burials made here, but someone has said: "The hill used 
to be covered with graves." Now huckleberry bushes and the coarse growths 
of neglected fields cover the place, and if anything is ever to be done in the 
way of restoration and preservation it must be done soon, or it will be forever 
too late. It will not be long before the last remaining vestiges which point 
to this as a spot once set apart and made sacred to the memories of the dead 
will have passed away, and then tradition even will have little thought to 
bestow upon it. The coming generation will know nothing and care nothing 
for a group of decaying trees on a bit of moss-grown ground. 

There has been some talk among the proprietors of Woodlawn Cemetery 
about obtaining this ground with a view to restoring and caring for it 
properly. It is a pretty spot, this little hillock, with its still beautiful trees 
on the banks of the winding river, and if these proprietors could become its 
owners it would make a most attractive addition to the already attractive 
modern cemetery beside it. It is to be devoutly hoped that the right kind of 
efforts in this direction will be made and that the commendable plan of 
rescuing this very ancient burial place, one of the oldest in town, from 
complete annihilation will be speedily accomplished. 

OLD KIKK YARD. 

Up to 1744 the greater portion of the burials from the east part of the 
town were made in the " Old North Burying Ground, " or tl Hatch's," but in 
October of that year it was voted by the people of the Second Precinct 



1 It has been ascertained that his name was Atwell, but nothing further seems to be known. 



740 A SKETCH OF THE 

to have a place for this purpose in their own vicinity. On October 16 it was 
k - Voted to have a burying place in the meeting-house lot, and that it should 
be at the northwesterly corner of said lot." This spot then comprised about 
half au acre, but afterwards it became necessary to add to it considerably 
more than an acre, and both together constituted the Old Kirk Yard. At two 
different times this sacred precinct has been entered and despoiled by the 
desecrating hands of railroad corporations, who demanded a portion of the 
tract for their uses, and therefore many of the dead had to be moved from 
their original resting-places beneath the sod. 

'• In June 1831, an Act was passed establishing the Boston and Provi- 
dence Rail Road Corporation, with the usual powers and privileges," and 
under this act the corporation claimed the right to construct the road through 
this place, " notwithstanding the statute for the protection of the Sepulchres 
of the Dead." Their decision was that the line of the road must be straight, 1 
as far as possible, and finding that this decision would cause the road to be 
laid through the burying ground the entire community of East Attleborough 
was roused to a high pitch of excitement and alarm, and the opposition to 
the proposed measure was decided and outspoken. 

After considerable delay and various remonstrances and proceedings on 
the part of the proprietors, 2 the corporation proceeded, however, on the last 
Monday in June (probably in 1834) " to construct the road through the 
Burying Ground, and to remove the remains of the Dead, by a sort of 
forced consent of the relatives." They had indeed given notice " that, unless 
the kindred would consent to the removal of their dead, they should' pull up 
the grave-stones and construct the road over the graves!" "This," says 
one, " was freedom of choice w r ith a vengeance ! " 

The line of the road passed obliquely through the ground, cutting it into two irregular and 
unequal parts. In the course of the excavations (about 30 feet in width) about 150 bodies, or 
their remains, were removed, or rather attempted to be removed, for many of them were so 
much decayed that nothing but a few bones could be found. Such a removal is a mere mock- 
ery. And thus, says the author, this outrage has been committed, in contempt of the authority 
of the selectmen, in defiance of public opinion, and in violation, as we believe, of the laws of 
the land. 

Has it come to this? Is there no spot in this wide world where the bones of the dead can 
rest in peace? Can they spare us no space of earth which shall be privileged from intrusion; 
where we can feel an assurance that the hand of violence or cupidity shall not disturb the 
ashes of our kindred? Will it be permitted, in a community of humane feelings, that a body 
of men, strangers to the people in the vicinity, and having no interest or sympathy with them. 



1 In the early days of railroad construction there were certain points on which engineers differed 
widely, notably that one of laying straight or curved lines of road. Some favored the former w ay 
and cutting through all obstacles, and some the latter, avoiding obstacles by going around them. The 
former was the English method and seems to have been the one which found favor with the corporation 
in question. 

2 The parish owned this land and ou application laid out lots in it to people, giving them uot the 
land but the right of burial in it. Those especially in whom such rights had been vested might 
naturally be termed ,the proprietors, or equally all the citizens of the parish might [be so termed. 
Records of this matter are on the parish books. 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUdll. 741 

may trample with impunity on the graves of our fathers? and all this, to gratify the pride or 
caprice, and promote the interest of a wealthy corporation! The tirst rail-road in Massachu- 
setts has its foundation on the ashes of the dead! 

This is not the worst. A few of our neighbors have been concerned in the transaction. 
This was the " unkindest cut of all." Will it be believed by succeeding generations, that men 
(hitherto regarded as men of feeling) could be found in this town, who, from selfish or worse 
motives, were willing to lend their influence and combine with & foreign corporation to disturb 
the repose of the grave? Yet such is the fact! 

The above quotations are from a pamphlet printed in 1834, containing 
" Remarks " on this matter, quotations from an address by the Hon. Judge 
Story, delivered at the consecration of Mount Auburn Cemetery, the public 
actions of the parish and town, the laws of the State with regard to the 
protection of burying grounds, and finally " Remarks on Corporate Powers," 
arranged " By a Freeman l of Massachusetts." Those actions of our citizens 
are giveu at length not only because the matter of which they treat was of 
great importance, to the town, — beyond its deep and personal interest to many 
members of a single community, — but because subsequent events have 
proved that the citizens were wholly right in the position they then assumed, 
and the railroad company wholly wrong. No one will be inclined to deuv the 
fact that almost incalculable benefits have, as a matter of course, accrued to 
the town from the passage of this railroad through it ; but the particular 
route decided on has given rise to very much inconvenience and annoyance, 
to the eastern portion especially, to many controversies between the town 
and the corporation, to great expense, to a second desecration of the 
burying-ground, and even to loss of life ; most, if not all of which, might 
have been avoided, and the benefits to the town have in some ways increased. 
In view of these things the company many years ago acknowledged that their 
early procedures were unnecessary and that it would have been better for 
the road had another route through the town, which was proposed, 
been accepted. 

A parish meeting was held in September, 1833, and a committee of the 
seven following gentlemen was chosen to take what measures they could in 
behalf of the parish against the then contemplated innovation : John 
Daggett, Jonathan Bliss, Willard Blackinton, Abiathar Richardson, Jesse 
Carpenter, Harvey Claflin, and Daniel Carpenter. The chairman of this 
committee was the ;t Freeman " above referred to. We give his report of the 
proceedings of the committee and the actions of the citizens as found in 
the pamphlet mentioned : — 

The following documents, and the principles on which we opposed the measure, are here 
embodied in a more permanent form than that in which they now exist, not only for the 
benefit of those who have an interest in the subject and have not had an opportunity of exam- 
ining them, but that we may hereby make a Public Protest against the claim of the Corpora- 
tion; and that this case may never be drawn into a precedent to justify future aggressions of 



1 The author. 



742 A SKETCH OF THE 

the kind, as many are inclined to justify the abuse of power by its use. The question ought to 
have been legally settled, that the humanity of the law might have been vindicated. Measures 
were in progress to bring the case to a judicial determination, — which would have been done 
but for a few unexpected obstacles in the way. The ablest legal counsel had been consulted on 
the subject, whose opinion was adverse to the right of the claimants. 1 The fact, therefore, 
that the case was not contested, is no evidence of our acquiescence in their right to do what 
they did. It is time for public attention to he called to the subject, that the question, who are 
the proprietors (in many cases) of Burying grounds, and the rights of the public therein, may 
be determined; and also, how far protection, by law, is designed to be extended to the dead in 
their graves. 

The following Remoustrance was sent to the Engineer and Agent by the Parish committee. 

At a meeting of the Proprietors of the Burying Ground in East Attleborough. Sept. 25" 1 
1833, the following Resolutions were adopted : 

Resolved, That a committee of seven be appointed to attend to the interests of the Pro- 
prietors of the Burying Ground, so far as those interests may be affected by the contemplated 
route of the Boston and Providence Rail Road. 

Resolved, That the Proprietors of the Grave- Yard, regard the contemplated removal of 
their dead with feelings of deep sensibility, and earnestly desire their committee to use their 
utmost endeavors to prevent, if possible, such a violation of the Sanctuary of the grave. 

In accordance with the above Resolutions, the committee deem it needless to add much to 
what has been already said, in regard to the painful feelings, which such an event, as the 
removal of the dead from the present Burying Ground, must inevitably produce in the bosoms 
of surviving friends. Burial places have been regarded by all nations and in all ages as sanc- 
tuaries, as spots privileged from the intrusion of the business-concerns of life, and consecrated 
to the undisturbed repose of the dead. Such places possess, in the view of even the most bar- 
barous nations, a sort of religious sacredness; and no considerations, short of absolute 
necessity, should induce the living to violate the sanctity of the grave. It is one of the holiest 
feelings of our nature, which prompts us to reverence the places where the ashes of our 
kindred rest; and such a feeling is entitled to respect, and should never be lightly regarded. 

No pecuniary damages can ever compensate for that injury to feeling, which the promiscu- 
ous disinterment of the remains of several generations, and thus bringing them to the view of 
their surviving kindred, must necessarily create. Such a scene can but shock the common feel- 
ings of humanity, and must be felt as sacrilegious. In other eases, private property may be 
taken and an equivalent given. But who can give an equivalent for that wounded sensibility 
which the forced removal of the dead, under such circumstances, must occasion? 

The committee would, therefore, in behalf of the Proprietors, most earnestly request 

those who have the selection of the route for the Rail Road, to spare, if possible, the violation 

of the sanctuaries of the dead, which the location of the road over our Burying Ground must 

necessarily produce. Even though the Corporation may have the legal power thus to locate the 

load, yet, we hope, that power will be exercised with a due regard to the feelings and interests 

of the community. 

Very respectfully Yours, 

Attleborough Sept. 28 th 1833 John Daggett, Chairman. 

The Proprietors, perceiving that the Corporation still persisted in their right, deemed it 

expedient to make the grievance known to the Legislature, with the hope, if not of thus 

obtaining redress in their case, at least of procuring some positive enactment or other legal 

provision for the prevention of such injuries in future. For this purpose, they presented to 

the Legislature the following 

PETITION. 

T" the Hon. the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massa- 
chusetts, in General Court assembled: 
The Petition of us, the subscribers, interested in the Burying Ground in East Attlebor- 
ough, respectfully represents : 



1 "The haste, with which they proceeded in the construction of the road after they had ascertained 
this fact, is pretty good evidence that they themselves had some doubts about their right." 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 743 

That by authority or under color of an Act of the Legislature, entitled, an "Act to Incor- 
porate the Boston and Providence Rail Road Corporation " passed the 22d day of June A.D. 
1831. the said Corporation, by their Agents, have located their Rail Road through the centre of 
the Burying Ground aforesaid, to the great damage and injury of your Petitioners; that this 
Burying Ground was laid out in the year 1744, and has ever since been occupied for the 
purpose of burying the dead, and now contains, by estimation, from ten to twelve hundred 
graves ; that the said location (if persisted in) will cause the removal of the greatest propor- 
tion of the remains of the bodies in said ground, and will leave the remainder in an indecent 
and unbecoming condition. And, therefore, your Petitioners pray this Honorable Court to 
interpose their authority in our behalf, and prevent this great injury to our interests and 
feelings. 

We respectfully represent, that, in our opinion, it is wholly unnecessary to locate said road in 
that direction; that from the nature of the ground in the vicinity, which is a level plain of greal 
extent, this graveyard might be avoided without any material injury to the use and improve- 
ment of said road; that a slight curve in the line of the road, which, in practice, would amount 
to no perceptible variation, would entirely clear this Burying Ground, and thus render it 
unnecessary to disturb the remains of the dead : That the said Act provides, that the said 
Corporation shall take no ground or materials for the use of said road, without paying a full 
compensation therefor; but that, from the nature of the case, the damages to which we are 
entitled are no adequate compensation for the injury caused; the mere cost of the ground aud 
of the removal of the dead, is no equivalent for disturbed peace and wounded sensibility. 
Such an injury cannot be measured by any pecuniary standard. Burial places have been 
regarded by all nations, and in all ages, as consecrated ground; anil all needless exposure or 
disturbance of them, is opposed to the universal sentiment of mankind, and is a violation of 
the most sacred feelings of the heart. Such feelings are entitled to respect, and to the protec- 
tion of the laws. By a recent Act, the Legislature, guided by a due regard for the tender asso- 
ciations connected with the remains of our kindred, have seen fit to impose heavy penalties 
upon any who should presume to violate the sanctuary of the grave; and have therebv ex- 
pressed the feelings which the people of this Commonwealth entertain for the protection of the 
cemeteries of the dead. We have a right to expect that the feelings which dictated that Act; 
will be extended to us in this case. That a right thus to disturb the sacred repose of the grave, 
on the part of said Corporation, could not have been contemplated by the Legislature, at the 
time of passing said Act of Incorporation; and the exercising of such a power under that Act. 
is, therefore, contrary to the true intent of the Legislature, and to the interests and good feel- 
ings of the people of this Commonwealth. We claim protection in the case as a right guar- 
anteed to us by the humane principles of our revered Constitution. We. therefore, most ear- 
nestly and solemnly appeal to an enlightened and humane Legislature, actuated by a due regard 
for the feelings and peace of the community, to grant us relief from this grievance, in such a 
manner and by such means as they in their wisdom shall deem right aud proper. 

And your Petitioners further pray this Honorable Court, that they would pass some Act, for 
the better preservation of burial places, especially against future grants of this kind; ami tint 
they would establish some impartial tribunal, who shall give a hearing to both parties in such 
case-, to the end that, whenever hereafter any individual or corporation shall, in the location of 
a road or canal, come in contact with a burying ground, the said tribunal shall determine, on 
full and fair examination, whether the exigencies of the case require that the same or any part 
thereof should be i-emoved. This we ask on the principle that, in a case which so deeply 
affects the feelings and interest of the people, as the removal of the dead from their graves, it 
ought not to be left to the sole discretion of an interested individual, or a corporation, naturally 
governed by self-interest alone, to judge of its necessity — that it is not just for them to deter- 
mine whether the public good demands such a sacrifice. We respectfully ask, that all future 
grants of this kind may be made subject to such a limitation. We earnestly protest against the 
granting, in future, of the unqualified powers and privileges (of which we have complained) 
to any corporation or body of men in this Commonwealth. And we. therefore, humbly pray 
this Honorable Court, to adopt some measure affording a more adequate protection to Burying 
Grounds. And as in duty bound will ever pray. &c. 

Signed John Daggett, and 112 others. 

Attleboroug'h, January 30th, i;-34. 



744 A SKETCH OF THE 

House of Representatives, Feb. 6, 1834. 
So much of thi> Petition as relates to the grievance complained of, is referred to the Com- 
mittee on Rail Ways and Canals. 
-cut up for concurrence. 

L. S. Cushixg. Clerk. 

In Senate, February 7, 1834. 
( loncurred, and ordered to be printed. 

Charles Calhoun, Clerk. 

House of Representatives, Feb. 6, 1834. 
So much of the above Petition as relates to the Preservation of Burying Grounds, is com- 
mitted to the < lommittee on the Judiciary. 

Attest, L. S. Cushixg, Clerk. 

In accordance with the prayer of this Petition, the Judiciary committee (of which Theron 
Metcalf , Esq. of Dedham, was chairman, one of the most learned jurists in this state) very 
promptly reported a Bill, which passed (we believe, without the least objection) into a law. 
The feeling manifested on the subject was highly creditable to the member who drafted it. 

The Railway Committee, to whom the former part of the petition was referred, reported 
unfavorably to the prayer of the Petitioners, — on what grounds we have no means of know- 
ing, as the_\ saw tit to give no reasons for their report. It may be conjectured, however, that 
it was on the ground that the grant was in the nature of a contract, and that, therefore, the 
Legislature had no right to interfere. That it was so far in the nature of a contract as to pre- 
clude them from interposing their authority to prevent the injury contemplated, may, at least, 
admit of a doubt. We presume, however, that the committee did what they thought was their 
duty. We have, therefore, no better remedy than to acquiesce in the decision, right or wrong. 

That the Directors of the Rail Road might have a " certain knowledge" of public opinion in 
rhe town, the following Resolutions were sent to them. 

At a town meeting held April 7 th , 1834, the following resolutions 1 were adopted. 

Resolved, That the disturbance of the Burying Ground in East Attleborough is wholly 
unnecessary, and that it was the duty of the Rail Road Corporation so to have located the 
road as to avoid said ground, which might have been done without any material injury to the 
use and improvement of said road. 

Resolved, That the removal of the dead from the places where they have been deposited, 
without the consent and contrary to the wishes of surviving kindred and friends, (unless 
public necessity absolutely require it,) is a violation of those feelings which ought to be held 
sacred by the laws and the authorities of the land. 

/■'< solved, That the location of the Rail Road through the Burying Ground aforesaid, under 
the circumstances of the case, is a contempt of public; opinion and an outrage upon public feel- 
ing, and deserves the indignant reprobation of the community. 

Besolved, That having solemnly appealed, but in vain, to the humanity ami justice of the 
Legislature, for protection, it is the duty of all interested in the case to use all legal and consti- 
tutional means in their power to procure relief and prevent this contemplated injury to their 
rights. 

Resolved, That the granting, by the Legislature, of such undefined powers and privileges to 
any person or corporation, as are given in the charter of said Rail Road Company, (and without 
first requiring a specific location of the intended route,) is an unjustifiable disregard of private 
property, and a violation of the rights intended to be secured by the Constitution to the people 
of this Commonwealth. 

Resolved, That a committee be appointed to transmit a copy of the above Resolutions to each 
of the Directors of the Boston and Providence Rail Road Corporation, with a request that they 
would so far change the location of said road as to avoid the Burying Ground in East Attle- 
borough. 

Attleborough, April 7th. 1834. 



■There were seven resolutions presented to the town, but the first, which was couched in rather 
scathing terms, was not adopted. 



his toby of attlebob'ough. 745 

At the last meeting of the Proprietors, (which was very fully attended,) held a few weeks 
previous to the commencement of the work, the following Resolution was passed. They were 
resolved, that, if the act should he done, the responsibility and odium of it should rest on those 
by whom it was done; and would do nothing which might be construed into acquiescence or 
consent, that they might thus avoid the appearance of being made seeming partakers in the 
outrage. 

Besolved, That the Proprietors of the Burying Ground are still opposed to the passage of the 
Pail Road over the same; that they will never encourage or consent to it, and that they deny 
the right of the Corporation to construct said road over said ground, or to disturb or injure the 
remains of the dead therein deposited. 

As has been seen, all efforts in opposition to the corporation were unavail- 
ing ; the road was laid through the burial ground and a third of an acre filled 
full of graves condemned. It was necessary to remove not only the bodies 
buried in the direct line of the road, but those in that portion of the yard east 
of it, for, as may readily be seen, it would be entirely inappropriate to have 
two distinct burial plots as small as these so near each other. One or two 
families utterly refused to allow their dead to be removed, and many will 
recall the little group of slate headstones which long remained on the com- 
mon. It is said that the railroad company bought a piece of land somewhere 
on the other side of the original lot, which they gave to the parish to add to 
the kirkyard, and this might have been done to compensate the parish for the 
necessary abandonment of the extreme eastern portion and to make room for 
the bodies removed therefrom. There is every reason to suppose that money 
compensations were liberal and us satisfactory as any such remunerations 
could be made, but no amount of money or gifts can compensate for the real 
damages in such cases. 

In 1870, when the charter for the Attleborough Branch Railroad was obtained, 
more land Avas demanded for its purposes near the depot. Land for a third 
track was no doubt necessary, but all citizens could not understand why but 
one route was possible or available. The company, however, decided that the 
new line must join the old one in the immediate vicinity of the Old Kirk Yard, 
and while in all probability this must, translated, would have meant simply 
desire or convenience, as before, the corporation against individuals unjustly 
won the day, and in spite of great opposition another work of desecration took 
place in this unhappy spot. At this time fully a hundred bodies were removed, 
or the remains of bodies, for many had almost crumbled to dust, and these 
fragments were placed some in Mount Hope and some in Woodlawn Cemetery. 

Since that time a petition has been circulated and signed by a large number 
of people and presented to the Legislature. " Its reception was instrumental 
in procuring the passage of laws, which w r ill forever remove the possibility of 
a like desecration of sacred ground." It is to be devoutly hoped that no body 
of legislators will ever be assembled in our State capable of contemplating 
even for a moment the repeal of any such laws as these. 

There are it is thought about eight hundred bodies in the Old Kirk Yard, 
and occasional interments still continue to be made there, but there are very 



746 A SKETCH OF THE 

few if any unoccupied lots, and only a few available spaces for graves remain. 
" For more than one hundred and forty years it has received its silent increase, 
and witnessed the laying away of many great and good men." The grave of 
Rev. Peter Thacher, that " highly respected and useful man." is here. He 
requested that he might be buried near the old church where he preached so 
long, and when it became necessary to change his resting-place a similar spot 
by tlic new church was chosen by his descendants, and it seems as if his 
godly spirit were hovering near his successors in the pulpit of that people to 
whom he so long ministered, preaching the gospel with true Christian earnest- 
ness and fidelity. Rev. Nathan Ilolman, pastor for more than a score of 
years, lies in another portion of the yard ; and Colonel John Daggett, the 
Revolutionary hero, William Bolkcom, Hezekiah Peck, and many others of 
prominence in both earlier and later days are placed here. Here also is the 
grave and the monument of Abiathar A. Richardson, the donor of the school 
fund ; and various soldiers of our own and the earlier wars find here their last 
camping ground. Among these are Oscar B. Cummings, Sergeant Abraham 
Savery, and Lieutenant Darius N. Cole, who was killed at Spottsylvania, and 
whose headstone bears the inscription, " He died for his country" ; and there 
are several others who are remembered with the offerings of Memorial Day. 
One of the veterans of the Revolution who were buried here was Captain 
Jabez Ellis, who died November 14. 1808, in the seventy-sixth year of his age. 
His name will be familiar to all who may read this book, for he did his town 
good service in many ways during many years. He was allowed to rest in 
peace only about sixty years, for his grave was disturbed by the Branch Road 
and his remains, with those of about eighty others, were taken to Mount Hope 
Cemetery. The most ancient date found on any tombstone now in the yard is 
for 173G on that of a member of the Tyler family, an ancestor of Professor 
Tyler, of Amherst College. This person must have been first buried else- 
where — perhaps in some family burial-ground afterwards deserted — as the 
year of his death antedates by several years the laying out of the ground. 
There were no doubt many quaint and curious epitaphs on the earlier stones 
placed here, since their inscription was an almost universal fashion of those 
times, but none of these have been preserved by the author. 

Two or three epitaphs from stones in this yard have been found and are 
here given. 1 

In memory of Mr. 

John Sweet, Jim., who 

died April ye 7th, 1762. 

Aged 38 years and 4 months. 

My loving friends as you pass by 

On my Cold Grave l»ut east Your Eve; 



1 Taken from a newspaper publication on this town's history prepared for the centenial celebration 
in Harford, Penn. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 747 

Your sun like mine may set at Noon, 
Your soul be railed for very soon; 
In this Dark place You'll quickly be, 
Prepare for Death and follow me. 

The stone marking Rev. Peter Thaeher's grave is 3 feet 1 inches high and 2 feet wide. 
Old fashioned carving under which we read : " In memory of the Rev. Peter Thacher, m.a., 
the late Faithful and beloved Pastor of the 2'nd Chh. of Christ in Attleborough; he was born 
Jan'ry 25th, 1716; Ordained Nov'br 30th, 1718; Died Sept'br 13th, 1785; in the Seventieth 
year of his age, and 43d of his Ministry." 

Whom Papist witli not Superstitious fire 
Would dare to adore we justly may admire. 

In memory of 

Ebenezer Tyler, 

Esquire, 

A native of this town. 

A valuable citizen, and for the 

three years previous 

to his removal to Pawtucket 

a representative in the State 

Legislature. 

He was the son of John and Anna, 

and Grandson 

of Ebenezer and Catharine Tyler, 

who are buried on his right. 

He died 

at his seat in Pawtucket, 

Oct. 18, 1827, 

Aged 07 years. 

Yes, all must yield to death's remorseless rage. 
Creation's brow shall wrinkle up with age, 
Time shall remove the keystone of the sky, 
Heaven's roof shall fall and all but virtue die. 

This yard has been almost entirely neglected for many years, and very little 
has ever been done apparently in the way of caring for it. Within a few 
years, however, the matter has been placed in the hands of a committee, and 
something in the direction of improvement has been attempted. Those who 
have friends buried here should be interested every one, and it is to be hoped 
that the parish will do its share of such a work and " make the Old Kirk 
Yard a fitting representative of the public spirit, and an honorable evidence 
of the care and respect of the town for its dead." The work of improvement 
and embellishment would be the more obligatory should a new church edifice 
be erected elsewhere, and considerable discussion resulting in some steps in 
that direction has taken place. In that event, we hope no one would for a 
moment contemplate or suggest a general removal of the dead. For once let 
the progress which means innovation and disturbance stay her hand ; let this 
spot be improved to the utmost, but not diverted to other uses. Made cheer- 
ful and attractive as a cemetery, it would greatly enhance the centre of its 
village. Whether the church goes or stays, let this portion of the " meeting- 



748 A SKETCH OF THE 

house lot" be beautified, as another part has been, and let it remain here in 
the midst of the bustle and stir of busy, active life, the possession of the 
undisturbed dead forever. It will do the living no harm to have continually 
before their eyes something which shall recall memories of those who are 
gone. 1 

Something over a hundred years ago, when there were only a few houses in 
the vicinity of the Falls, lt William Stanley, a man of public spirit and fore- 
sight, set apart a piece of land for a burying ground for himself and neighbors." 
Judging rightly that the water power there would eventually cause a thriving 
village to be built up, " he devoted an acre and a quarter of his farm to this 
public purpose." There was no public record of the date of this transaction 
kept, if any was made ; but the earliest stone, placed above an infant daugh- 
ter of Enoch and Mindwell Robinson, bears date 1773, so it could not have 
been, probably, far from that time when the yard was first opened. The 
Robinson family appear thus to have been the earliest occupants, and several 
different branches are represented. In one portion of the ground thirteen 
are buried in a row ; aud in 1839 two members of the family built a large 
tomb. Some of the stones of this family date back to 1776, 1778, and 1788 ; 
and that erected to Noah Robinson, who died in the latter year, has the same 
epitaph as that upon a stone in the old Woodcock ground : — 

Jesus, his sacrifice and death. 

Shall be my finery and wedding dress. 

Deacon Enoch Robinson, who died in 1798, has the following epitaph : — 

'Tis I that speak altbougb I'm dead, 
'Twas sovereign God made this my bed, 
All that I have to say to thee 
Prepare for death and follow me. 

Over some of the inscriptions on tombstones here skulls and cross-bones 
are carved, " while round faced cherubs and the melancholy cypress urn " 
are frequently to be found. Some members of the numerous Daggett family 
are buried here. Samuel B. Parris, m.d., the remarkably promising young 
man, was laid here, but subsequently was removed from town ; Deacon 
Jonathan Stanley, and Dr. Thomas Stanley, the son of the donor of the 
ground, Lieutenant Amos Stanley and Anna his wife, and many others well 
known as "•honorable men and strong hearted women." 



ir This lot is now the property of the Second Congregational Church. Why could not that body, 
in connection with the relatives, friends, and descendants of those who are buried here, see that this 
matter is accomplished during this anniversary year? What more fitting permanent memorial could 
there be to this portion of our early dead? How eould we better celebrate the two hundredth anni- 
versary of the ineorporation of our town and the one hundred and fiftieth — in the same month — 
anniversary of the setting apart of this spot as a place sacred to the dead? Let us show that we 
remember and honor these godly fathers and mothers by making this little plotof earth, which surely 
they have a right to claim, worthy of them and of ourselves. 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 749 

Elizabeth, wife of John Carpenter, has the following epitaph : — 

Farewell, my clear husband, she cries, 
Now from thy kind bosom I leap, 
With Jesus my Bridegroom to be. 
My flesh in the tomb for to sleep. 

That of Lydia, the wife of James Pullen, is : — 

Pray stop and read as you pass by, 
Your parents here together ly. 

Many of the inscriptions here show that the people whom they commem- 
orate lived to a very advanced age. 

Very nearly all of the early settlers at the Falls were interred here, and 
their followers continued to be largely up to the time of the opening of 
Mount Hope Cemetery. Burials are even now made here, but at very infre- 
quent intervals. It is upon the northern portion of this ground that the 
Central Congregational Church edifice has been erected. The selection of 
this site necessitated the removal of some forty or fifty bodies, which was 
done with the consent of a majority of the persons directly concerned, but 
with the decided disapproval of some of these, who claimed that another 
equally desirable site might have been chosen and this lt disturbance of the 
dead " avoided. While it was unfortunate on this account that some other 
place could not have been agreed upon, the object for which the remains 
were removed was one far less harrowing to even the most sensitive feelings 
than that for which so many were removed elsewhere in town ; and if this 
long-moldering human dust could have formed itself anew into a living 
reality, it might have voiced a glad willingness to be thus disturbed and 
borne to another resting-place if by that means a way was to be made for 
the continued preaching of God's Word. 

About the time of the Revolutionary War, Captain Joel Robinson gave 
about two acres of land to be used as a burial place. It lies on the west side 
of the road from Dodgeville to Hebronville, between the one which runs past 
the old Tiffany place to County Street and the one over Thurber's crossing 
by the camp ground to Briggsville. To whom precisely this lot was given 
does not transpire, but presumably it was set apart for the use of the people 
of that vicinity as a public cemetery. Tradition says that the donor had 
some quarrel with those to whom he had tendered the gift, and that he never 
gave a deed of it. That fact made no difference in its use for the purpose 
designated, however, and the donor himself is buried there, his gravestone 
being in an excellent state of preservation. Subsequently Dr. Seba Carpen- 
ter bought about half an acre of land and gave it to the yard, reserving a 
right to be buried in the front part, but this right must have been forgotten 
or wittingly disregarded, for he and his family are buried a considerable 



750 A SKETCH OF THE 

distance back from the street. At a much more recent date Cyrus Webber 
and Joab French made a purchase of land, which they also gave to the 
cemetery, which, including all additions, comprises about four acres. There 
seems to have been uo attempt to lay out the old portion with any regularity, 
for the graves are placed without much regard to straight lines or true angles. 
Much of this disorderly appearance is no doubt due to the changes time 
unhindered would inevitably make, for there is no evidence of unusual 
neglect or wanton carelessness. This part is public property. l 'auy one can 
bury in it," but the new portions are laid out into lots to be disposed of in 
the usual manner, and show marks of care and attention. 

The first person buried here was Desire Fuller, who died in 1775, and Mr. 
Zachariah Carpenter's stone bears the same date. The oldest stones are of 
black slate, many moss-grown and some sunk nearly half their original height 
into the ground. Some of the inscriptions are almost entirely illegible and 
others are traced with considerable difficulty. A large number of lengthy 
epitaphs are to be found here and a few of them have been copied and will 
be given with some names and dates from other stones. Captain Joshua 
Tiffany and his wife are buried here ; Captain Ebenezer Tiffany, who died 
in 1807 in the seventy-fourth year of his age; his wife, Mrs. Molly, who 
died in 1825 in the eighty-seventh year of her age ; and a Miss Tenty 
Tiffany, who died in 1789. One finds the name of Bates, Starke} 7 , Lincoln, 
and again and again Fuller. Dr. Seba Carpenter died March 12, 1854, at 
the age of seventy-one ; and Remember, his wife, and several children are 
buried near him. On two stones of the Carpenter family is the curious name 
of Lephe, one the wife of Captain Jon. Carpenter, in whose grave was 
buried an infant child. There are many Wilraarths buried here, and an 
enclosed lot on the highest ground in the yard, containing a monument, 
belongs to a family of that name. Others are Babcock, Bourn, Kirkpatrick, 
Hutchins, Freeman, Martin, Read, Atherton, Lothrop, — one named Libaus, 

— Bucklin, Robinson, Allen, Mott, Tiffany, Thurber, — one named Zerviah, 

— etc. In the new part are several handsome stones and monuments, bearing 
the same familiar names, many of them, seen in the old part. 

Following are the few inscriptions collected : — 

In memory of 

Mr. " 
James Tiffany, 
who died Oct. 

1776 
Ayed 79 years. 
Death 'tis a debt to Nature Due, 
Which I have paid and so must you. 

In memory of Mr. 

Jedutheu Fuller, 

who died Nove mbr 

15*i> iTTit aged 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 751 



79 years 6 mon 8 

& 23 Days. 

Hark from the tombs a doleful sound, 

My ears attend the cry, 
Ye living men come view the ground, 
Where you must shortly lie. 
Given Gratis by Abiel Fuller. 

Mr. Ebenezer Wilmartli 

died 

Jan. 24, 1828 

in his 89th year. 

A Revolutionary pensioner. 

Mrs. Ama Claflin 
died in 1833 aged 51. 
No more the weary pilgrim mourns, 
No more affliction wrings her heart, 
Th' unfetter'd soul to God returns, 
Forever she and anguish part. 

Candace Dexter died in 1838 in the 28th year of her age. 

Farewell my dear a short farewell, 
For I on earth a while must dwell, 

And drop a tear of sorrow. 
But not without hope's cheering ray, 
That she who fades ou earth today, 

May bloom in Heaven tomorrow. 

In memory 
of 
Mrs. Anna Read 
wife of 
Mr. Nathaniel Read. 
She died Sept. 1 
1840 
aged 86 years. 
Oh ! ever honor'd ever dear adieu, 
How many tender names are lost in you. 
Keep safe O, tomb! thy precious sacred trust, 
Till life, divine, wakes her sleeping dust. 

In memory of 

Mr. 

Nathaniel Read, 

who died Dec. 16, 

1875 

in the 76 th year 

of his age. 

What need the pen rehearse a life well spent. 

A man's good deeds is his best monument. 

Maria 

wife of 

John Dyett Peacock, 

& daughter of 

John Bruster, 



752 A SKETCH OF THE 

born :it ITehusworth 

Yorkshire, < !o. Eng. 

died April 10, 1859 

A.ged 58 years. 

As I pass by with grief I see 

My only friend was taken from me. 

Tho' taken by bim who lias a righl 

To call from me when he saw fit. 

William J. Morgain. 

Died 

Oct. IT. 1872 

In the 6l8t year 

Of bis age. 

Our loss is great, it gives us pain, 

We ne'r shall find bis like again. 

Within a few years an association has been formed, which has this ceme- 
tery in charge. Mr. Joseph G. Thnrber is the president of this association. 
The ground is called " The Dodgeville Burying Ground." 

Towards the middle of this century it became unmistakably evident that 
more burial space was required, the increasing population of North Attlebor- 
ough rendering such space especially necessary in that vicinity. A public 
meeting was held, and plans proposed and arranged. Stock was issued and 
at once subscribed for by about thirty persons. In 1849 these incorpora- 
tors, who had organized their association under provisions of statute, pur- 
chased seven acres of land of Benjamin Freeman and later by purchases 
from other persons increased the amount of land to about ten acres. These 
grounds are in the Falls village on the road leading over Mount Hope hill, 
from which no doubt it derived its name. 

The consecration of Mount Hope Cemetery took place July 2, 1850. The 
services were participated in by several clergymen, and the following poem 
written for the occasion by Mrs. C. M. Jackson (then Miss Fuller) was 
sung : — 

Here, in thine ancient temple. Lord. 

Where prayer was earliest made to thee, 
Thy presence waiting children crave 

And ask for each a blessing free. 

We come as did thy sons of old. 

This spot to mark as holy ground: 
We consecrate it Lord, to thee, — 

Here may thy spirit e'er be found. 

May no rude feet profane this place, 

WIk re rest in peace the sleeping dead. — 
No thoughtless merriment intrude 

Upon their silent, dreamless bed. 

And when our tears bedew the graves 

Of those who share our earthly love, 
May faith's uplifted linger say, 

Thev are not here — they're gone above. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 753 

Here may we never doubt or fear. 

But humbly trust parental love, 
A. ml ever cheerfully resign 

Those, whom our Father calls above. 

Here may the angel Hope arise, 

With peace, for souls by sorrow riven. 
And show them thro' this gate there lies 

The nearest, easiest path to Heaven. 

The address prepared by the Rev. J. M. B. Bailey, pastor of the First 
Church, at the request of the proprietors of the cemetery, was read at the 
dedication by his friend, the author of this book, because he was at the time 
too much prostrated by feeble health to be able to deliver it. A few extracts 
are made in memory of the w T riter, whom numbers in town must still hold in 
affectionate remembrance. 

This is an occasion that excites our emotions. Though the common world be near us. we 
are secluded. We feel that we have come to this spot, as to one which does not beloug to the 
common acres of the globe. These are no longer common trees, nor this turf the public soil. 
We are on selected territory, and the rural scenery about us is the drapery of our enclosure, 
which divides us off from the lawns and fields adjacent. But our isolation does not account 
for the emotions that thrill our souls. We are in the presence chambers of the Eternal. We 
are compassed about with a great cloud of witnesses. Departed saints seem to be gazing upon 
us. as we come hereto this dividing line between two worlds, as we gather where the dead 
enter the vestibule of eternity. 

Let all our arrangements have more reference to a resurrection, and the glory that follows, 
than to what is merely material and ephemeral. Let our selection of places where our friends 
shall slumber till they shall put on immortality, lie made with reference to these solemn real- 
ities. Let us choose a place so far removed from the stir and bustle of active life, that the 
repose of the sleepers there shall not be broken in upon by the noise of business, by the careless 
tread of those who regard not private right, or the endearments of love. Let it be retired, yet 
the access easy. Let the spot be diversified with brook and pond and rushing stream, with 
plain and hillock, with gentle declivity and retiring vale, with sunshine and shade, with the 
natural forest and the cultivated grove. There let us set the leafy maple, the spreading elm, 
the towering oak, the modest beech, the native and the foreign evergreen. Make the passage 
ways open and broad, that no necessity may compel, or carelessness allow, the tombs of the 
dead to be desecrated or marred. Appropriate a spot for the stranger that dies among you, 
and let your liberal hospitality grant him a free and au honorable burial. Let not parsimony 
or speculation or covetousuess have any share in the planning, the executing, the adorning or 
the disposing. Suffer nature to do all that it can; let taste and art bring their contributions 
and combine their beauties here. Let all its monuments be sacred, its paths, its avenues, its 
carriage ways. Let all within it, all beneath, all above, even to the stars that shine sweetly 
down upon it be sacred. Let them be forever hallowed; hallowed to repose, to silent converse 
with the departed dead. Let all who alone pass through these walks, let all who in social 
intercourse tread their way hither in twilight's gentle hour, or when the moon sheds down her 
mildest light through these overspreading trees upon the grass, beneath which loved ones lie 
sleeping; — let all who have been bereaved of partners, of son or daughter, of lover or friend, 
let them listen, let them receive those lessons that soften, calm and elevate. Let everything 
connected with, and belonging to, this most interesting place, its trees, its monuments, its 
grass, its foliage, its evergreens, point the visitor to the resurrection and the life to come. Let 
them point him to that world where there is no death, no mourning, no sin ; where all is 
eternal freshness, eternal youth; where no destruction wasteth at noonday. 

Standing here, I seem to see, coming from yonder cold gloomy vault a company of the dead 
who have left their burial, that they may here find a more befitting resting place. I see 



754 A SKETCH OF THE 

following that company, al frequent intervals, one and another of those now living. Their 
silent tread, their bowed tonus, their fallen heads and saddened countenances, all tell of the 
visitation, of bereavement, of sorrow and sadness. Twenty out of every thousand of this 
population will be interred before the end of this year. Soon the monument here will tell of 
death's doings with an emphasis ami a cadence, that will surprise every visitor. Over whom 
of us will the first turfed roof be raised? Who can tell where the blow will first fall that will 
sever the golden chord? Who shall be first to bear hither the beloved wife or husband? What 
parent will first bring here the son of his dependence, or the daughter of his hope? 

Come here to form a right estimate of time. Here is the goal of life. Here is the portal of 
eternity. Pause here, all ye who tread these walks, and consider what will be a hundred years 
hence. We often hear it uttered with seeming levity, " It will be all the same a hundred 
years hence." But with what a pace, and with what certainty, will not these years conic to 
their termination. This day will draw to a close, and a number of such da\ s will make a whole 
revolution of the seasons. Year follows year, and a number of years make up a century. 
These little intervals accumulate and fill up that mighty space, which appears to the fancy so 
big and so immeasurable. A hundred years will come, and see out the wreck of whole genera- 
tions. Every living thing that now moves upon the face of the earth, will disappear from it. 
The infant, that now hangs on his mother's bosom, will live only in the remembrance of his 
grandchildren. The scene of life and intelligence now before me will be changed into the dark 
and loathsome forms of corruption. The people who now hear me will cease to be spoken of; 
thej will perish from the face of the earth. Their flesh will be devoured by worms. The 
dark and creeping things that live in the holes of the earth will feed upon their bodies. Their 
coffins will have mouldered away, and their bones have been thrown up in the new-made 
grave, unless prevented by your wholesome and spacious provisions. And is this the consum- 
mation of all things? Is this the final end of man? Is there nothing beyond the grave to 
relieve the picture? nothing to chase away these dismal images? Must we sleep forever in the 
dust, and bid an eternal adieu to the light of heaven? 

Come to this place, my friends, and learn to apportion your time wisely. Devote a proper 
share to learn how to die, then the agonies of your dying day will not be heightened by the 
agonies of despair. Come here and learn how to live. 

So live, that when thy summons comes to join 
The innumerable caravan, that moves 
To the pale realms of shade, where each shall take 
His chamber in the silent halls of death. 
Thou go not like the quarry slave at night. 
Scourged to his dungeon; but, sustained and soothed 
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, 
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch 
About him. ami lies down to pleasant dreams. 

The first person buried here was Mr. Martin Whitney, in 1850, and now 
the silent inhabitants of this spot number many hundreds, among them many 
of the most distinguished citizens of the town. Hon. Elisha May is interred 
here and his gravestone bears the following epitaph : — 

What though our inbred sins require 
Our flesh to see the dust; 
Yet as the Lord our Saviour rose 
So all bis followers must. 

That of Ruth, his widow, is as follows : — 

Tho' I lie buried deep in dust 

My flesh shall be thy care; 

These withered limbs with thee I trust 

To raise them strong and fair. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 755 

Upon the stone erected to G-eorge Stanley are the following lines from Pope : 

A wit's a feather, and a chief's a rod. 
An honest man 's the noblest work of God. 

There are a number of beautiful monuments in this cemetery, bearing the 
names of prominent men and families. Among the handsomest are those of 
the Richards family, H. N. Daggett, Oscar M. Draper, and the Freeman 
brothers, while there are scores of others conspicuous for their beauty or 
appropriateness. 

Within a few years four and a half acres of land have been added to the 
cemetery on the east side, and it now comprises from twelve to fifteen acres. 
Since it was first opened it has been handsomely enclosed and much im- 
proved, and the grounds are well graded and suitably divided into avenues 
and paths. The tract has mauy natural advantages; its surface is happily 
diversified and portions of it beautifully shaded and adorned by groves of 
our native forest trees. It is tastefully laid out, and so nature and art have 
combined harmoniously to make Mount Hope Cemetery the most attractive 
in town. 

There are now two Roman Catholic cemeteries in town. For many years 
the people of that faith possessed no consecrated ground for this purpose, 
and all their dead were taken to Pawtucket for interment. About 1850 St. 
Mary's parish was organized and land for church purposes was purchased, 
but it was not until a number of years later that the people were able to pur- 
chase their first tract of laud for burial purposes. This is at the Falls village, 
south and east of Mount Hope, and is called St. Mary's Cemetery. Already 
it has many occupants ; monuments of various designs dot the surface here 
and there, and many uplifted crosses glisten and gleam in the sunlight over 
the rapidly increasing mounds. The greater portion of the burials from the 
parishes of St. Mary and St. John are made here. 

The only other Roman Catholic burying ground in town is the cemetery 
connected with St. Stephen's Church in Dodgeville and called by the same 
name. 

About twenty-five years ago the necessity for additional burial space in 
the east part of the town had become imperative, and iu 1865 a cemetery 
association was formed. The first meeting of the association was held on 
the first of July of that year to take measures for organizing as a corpora- 
tion, but that idea was abandoned. The number of charter members of the 
association was fifteen. Shares were issued, the par value of each being $25, 
and forty-three of these were taken by the original stockholders, who num- 
bered twenty-three. The first officers elected were J. W. Capron, president, 
C. E. Hayward, vice-president, A. M. Everett, clerk, John Cooper, treasurer, 
and J. W. Capron, C. E. Hayward, and L. W. Barnes, trustees. The name 
selected was "The Woodlawn Cemetery Association." A constitution was 



756 A SKETCH OF THE 

framed and adopted together with suitable by-laws on the fourteenth of July, 
lsfi."). This is a private association not incorporated by act of Legislature, 
and in 1887 the number of shares had increased to seventy-one. 

Soon after the organization of the association about ten acres of land 
were purchased for a thousand dollars of Mr. Philip Brady. This tract lies 
in what has long been familiarly called Blackintonville and is bounded by 
Mr. Brady's lands, the Bungay River, and the former homestead lot of Mr. 
William Blackinton, now the property of Mr. Nerney. Some two or three 
years subsequent to the purchase substantial iron gates were erected at the 
entrance to the ground on North Main Street, and in 1887 a little more than 
two acres of land were purchased to enlarge the cemetery. 

The site of Woodlawn is a cheerful and pretty one, as that of the grounds 
set apart for "cities of the dead" ought to be. The surface is broken, por- 
tions of it have trees, and the running river is a particularly attractive 
feature. Many of the lots are tastefully arranged and many beautiful stones 
and monuments have been erected to the honored dead lying beneath them. 
Here as in every similar spot one finds newly inscribed year by year the 
names of numbers of the best and most prominent men of the town, some 
having lived out long and useful lives, fully ripe for the sickle of God's 
reaper, but others, alas ! cut down in the prime of lusty manhood just when 
their vigorous strength seemed most needed in the world's work ; and here too 
one sees numbers of the waving flags which indicate the soldier's grave. 
Among the finest monuments are those of the Bliss, Carpenter, and Dean 
families, and those of Mr. Charles E Hayward, William Wilmarth, and 
Everett Bliss. These are among the most conspicuous, but there are many 
others equally tasteful and appropriate. 

The new cemeteries of the town present a most creditable appearance ; if 
the old burying grounds could receive the attention they demand and deserve, 
such attention as is bestowed upon the new ones, there would be nothing left 
in this line to be desired. 

About three quarters of a century ago a small parcel of land was set aside 
by Mr. Apollos Follett as a family burial ground. It lies on the road lead- 
ing from Park Street to the Bearcroft Road, between his house — now occu- 
pied by his grandson, Walter H. Follett — and the residence of Mrs. Simpson 
Harvey. There are but seven gravestones in this little yard, all probably 
that have been placed, as only a few people have been buried there. They 
are of black slate and contain no epitaphs, only simple inscriptions, and no 
ornamentations with one exception, a weeping willow being pictured upon 
that of Mrs. Apollos Follett. The small footstones contain the initials of 
those beneath, and in some instances the year of their death. All the stones 
are in a row and near together, and are in memory of the persons whose 
names follow : — 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 757 

Mr. Jonathan Follet, who died Dec. 7, 1819, in the Slst year of his age; Mrs. Mary, his wife, 
who died Dec. 30, 1829, in the 85th year of her age; Mr. Apollos Follett, (his son) who died 
July 4, 1855, in the 76th year of his age; Mrs. Cynthia, his wife, who died Aug. 9, 1S44, in the 
63d year of her age; Mr. Apollos Follett, Jr., who died Aug. 5, 1S31, in the 24th year of his 
age; Ferdinand, another sou, who died March 24, 1818. aged 10 mouths and 24 days, and Mary, 
who died Nov. 14, 1815, aged 4 years, 10 months and 14 days. 

It was at the time of the last-named child's death that Mr. Follett made 
the yard. Another daughter, Cynthia, who married a Mr. Hunt, of Norton, 
was buried here with her infant child, but was subsequently removed to a yard 
in Norton by her husband. Still another daughter, a second Mary, who married 
William Rogers, is buried here ; but no stones have ever been placed above 
their graves, which are fast becoming obliterated. An infant child of Mr. 
Simpson Harvey was temporarily buried in this place ; but no other burials 
have been made so far as known. The stones are in a fair state of preserva- 
tion, though somewhat moss-grown, but the ground is in a neglected condition, 
covered with brambles and tangled grass. The enclosing wall is yet intact 
but the gate is lacking and all together it is a rather forlorn-looking little spot. 

There is another family burial ground not a great distance from the one 
just mentioned, on the road leading from the " Mugg district" to Briggs- 
ville. It is not more than eighteen or twenty feet square and is filled by the 
ten graves it contains. There are nine stones. These, with two exceptions, 
are erected to persons of the name of Thayer. The first interment was 
apparently in 1845, that of Mr. Abiathar Thayer, who died at the age 
of seventy-seven. His wife Elizabeth died in 1858 in her eighty-sixth year. 
Another Abiathar died in 1876, aged eighty. Phebe his wife, Ruel, Benjamin 
L., and Mrs. Joanna Thayer, Mason Harvey, who died in 1849, aged seventy- 
two, and a child of the name of Hewitt are the others to whom stones are 
erected. All these stones are of white marble, with the exception of that of 
Mr. Harvey, which is of black slate. Outside the enclosure there are two 
graves. One is that of James B. Hewitt; the other has no stone. Three 
scraggy old trees and a few tiny firs stand within the yard, but they detract 
very little from the forsaken appearance of the place, a lonesome spot on 
a lonely road. 

Not far away is a similar spot enclosed by a substantial stone and iron 
fence and containing one grave with a marble headstone, that of Mr. Edwin 
S. Coombs. It lies on the crossroad from the one just mentioned to that 
passing the Follett yard, which it joins near the residence of the late Captain 
Edwin French. Mr. Coombs' place was the "old Codding farm," the home 
of Mr. Abiel Codding. 

On the place of the late Dr. James M. Solomon, now occupied by his son, 
Herbert F. Solomon, there is a small plot of ground which he set apart about 
fifty years ago as a family burial-place. It contains but a few rods, two sides 
being surrounded by a stone wall, the other two by a solid iron fence, and 
the whole shaded by trees of a considerable growth, which he no doubt 



758 A SKETCH OF THE 

planted himself. There seem to have been about twenty interments in the 
yard, all, with two or three exceptions, members of the family. A granite 
monument near the centre has the following names inscribed upon it : " Dr. 
James M. Solomon, Born Sept. 10, 1812, Died Nov. 22, 1889. Rebecca A. 
his wife, Born March 20, 1824. Died Nov. 22, 1886" ; and beneath "Amy 
A.," a daughter. On another side are inscriptions to other children of Dr. 
Solomon : Cornelia A., James F., William D., Sarah M., John J., and William 
B., the two latter having the birth date only lettered, as they are still living. 
Headstones containing simply names are placed at the graves of several of 
these near the monument and to two additional ones, Laura A. and Loammi 
K., while one small stone is marked ''The Children." There is a stone to 
" Alrnira L. wife of Henry McCarthy," a sister of Dr. Solomon, who died 
in 1852; one to John L., son of Henry and Almira McCarthy; and between 
these a small stone inscribed to some member of their family, a child prob- 
ably, who died in 1846 and was the first person buried in the yard. A large 
stone marks the spot where Rebecca A. Chace, who " died in 1867 aged 74," 
was buried, and makes the fifteenth in the entire group besides the monument. 
In each of the corners farthest from the family and at the foot of the little 
mound where they lie, marked by rough black stones wholly unletttered, is a 
grave : the one to the east being that of a servant in the doctor's family who 
died many years ago, and the other that of some person unknown to the 
present members. One stone here contains the most remarkable dates of any 
in town, so remarkable as to be very rarely seen anywhere. It is erected to 
the mother of the late Dr. Solomon, and the inscription reads as follows : — 

In Memory, 

of 

Amy A. Solomon, 

wife of 

John Solomon. 

Born Feb. 9, 1760 

Died May 8, L864. 

Aged 104 y*ears & 

3 months. 

A kind and affectionate Mother. 

None knew her but to love her. 

None named her but to praise. 

In God we live. 

On the extreme western border of the town, on the Diamond Hill Road not 
far from the Cumberland line, is another family burial ground in which there 
seem also to have been about twenty interments. It is in a bright, sunn} 7 
location well toward the summit of a considerable elevation on the farm of 
Mr. Lewis S. Carpenter, who occupies the commodious homestead dwelling- 
house near by, and whose father, Mr. John Carpenter, about three quarters 
of a century ago dedicated the spot to the uses of the dead. The space, 
perhaps forty by eighty feet, is enclosed by a substantial iron fence with 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 759 

double entrance gates. It is on the edge of a little bluff, which rises 
abruptly from one or two sides ; and stone steps lead from the roadside to 
the gateway. The stones are of white marble or granite, the older ones well 
preserved ; the broad, intersecting paths are concreted, and the whole enclos- 
ure shows excellent care and attention. On the southerly side is a small plot 
about twenty-five feet square also enclosed by an iron fence, but with no 
indications of burials within it. 

The earliest death indicated, and the one doubtless which caused the little 
graveyard to be made, is that of a son of Mr. Carpenter, upon whose tiny 
stone is this inscription : " Within this peaceful asylum repose the remaius of 
Asa C. sou of John Carpenter and Nancy his wife, who died March 1, 1816, 
aged 4 years and 6 months." Close beside are the stones to John Car- 
penter himself, who died May 18, 1851, in his seventy-eighth year, and to 
his wife, who died April 20, 1863, aged eighty-three years and six months. 
Namon B. Carpenter, Sylvia his wife, Delia Maria a very young daughter, 
and an infant daughter unnamed form another group of those buried here ; 
and near by is a granite monument, erected in 1868, on which is an inscrip- 
tion to W. II. Carpenter, who died in 1888 at the age of seventy-four, and his 
wife Hanuah, who died in 1867 aged forty-seven. Cynthia B., wife of Joseph 
B. Carpenter, died at the early age of " 23 years" ; and Susan C, wife of 
John B. Carpenter, and her little boy of nine lie side by side. Another 
group of stones are raised to Noah A., Abby his wife, and their son Henry 
Albert Carpenter. David Brown, who died October 18, 1849, aged ninety- 
three, Chloe, his wife, who died January 25, 1848, aged eighty-seven, and one 
Lydia Brown, who died December 1, 1856, in her sixty-eighth year, are the 
only persons of a different name buried here. The latest inscription is that 
of "Cynthia A. Cargill wife of Lewis S. Carpenter, Born Feb. 18, 1819, 
Died July 21, 1890." Beside hers is the husband's stone and exactly like it, 
on which is inscribed " Lewis S. Carpenter, Born May 12, 1817." It is 
pleasant to mention a family burial yard where the highest respect to their 
dead is shown by the living members in a careful preservation of all memo- 
rials and a constant attention to the ground made sacred to them as the rest- 
ing-place of many of their loved ones ; and it is especially pleasant to note 
one is so prett}' a spot surrounded by some of the most attractive scenery in 
the entire old town. 

About a hundred years ago a little plot of ground on the farm of Nathan 
Bolkcom, on Cutting's plain, began to be used as a burial place. It is just 
south of the house of the late Lorenzo Morse, on the west side of the road, 
and perhaps five or six hundred feet back from it. The space is about fifty 
feet square and is on the summit of a little knoll. It was formerly walled 
in, and remnants of the wall still remain on two sides, the other two being 
bounded by a rail fence. The place is wholly given over to the growths of 
nature, is now only a bit of wild woods. The graves are mostly leveled to 



7 60 A SKETCH OF THE 

the surface, scarcely more than six or eight indications of mounds being 
visible. Two rough, unlettered stones, no doubt marking the head and foot 
of a grave, are standing : in another place a single stone, and in still another 
a small bowlder, which may also have been a grave-mark. Only three inscrip- 
tions are to be found. On a piece of stone lying on the ground can be read, 
•• .Mrs. Hannah Hall, iEt. 55." The stone is so narrow that only one word 
could be cut on a line, and the lower part of it, still embedded in the ground, 
crumbled into fragments when an attempt was made to raise it, so the remain- 
der of the inscription could not be ascertained. This Mrs. Hall, wife of 
Ephraim Hall, is thought to be the first person buried here. 
The second inscription reads : — 

Chloe 

Bolkeom died 

Feb. 13. 1804 

in the 27th year 

of her age. 

I turn to dust as here you see. 

Prepare in time to follow me. 

One Hannah Bolkcom was buried here, and in the southeast corner of the 
little yard a pair of twins and another young child of the same name. The 
third inscription is as follows : — 

In memory of 

Mr. Manning B. Wight. 

who died March 9, 1829 

in the 22d year of his age, 

The only son of Simon & Huldah 

Wight. 

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. 

An unlettered stone marks the foot of this grave. Sally Wight, sister to 
the above, Huldah Wight, Nathan Bolkcom and Sarah, his wife, were buried 
here, and Betsy Bolkcom, the latter the last to be interred, and about forty 
or fifty years ago. The most of the facts relating to this spot were obtained 
from Mis. Morse, widow of the late Lorenzo Morse and granddaughter of 
Nathan Bolkcom. The only other burial, so far as recalled, was that of an 
infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Morse, who died January 3, 1839, at the age. 
of 14 months and 9 days, in the midst of a storm so severe as to render it 
impossible to get to the cemetery where other members of the family are 
buried. Stones were erected to nearly if not quite all who were buried here, 
but all excepting those mentioned have entirely disappeared and probably 
by being destroyed, for when the wall was broken down they began to share 
its fate. 

This vicinity is the ancient settling-place of the Bolkcoms. Of the three 
brothers who came early to this country, one settled here, and large quantities 
of land were cleared in time by members of the family who once owned 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. 761 

" down to the Fisher neighborhood." One of them worked for others at this 
occupation, and was paid in land, one acre for one day's work. Nathan 
Rolkcom, when he was a young man, concluded he would go away from home 
to seek his fortune, which he apparently soon found aud brought back with 
him in the form of a wife, Sarah, — well-named Jewell, — of Haverhill. She 
came to town with her husband at the age of twenty-four and lived to be 
ninety-four, in all those seventy years returning but twice to her native town. 
The women of those days did their full share in the pioneer work in which 
the men were engaged and found enough to occupy their minds and hands in 
the daily duties of their humble homes. They had no unhealthy craving for 
publicity and the so-called necessary ' w wider sphere," but were content to 
spend and be spent in the place where their lot was cast. It is a pity that 
this woman who was crowned with almost a hundred years of life should 
have no lasting memorial tablet inscribed with some tribute to her deeds and 
virtues. 

In the village of Briggsville, a few rods from Mr. Viekery's store, toward 
the Rehoboth line, on the other side of the road, is a very ancient burial 
place. One enters a cart-path leading into the woods, follows it a short dis- 
tance, and then, turning to the right, scrambles through a thicket of low 
bushes or scrub oaks, filled with brambles and briers, and presently in its 
very midst comes upon a spot covered with cypress and finds 'here and there 
signs of graves. A solitary footstone with a few scarcely traceable letters 
inscribed upon it appears, and, looking about, the headstone comes into view, 
with another alongside containing a few readable words. Peering about and 
parting the branches, oue finds a group of graves, one or two upright stones, 
partly visible, and again, almost hidden by bushes, in a tangle of wild 
vines aud perhaps half-buried by the accumulations of the passing years, 
another group of two or three with headstones. In a space covering a few 
rods either way there are evidences of probably quite thirty burials, their 
places all more or less readily determined by piles of small stones, of the 
dimensions of mounds, over the bodies of adults, which remind one of the 
far Western custom of covering freshly made graves in that manner, to pre- 
vent the depredations of wild animals. Traces of rows are clear, but they 
are not on a line with either the road or the path. The spot was perhaps in 
the early days an attractive one, shaded with great trees and surrounded by 
the primeval forest, through whose midst the lonely highway ran ; but it is 
now scores of years since it was wholly abandoned to neglect and decay, for, 
as our informant told us, " The second growth of timber is growing over the 
place." The little yard may originally have contained about a hundred feet 
square, for the graves now visible are all within that amount of space. It 
is elevated slightly above both the road and path and slopes a little on the 
other two sides, but there is not the slightest evidence of its ever having been 



762 A SKETCH OF THE 

enclosed by wall or feuce. Very little could be ascertained regarding it, for, 
while numbers know of its existence as a former burial place, no one appears 
to know anything about its origin as such, and no interments have been made 
within the remembrance of even elderly people. It is the property of Mr. 
Joseph L. Wetherell, of Briggsville, and he lias no recollection of its men- 
tion in any deeds relating to the surrounding land. If therefore it was ever 
formally set apart, the fact has apparently been forgotten. 

Very few stones are to be found at the present time, and those still stand- 
ing will soon disappear if left alone. Possibly some might be found by 
digging beneath the surface, though attempts made in that direction have met 
with no result ; either therefore there were none erected at many of the 
graves, or they have been totally destroyed. Those found are all of black 
slate, the majority ornamented with cherubs' faces, some of which are verv 
peculiar in their expression ; one can almost see depicted disgust at their 
forlorn surroundings or discouragement over their melancholy fate. Some 
twelve or fourteen stones were discovered and their inscriptions copied. The 
most ancient one is to " Mr. John Titus who departed this life Oct. 9, 1732, 
in his 30th Year." There are graves beside his. which are perhaps those 
of his parents, though there is nothing to verify the conjecture. He may 
have been of the family of Robert Titus, some of whose descendants are 
living in the East village to-day, one of them, Mrs. J. O. Tiffany, daughter 
of the late Joseph French, a great-granddaughter, and Mr. J. L. Sweet, a 
great-great-grandson. There are a footstone with no lettering on it, a large 
stone with the letters "A. D." and " Died in 1743," and a broken one with 
"A. D." only traceable. The family of the deceased must have carved 
these inscriptions as a matter of " saving," for the letters are only slightly 
cut and are queerly arranged, resembling in form those of the first attempts 
of a child learning to print. 

Several members of the French family were buried here. On the stone of 
one, " Daniel French" and " 1745" only could be read; on another, "Mi- 
Thomas French died June y e 3, 174G in y e 50 th year of his age" ; and on still 
another, the full inscription, " In Memory of M r Christopher French who 
died July 17, 1755 in his 81 st year," apparently; on another stone, " Mr 
Israel Reed jnn. who died Sept. ye 26, 1756, in ye 25 year of his age " ; and 
the footstone showing the name and year of death is standing. The two 
best preserved stones are inscribed as follows : — 

In Memory of In Memory of 

Lamech Blandin Rachel widow of Mr. 

he died March ye Lamech Blandin, who 

22<i 1774 in ye 51"t died Fell. 2S th 1812 

year of his in the 85"' year of 

Age. her age. 

The footstones at these graves are both intact. 



HISTOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 763 

Six stones bear the name of Wilmarth, and the inscriptions are all trace- 
able without much difficulty. They are as follows: "In Memory of Lieut. 
Daniel Willmarth, he Died Feb. 17th 176!) in the 54th year of his age." A 
part of his footstone still remains. 

In Memory of In Memory of 

Mr. Jonathan Rnlah Willmarth 

Wilmarth Relict of M> 

who died Sep Jonathan Willmarth 

tember ye 14 Dec'd Feby 14th 

1756 in ye (37th 1770 in ye 79th 

Year of his Year of her Age. 
Age. 

Both footstones with names and dates on them are at these graves. 

In Memory of 

Jonathan Willmarth 

Jnu. Dee'd April y e 20 

1752 in ye 26th Year of 

his Age. 

Remember me as you pass by 
For as you are so once was I 
And as I am so must you be 
Therefore prepare to follow me. 

The stones erected to " Capt. Moses Willmarth," who " died Nov. 16, 17'J9 
in his 68th Year," and to his wife, "Mrs. Elizabeth Wilmarth," who " died 
Sept. 24 1814 in her 82d year," are in a good state of preservation. He 
was the great-grandfather of Mrs. Joseph H. Lincoln and was probably the 
Revolutionary captain. The old homestead of this branch of the family is 
on what is now Horn Street, near the schoolhouse. With its ancient, well- 
kept house, with long, low-sloping roof, generous barn, and yard with beauti- 
ful elms, it is a noticeable place, one of peculiar New England attractiveness. 
Wilmarths settled very early in this part of the town, and from them are 
descended many if not all of the name and connection now in town. 
Frenches have also been in this vicinity for many years, and as those are the 
names most numerous in the little graveyard, the families being formerly, 
perhaps, as in later years connected, it seems reasonable to suppose that 
members of one or both may have put aside the land for a family or neigh- 
borhood burial ground, though possibly, as a Titus was, so far as now known, 
the first to be buried in it, that family may have devoted it to such uses. 
The matter is entirely one of conjecture. 

It is always sad to see a spot which has been set apart as a resting-place 
for the dead in any way neglected or disturbed, even when its purpose remains 
clearly visible; but it is sadder still to find one like this totally abandoned 
and allowed to return wholly unrestrained to its original state, a natural 
forest. It would seem as if enough persons could be found among the 
descendants of these early dead and those interested in the commencement 



764 A SKETCH OF THE 

of the history of our town, to do the work necessary to rescue from utter 
oblivion this small piece of sacred ground and to preserve the few scattered 
relics of some of the fathers yet remaining here, before a final "too late" 
is said. 

So far as known to the Editor those mentioned comprise all the burial 
places both public and private in town. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 765 



CHAPTER XXII. 

TOPOGRAPHY. DESCRIPTION OF ATTLEBOROUGH, ENGLAND. EARLY CONDITION 

OF THE COUNTRY, ETC. 



ATTLEBOROUGH is one of the ancient towns of the Commonwealth, 
incorporated as has been seen in 1G94, and at that time comprising 
what is now the town of Cumberland. R. I. It was the northwest corner of 
the Old Colony and included a large and valuable tract of country. Within 
those former limits there is now a population probably of nearly if not quite 
twenty-five thousand people, engaged in a great variety of employments. 
The town is bounded on the north by Wrentham, on the east by Mansfield and 
Norton, on the south by Rehoboth, Seekonk, and Pawtucket, R. I., and on 
the west by Cumberland, R. I. The latitude of the Second Congregational 
Church is 41° 56' 42.55", and the longitude 71° 17' 16.86". The area by 
actual survey is reported as 45 T 8 F 3 o square miles, or 29,331 acres, and is 
among; the largest towns in the State in size. The general surface is level, 
more generally so than the majority of the towns in the State, though in some 
sections it is diversified. The westerly and northwesterly portions are more 
hilly and uneven than the eastern. Of the latter it has been said: "It may 
be stated, as an illustration of the horizontal surface of this section, that the 
railroad passes through it, 17 miles from Foxborough, south 36 degrees west, 
in an exactly straight line to the last crossing of the Ten Mile River, near the 
cove in Seekonk ; and in the whole distance very little excavation or bank 
filling was required. At the crossing of the road leading from East Attlebor- 
ough to Foxborough, east side of Bungay Swamp, it is 125 feet above high 
water mark at Providence, and 129 above that of Boston. From thence, 
southerly, it falls 5.86 feet per mile. At the station near the meeting-house, 
it is 123 feet above high water, and the inclination is 8.97 feet per mile. The 
grade of the road where it crosses the river, near the Dodgeville factory, is 
108.33 feet, and the lowest bed of the river 85.41 feet above high water." 1 

There are no very high hills in the town. Ten Mile Hill, or as it is now 
called Mount Hope Hill, is the highest, and its most elevated part " is said to 
be the highest land in Bristol county." That region was quite famous in the 
days of Indian warfare, and incidents connected with it have been mentioned 
previously. The views from this hill are quite extensive and very pretty in 
several directions. This is especially true of that view which meets the eye 
looking westward from the summit. At the foot of the hill lies the village of 



1 See Sanitary Survey of Attleborough, published 1850. 



766 A SKETCH OF THE 

North Attleborough, quite embowered in its myriads of beautiful shade trees, 
with here and there a roof or chimney peeping above them or a church spire 
pointing heavenward, while beyond the plain is clotted with thrifty farms and 
comfortable homesteads, and in the far background stretch the gently sloping 
Cumberland hills. The harsh lines of the manufactories are toned down by the 
graceful environment of vivid, changing green or the flaming brilliancy with 
which autumn surrounds us ; one is beyond the sound of the roaring and rum- 
bling of engine and wheel, and for the moment the busy, bustling place becomes 
to the vision that ever picturesque and charming spot, the peaceful, rural New 
England village of a half-century or more ago. Oak Hill in the southern part of 
the town is only a slight elevation, but as it rises abruptly from a level plain 
it is visible from considerable distances in various parts of the town and even 
beyond its limits. East of the village of Attleborough there is a somewhat 
curious hilly formation, — that over which the Rehoboth carriage road passes, 
— a ridge of land, in most places only wide enough for the road, rising quite 
abruptly from the level on either side. This is appropriately called the Ridge 
Hill. Its elevation is also slight, but the surrouuding territory is so flat that 
an extended view is obtained toward the south and west. At one place the 
village, with its group of factories, its spires and towers, seen through the 
haze of a summer afternoon, looks like a section of a great city and as if the 
next turn would bring into sight the whole wide teeming area. But the 
vision fades with a glance and one scarce has a glimpse even of the village 
again until its midst is nearly reached. Rattlesnake Hill and Red Rock Hill 
near South Attleborough are worthy of mention with the other eminences. 
The latter is part of a continuous range or ridge running through the westerly 
part of the territory from northeast to southwest in its general course until it 
terminates at the Blackstone River. 

The rock jutting out from this ridge and exposed to view presents a deep 
and rather dark red color, which indicates the presence of iron ore in the soil 
and was caused doubtless by the subjection of the earth in past ages to a 
high degree of heat. This rock gradually crumbles to dust on exposure to 
the atmosphere, and in sudden rains dull-colored streams are formed, which 
flow down the sides of the elevation and over the roads in all directions, dye- 
ing the adjacent soil with its own hue. In the Sanitary Survey above referred 
to this ridge is called " a strata of graywacke conglomerate soil, of the red 
slaty variety," and Red Rock Hill "is comprised almost entirety of this 
variety. It is frequently mixed with other varieties; and Professor Hitch- 
cock ' supposes that l beds of limestone, enough to be worked, may be discov- 
ered.' Home parts contain 94.6 per cent, of carbonate of lime ; sometimes 



1 Dr. Hitchcock, formerly a professor at Amherst, who is quoted above, suggested a geological 
survey of this State, the first of ii long series in the United States and also "the first survey of an 
entire State under the authority of government in the world." 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 767 

26.8 per cent, of alumina ; ' and being often intermixed with red slate, it 
would form when polished, a beautiful marble, if masses large enough could 
be obtained.'" In mauy places this range obtains some considerable eleva- 
tion, in others is depressed to the level of the adjoining surface, as if worn 
away by the corrosions of time, but its soil preserves everywhere the same 
color. Otherwise the prevailing rock in the town is generally conglomerate, 
or pudding-stone, with only an unfrequent small ledge of granite. The 
southern portion of the town has a light, sandy soil and includes an extension 
of Seekonk Plain, which it is believed by geologists was once covered by 
the sea. 

The general growth of timber is oak, — white, red, black, and yellow, — 
walnut, birch, white pine and black ; the lowlands include maple, birch, 
beech, some ash, elm, chestnut, and cedar. Scattered here and there all 
over the town are many beautiful elms, some of them very large and some 
very old ; again and again these may be seen throwing their long pendent 
branches in a graceful and protecting manner over old homesteads, as if 
expressing a desire to defend them from the destroying hand of man and 
from the ravages of time. Maples, which grow rapidly and luxuriantly, are 
much planted for shade trees, and in some of the village streets their broad- 
spreading branches have intertwined and in the summer time form beautiful 
arches of dense, green foliage overhead. 

There are indications of coal in some parts of the town ; these extend 
from Foxborough through Mansfield, Attleborough, and Cumberland. The 
coal is of the anthracite variety and was mined in Cumberland about 1830 
and used to some extent. Shafts were sunk in Mansfield many years ago, 
and in later years boring was again tried, but the layers reached were found 
to be too thin for profitable mining. A deeper penetration beneath the 
surface might perhaps discover a more abundant supply, should the demand 
ever make further attempts in this vicinity a necessity. At the time of the 
settlement of the town the surface was largely covered with timber. This 
was principally white oak of a large growth and suitable for ship building. 
Portions of the low lands on the banks of the streams were open and 
produced a growth of wild or meadow grass, and some spots had been 
cleared and cultivated by the Indians. The streams abounded in fish and the 
forests in certain species of game. According to tradition bears and rattle- 
snakes were occasionally found. Rattlesnake Brook and Rattlesnake Hill, 
before mentioned, and Bear Swamp, now called Bearcroft, in the eastern 
part of the town, are names preserved to the present time and would seem 
to confirm the tradition. The probable origin of the last-mentioned name 
can still be traced. In the old house on Pleasant Street, owned by the late 
Jacob Briggs, there lived something over a hundred years ago one Caleb 
Partnenter; and his wife, Elizabeth Parmenter, shot a bear from one of its 
west windows. The animal doubtless came from the woods or swamp lying 



768 A SKETCH OF THE 

adjacent to the house, and the name given to the region would seem to be the 
natural result of the incident. Fish being an important article of food 
among the natives, they had a number of fishing stations in this region, such 
as Waweepoonseag (the place of nets), Little Squisset and High Squisset, 
Mamantapett, Sinuechitecouet, etc. Their rude tools and stone arrows, axes, 
pestles, mortars, and other articles have frequently been found and are 
sometimes to this day in plowing the grounds they once occupied. 1 The 
surface of the land in Attleborough is similar to that of many other New 
England towns, diversified in its scenery, comprising large portions of fertile 
and valuable soil and other portions of what is called waste land, unimproved. 
Much of the surface which has not been subdued or cultivated is still 
covered with wood, probably more than one third of the whole. There are, 
as formerly, some swamps and low and wet lauds, but a large part of the 
soil consists of a gravelly and sandy loam. There is much good agriculture 
in the town and abundance of fruit and vegetables, which find a ready 
market in the different manufacturing villages. 

The rivers are worthy of notice not so much for their size as for the 
valuable water privileges which they afford. These are now and, since some 
of the very earliest settlements were made, have been used for manu- 
facturing purposes. There are several streams of water in the town, the 
principal of which is the Ten Mile River. This name was given to it very 
early, though it would seem with but little propriety. It has its source on 
the farm of the late Mr. John Fuller, in the southern part of Wrentham, 
about a mile from the Attleborough line, and, running in a generally southerly 
direction through the length of this town and through Seekonk, empties into 
Seekonk Cove, an arm of Narragausett Bay, now called Seekonk River. Its 
length in this town is some thirteen miles, its entire length twenty-five miles. 
In its passage through the town it falls about one hundred and thirty-two 
feet. "In an average current it discharges about 50 cubic feet of water 
per second." Its average width is two rods and a half. This stream is 
exceedingly important to the interests of the town, for on it still are many 
of our principal manufacturing establishments. There are within the limits 
of the town ten falls on this stream, which has furnished water-power to 
many of the factories, to small cotton mills, saw and grist mills, etc., such 
as were scattered over Massachusetts years ago. At one time long since 
there were fifteen of these; one in Wrentham, ten in Attleborough, and four 
in Seekonk. To-day there are, no doubt, more factories in number along 
the line of this little river and of a size and finish to astonish the log-built 
grist-mill and its rude successors of the early days. The next stream in size 



1 A small stone arrowhead was found in 1S89 on the farm of the late author of this work. It was 
turned up by the plow in a field lying on the " Old Bay Road " north of the house and was given by 
the present owner of the farm to Major E. S. Horton and may be seen in his antiquarian collection. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 769 

is Seven Mile River. This " traverses the westerly part of the town, from 
north to south," and unites with the Ten Mile River a little above Kent's 
factory near the Paw tucket line. Its entire length is about ten miles, " and 
it discharges about 15 cubic feet a second." The third or fourth stream in 
size is the Bungay, said sometimes to have been pronounced Bunya//, accent 
on the last syllable, and sometimes Buugee. This has its source in the 
northerly part of the town near the Mansfield line, a little below the Witch 
Pond, and after a journey of about five miles over an unusually level bed 
falls into the Ten Mile River nearly in the centre of the town, between the 
Farmers and Mechanics factories. Originating in a number of springs, it 
is an unfailing stream at all seasons of the year, but its current is sluggish 
and it discharges only " about 10 cubic feet per second." Another small 
stream called Abbott's Run l rises in the northeasterly part of Cumberland 
and crossing the line several times between that town and this empties into 
the Blackstone River just below Valley Falls. Its length is about four miles. 
There are two or three other streams which have been deemed worthy of 
names : Four Mile Brook, about three and a half miles long, and Chartley 
Brook, three miles long, while a tiny stream, which runs quietly along for 
some distance through fields and meadows and crosses the road not far from 
the Agricultural Association grounds, was called Rattlesnake Brook. 

There are no natural ponds of any considerable size in town, but numbers 
of artificial ones have been formed by the construction of dams to meet the 
requirements of the manufactories in various places, and among these are 
several which may justly be called very pretty. First in point of size and 
beauty is the Falls Pond, which is divided into two portions by a carriage 
road, and which to the casual observer at least presents most of the features 
of a picturesque natural lake, while the " Reservoir " if not so familiar 
would seem to us an attractive body of water, for it is in miniature like 
many a wild mountain lake, which people have traveled miles to see. There 
are several low swamps or meadows in town of a greater or less extent, of 
which the most considerable is the " Bungay Great Swamp," as it is called in 
some of the ancient deeds, or sometimes the " Cedar Swamp." It lies on 
both sides of the river and extends from the village of Attleborough to the 
reservoir. Near the sources of the Bungay is a pond which was originally 
separate, but is now connected with the reservoir by the cutting many years 
ago, in 1883, of a channel from it to the head of the stream. It is called 
" Witch Pond" and is an extensive quagmire, including about fifteen acres, 
only a small part of which is covered with water. It is rather siugular in its 
appearance and may be justly considered a curiosity. A hard bottom has 



1 Said to have derived its name from one Abbott, a boy who was drowned there in the early settle- 
ment of the place. It is supposed by some that the Indian name of the place was Waweepoonseag, 
but this is doubtful conjecture. 



770 I SKETCH OF THE 

never been discovered in any part of it. In some places it will at first bear 
the weight of a man. hut if lie stands for a time he will gradually sink till he 
is unable to extricate himself. 

The topography of our town contains nothing very peculiar, as has been 
seen, and it is therefore needless to enlarge upon it, as is often done iu the 
sketches of towns. Suffice it to say that in this respect it is similar to most 
towns in this vicinity, that its surface presents the usual diversity of hills 
and vales, that its soil embraces much land that is poor and considerable that 
is good, and that its natural and agricultural products are the same as those 
of neighboring towns. It has, however, one peculiar characteristic. Vari- 
ous causes, such as the great extent of territory, the location of mill powers 
somewhat widely separated on the same or on separate rivers, " and the 
genius and pursuits of industry of the inhabitants," generally diffused and 
not confined to any one locality, " have given rise to several considerable 
villages in different sections of the town, and prevented any one from 
becoming a common centre for the whole." This was more especially true 
forty years ago when these words were written, but subsequently, as is well 
known, there came to be two large and thriving rival centres, and these 
became each the leading centre of its town when the division was made. 

Attleborough derived its name without doubt from the town of Attlebor- 
ough in Norfolk County, England. Some of our early inhabitants emigrated 
to this country from that region, settling at first in several different places, 
but finally a few of them are known to have come to Rehoboth, and. after- 
wards becoming interested in the purchase and settlement of this territory, 
there is every reason to suppose that when it became a town they selected and 
bestowed the name in remembrance of their native place. This origin of the 
name is confirmed by the circumstance that in the English town there is a 
river called Bungay, 1 of about the same size as the one of that name in this 
town, and a town of the same name, Bungay, is in the near vicinity. One 
Thomas Doggett- came to this country from Attleborough, England, and he 
is supposed to be the brother of John, the first 3 ancestor of the Daggetts 
of Massachusetts and Connecticut. A John Sutton, 4 with his wife and four 
children, also came from that place. His daughter, Anne, married John 
Daggett, a son of that John who, so far as is known, was the first to lay 
out lands at the Falls. 5 It is therefore both natural and reasonable to 



1 See Globe Encyclopaedia, " Bungay," p. 531. 

2 Thomas Daggett, aged thirty years, examined for a certificate of license to emigrate to New 
England, May 13, 1637. See Drake's Researches, p. 50. 

3 He went first, as has been seen, to Watertown, this State, and thence to the Vineyard ; and descend- 
ants of his from there settled in both Hehoboth and this town. [Recent research does not confirm 
this supposed relationship of Thomas ami John. — Editor.] 

4 He came first to Hingham and then removed to Hehoboth, where he was as earl3 - as the "4th mo. 
1644." 

■"•John Doggett, or Daggett, who married Anne Sutton, was one of the original proprietors of the 
North Purchase. He was son of John the first, of Watertown. He probably, not his father, was the 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 771 

decide that these people, with probably others from the same vicinity in the 
old country, gave its name to onr town. 

The derivation of the name is " At-le-burgh," meaning at the borough, 
fort, or castle — lt Atleburgh." In a work entitled " Bloomfield's Norfolk," 
published in 1739, volume i, page 501, may be found the following: "-Atle- 
burgh. This Place without doubt hath been very famous in early Times as 
all the Authors that speak of it unanimously agree." The author then goes 
on to say: "I think the present name shows its signification, which, it will 
be proper to observe hath suffered but little change from the time of the Con- 
fessor to this day. Atleburc, —burg, or borough is the same, and it being 
certain that the term burg or borough (as we now pronounce it) always sig- 
nifies a castle, fort, or such like as the learned Spelman in his Icenia justly 
observes, we may conclude that it was called At-le-burgh, or the town at the 
burg, or the borough town from its being situated by an ancient burgh or 
fortification and from its being larger and of more repute at that time than its 
neighbors." According to one John Brame, a monk of Thetford, who, many 
years before the writer above quoted, wrote a history of that region : " It was 
sometime not only a city, but the metropolis of all Norfolk, founded by 
Atlinge. 1 then King of that Province in order to oppose Rond King of 
Theodford, and by him fortified with a ditch, wall, four gates and four 
towers ; and from this Atlinge he would have it called Atlinge's Burgh or 
Atleburgh." Bloomfield does not, however, credit that story, as he finds, he 
says. lt no appearance or remains of any such walls, gates, or towers," and 
some would, he is sure, have remained until his day had the city possessed 
such considerable fortifications. He therefore considers that the burgh from 
which the name came was a fortification of hills only, such forts having been 
made during some of the early invasions of that portion of the country — 
its low and fen lauds having no natural hills to be fortified. Still another 
writer thinks that the town was formerly called Ethelingburgh, ll because it 
might belong in the time of the Saxons to some eminent nobleman of that 
name, who was nearly related to the Saxon kings, and had his residence here, 
being induced to think thus, because this part belonged to the crown till the 
Conqueror's time." 

The real date of the founding of the place would seem to be shrouded in 
more or less mystery, but the following quaint record, quoted by Bloomfield 
from some " ancient book" will serve to show that its foundations were laid 
at a very early period in England's histoi-y : "In the Year 841, Edmund, Son 
of Alkmund King of Saxony, was born at Noremburg in Saxony, of Queen 
Suiara, and soon after it happened that Offa, King of the East Angles, who 



one who laid out lands at the Falls (History of the Doggett-Daggett family, by Samuel B. Doggett, 
published 1S94, in Boston). 

!The Editor was not able to find the date when that king is supposed to have reigned, but it was 
probably not many centuries after the Christian era. 



772 A SKETCH OF THE 

had no Heir, passed thro' Saxony on bis journey to the Holy Land, where he 
went in Pilgrimage to beseech God, to give him an Heir, and Calling upon 
his cousin Alkmund, he adopted Edmund his Son, his Heir, and then hastened 
to Jerusalem, where having performed his Vows he return'd, but in his 
Return, at a place called St. George's Arm, he was taken violently 111, upon 
which be immediately sent for his Council, appointed Edmund his Successor, 
and sent him his Ring which he received from the Bishop, when he was made 
King of the East Angles, after he was dead the Angles went to the King of 
Saxony, and demanded Edward (Edmund) his Son, and received him. as 
Offa's Successor, and hastening Home, they landed at Hunstanston, from 
whence they carried him to the antient City called Atleburg, where he lived 
a whole Year, yielding himself up chiefly to Devotion, here he perfected what 
he had begun in Saxony, namely to repeat all the Psalms without a Book, 
and at the Year's end, he went to Suffolk," etc. The present situation of 
the village or "Town" is not its original one. Some historians conjecture 
that the removal was because of the " lowness and moistness of the situa- 
tion," and that would seem to indicate that the original site of the " antient 
City" was nearer to the sea. In the Norfolk Domesday book the "Burgh" 
is called " Attelburc aud the present Town is called the Other Attelbure." 
The "Burgh," as it is often called, was "Head of the Hundred," 1 and so 
continued until its removal, or "till the neighboring castle of Bukenham was 
built after the Removal of the Chief of the Inhabitants from it to the present 
situation of the Town, which is far better than its old one at the Burgh." 

All the records show that Attleborough was formerly a city of considerable 
size and of great importance, and it no doubt retained its privileges and 
great prosperity through a number of centuries. It established numerous 
manufactories and engaged in an extensive trade with the surrounding 
country, and it was a great market town. In the far back olden days it no 
doubt had its great castles, which were maintained with all the rude magnifi- 
cence and barbaric splendor pertaining to the great warrior barons of feudal 
times. Among these was the once famous Bungay Castle, and the author 
conjectured that the town may have gained some at least of its former dis- 
tinction from being the situation of or in the near vicinity to this grand 
baronial residence. Attleburgh Manor " contained the third part of Attle- 
burgh, or all of the Other Attleburgh, or the whole of that part where the 
present Church and Town stands." This belonged to the Mortimers.'-' :i 
family which figured prominently, it would seem, in at least county history 



1 The name given in some parts of England to the subdivisions of a shire and said to have been a 
Danish appellation adopted by King Alfred in 897. 

- By some this family appears to be confounded with that of the same name a member of which in 
the fourteenth century was created Earl of March, and who is said to have had a castle here. Those 
who bore that title were not, however, distinguished tor advancing such causes as education and reli- 
gion, as were the owners of Attleburgh Manor, who for many generations are mentioned as bene- 
factors of all good works. 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 773 

aiul came into this possession " very early if not in the time of the Con- 
queror," with whom the family, of French extraction, is said to have come 
into England. 

The founder of the first church in Attleborough is not known, but one Sir 
Wm. de Mortimer made the first alterations and previous to the year 1297. 
In 1386 Sir Robert de Mortimer, knight, "designed the foundation of a 
chantry or college in the parish church, to the honor of the exaltation of the 
holy cross ; but being prevented by death, his executors or trustees built and 
endowed the same for a master or warden and four secular priests, about the 
seventh year of Henry IV." ■ Sir Robert died in 1387 and was buried in the 
church, and it is said the priests were to sing in the chapel forever for his 
and his wife Margery's soul. In the year 1402 the estate of the Mortimer 
family was divided, and this manor, through marriages probably in the 
female line, came into possession of the Earls of Sussex, 1 a family very 
familiar in later English history. Many famous persons it is said have been 
buried in the church, and at one time it contained many monuments of the 
families of Mortimer, Blickly, and Ratcliffe. 9 Attached to the church 
organization were what were called "The Great" and "The Little Rectory 
Manor," the former containing the first and second, and the latter the third 
part of the town. After the place ceased to be the capital of Norfolk 
County, it was divided into Attleburgh Major and Attleburgh Minor, but later 
these were again united under one name. Some turbulent people dwelt 
aforetime within the confines of the old town, for an insurrection of the 
common people against the gentry, which occurred June 20, 1549, began at 
Attleborough and other places, and it assumed no mean proportions, for 
the insurgents became 20,000 strong. It was called " Kitt's rebellion." The 
town had early an endowed school and several other educational institutions, 
and an ancient " Gild " where the poor were relieved is mentioned. Near the 
town are the remains of an obelisk erected to the memory of Sir Edward 
Rich, who in 1675 gave £200 towards the formation of a highway between 
" Attleburgh " and Wymondham, for which an act was obtained " in the 
seventh year of Wm. Ill," 3 and which is said to have been the first turnpike 



1 Robert, Earl of Sussex iu time of Henry VIII, spoiled portions of the church building, " pulled 
up many lair, marble gravestones of his ancestors with monuments of brass upon them, and other 
fair, good pavement, and carried them and laid them for floors, iu his hall, kitchen and larder house; " 
he also "got 14 crosses and as much town plate as was then worth 100 1 from the church," by that 
means reducing the chancel to ruins. The old recorder very justly calls him " of a covetous 
disposition." 

- In " The Burnham Rolls" was found the following amusing record : " In Attleburgh Church lies 
the famous Captain Gibbs who was a great gamester and horse racer in Charles Il's time, and of 
whom the greatest exploit recorded was how he ' laid a wager of £500, that lie drove his light chaise 
and four horses up and down the deepest part of the Devil's Ditch on Newmarket Heath '; which he 
performed by making a very light chaise with a jointed perch and without any pole, to the surprise 
of all the spectators." 

3 The above is quoted from a " British Gazetteer" published in 1852, but there seems to be an error 
in its record. Charles II was king of England iu 1675, and according to Appleton's Encyclopedia the 
lirst turnpike act was passed in that year, the sixteenth of his reign. The reign of William III did 
not commence till 1689. The tact given is worthy of notice, and therefore this correction is made. 



774 A SKETCH OF THE 

road made in the kingdom. The town was very early a market town and a 
place for holding fairs. In 1310 one Constantine Mortimer had a charter for 
a yearly fair at his " Manor of Atleburgh," and up to within a recent date 
fairs were held there on the Thursday before Easter, the Thursday after Holy 
Thursday,. and the fifteenth of August for cattle and toys, while the regular 
weekly market-day was Thursday. The once prominent city has now 
dwindled to a small village, its pristine glory has departed, its beauties have 
faded and gone, and apparently the only relics of the famous past which it 
now retains are its regular market-days and annual fairs, which possibly are 
still great occasions to the small tradespeople and the farmers of the sur- 
rounding region. 

There is a great natural curiosity not far from the town which, as will be 
seen, is not inappropriately mentioned here. It is the Winfarthing Oak. 
"This gigantic relic of the sylvan glories of 'the olden time,' stands on 
the estate of the Right Hon. the Earl of Albemarle, 1 about four miles from 
his seat of Quiddenham Hall, Winfarthing, in the midst of what was for- 
merly ' Winfarthing Great Park,' anciently a royal demesne, belonging to 
the adjacent palace of Kenning Hall Place, from whence Mary of unhappy 
memory, was called to the throne in 1553. It was conjectured that this tree 
must have been in existence before the Christian era, and is probably the 
oldest oak tree in the world, and this opinion is strengthened by the fact that 
notwithstanding the obvious ravages of time upon its massive trunk, yet no 
perceptible alteration has taken place within the last sixty years." In 1820 
the oak was seventy feet in circumference at the extremity of the (visible) 
roots, and in the middle, just above the ground, forty feet. "The trunk is 
completely hollow, the heart being entirely decayed, and the inside present- 
ing a singular appearance, resembling the old, rugged masonry befitting 
a Druidical temple. It is fitted up inside with seats, a table, etc. Over the 
door-way entrance is placed by the late Mr. Uoggett, many years since the 
respected tenant of the surrounding farm, a brass plate with an inscription 
soliciting from visitors to the Oak donations for the Bible Society." 

INSCRIPTION ON THE PLATE. 

Ye who this venerable oak survey, 

Which still survives through many a stormy day, 

Deposit here your mite with willing bauds. 

To spread in foreign climes, through foreign lands. 

The Sacred Volume so divinely given 

Whose pages teach the narrow way to Heaven. 

Doggett. 



1 He was one of the most enlightened and liberal-minded of noblemen, the advooate of liberal 
principles, and the friend of America. In 1874 he presented an original portrait of Washington to 
the Massachusetts Historical Society of Boston. He was a well-known peer of England and for 
sometime was called "the father of the House of Lords." He died early in the year 1891 at the 
remarkable age of about ninety-two years, having " seen the whole of the nineteenth century." 

2 The seat of the Howards, Dukes of Norfolk. 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 775 

< )h send out thy light ami thy truth. 

King David. 

May every subjecl in my dominions possess a Bible, and be aide to read it. 

King George III. 1 

In the summer of 1884 the Editor had the pleasure of visiting Attle- 
borough, old England, no doubt the first among the descendants of its 
emigrants (or those of the near vicinity) to this town who has done so. 
Certainly its ancient glories have departed, and its former grandeur is but 
a fast-fading memory. There could scarcely be a greater contrast than 
exists between it and either one of the large, central villages of its name- 
sake in New England to-day. Nothing in an English village ever seems to 
look new and fresh; our typical whip", wooden house, with its green blinds 
and shading elms, or the gayly painted " Queen Anne" cottage is entirely 
unknown. All the English houses are built of brick or stone or sometimes 
of a combination of cobblestones and stucco, and even in the process of 
erection they look old. Everything bears the stamp of accumulated years: 
even the flowers in the dooryards and gardens seem to have bloomed and 
faded and bloomed again in the same places and in the same staid and 
decorolis manner for many succeeding generations. Still the time-worn 
look never degenerates into the appearance of neglect, everything looks trim 
and thrifty, older and cleanliness prevail, and the impression that the old 
age is a hale, hearty, and cheerful one is unmistakable. 

Attleborough has a railroad, but running so far outside the village that 
within it> precincts the rush of the trains can scarcely be heard. We saw 
no traees of manufacturing: no hum of business or rustle of trade reached 
our ears : hardly a person, either man, woman, or child, was to be seen in the 
street ; even the unusual appearance of strangers evidently from afar aroused 
no manifestation of curiosity, for the entire place continued during our stay 
to be as quiet as if the most rigid, puritanical Sabbath had suddenly settled 
down upon it. It is a rambling, straggling sort of village of possibly two 
to three thousand inhabitants,- with one long, winding street through the 
centre, lined on either side with low buildings, none exceeding two stories in 
height. Within the length of two or three ordinary city blocks we counted 
twelve or fifteen public houses, conclusive proof that market-days must still 
he in vogue, when bountiful refreshment is needed both by man and beast, 
and showing that this is no doubt amply provided, so far at least as liquids 
are concerned, for each "public" was licensed to sell "beer, wine, and 



, Th e 1 k from « hicta .hi- description « as taken is entitled " Nooks and Corners of old England," 

"^ThirsurmChSSce been proved to be nearly correct. In 1849 the population of the town was 
estimated t«. be 2 252. U contained 372 houses. Its area is 5.S00 acres, and about 1850 the assessed 
property amounted to 69,577, not quite $50,000. Appearances in 1884 indicated that these figures 
would apply at the present time without material change. 



776 A SKETCH OF THE 

spirits." Over one door was a notice to the effect that the sale of these was 
forbidden in that establishment ou Sunday, and the proprietor found time 
apparently to combine with his duties as a landlord those of another occupa- 
tion ; appropriately perhaps, he was also an undertaker. There were several 
humble shops with cheap-looking, unattractive wares exposed for sale, but 
one looked in vain for those unmistakable signs of briskness in trade to be 
seen about Yankee village stores; the attendants here were thoroughly 
occupied in doing nothing. We saw but one lawyer's office and but one 
doctor's sign in our stroll through almost the entire length of the village. 
The people, we concluded, must be either very peaceable and extremely 
healthy, or pitiably ignorant of the requirements of the present enlightened 
ao-e in the directions controlled by members of these professions. Our town 
can boast of great advancement in those lines of civilization, with its half- 
dozen teachers in the marvelous intricacies of the law and its nearly two 
dozen guides among the devious paths and diverse methods of the healing art. 
At the entrance to the village on our journey from the railway station 
stands the church, conspicuous for size and much larger than any such struc- 
ture in our town. It is built in a rather curious fashion of a combination of 
both rough and smooth stones, and it presents a quaint and picturesque 
appearance in its setting of green sward and clustering tombstones. It is 
spoken of as " a fine collegiate edifice, in the form of a cross, with a tower 
rising at the intersection." This was the only church building we saw and it 
looked venerable enough to be, as in its present condition it is said to be, 
something over two hundred years old. The old church which stood here it 
would seem almost " from time immemorial" was, we were told, considerably 
battered in Cromwell's time and was subsequently rebuilt in its present form. 
The interior is extremely plain, even to bareness, has no stained glass win- 
dows, and possesses nothing of interest but an old wooden altar screen upon 
which are painted the coats-of-arms of the twenty-four English bishops. 
The following record from a parish register, which begins in 1552, seems to 
refer to this screen : In 1615 some repairs were made by one John Forbes, 
" who set up the Bishopricks Arms in the Church, and those of the Colleges." 
The screen now faces the altar at the opposite end of the church, where it 
forms the front of a small gallery. We wandered about for some time among 
the graves in the little churchyard but found no familiar names, though there 
were many very ancient tombstones. A small narrow gate leads from this 
spot directly to the rectory grounds, but the incumbent had but recently 
entered upon his duties and would not probably have had any special knowl- 
edge of the former history of the place or people, therefore we did not 
venture to present ourselves before him soliciting information. We were 
informed that it is at present very difficult to find any clergyman willing to 
occupy the living, as " there are no gentry for him to associate with." Alas ! 
the mighty are fallen indeed; not a single being is left to tread in the foot- 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOVGH. 777 

steps of the great ones of the past. Forty years ago the Methodists, Bap- 
tists, and Society of Friends had places of worship in the town, but we saw 
nothing resembling Dissenting chapels in the region we explored. 

We inquired of the old woman sweeping the church which might be the 
best public house where we could lunch and were directed to a certain one as 
the " least disreputable." Somewhat dismayed we crossed the street and 
found ourselves at the undertaker's door, but no amount of ringing or rap- 
ping brought even the faintest response from any living thing. The wide- 
open door invited our entrance, and we crossed the threshold but wakened 
only echoes along the hallway and from the stone-flagged floor of the empty 
eating-room. It was as silent there as any typical undertaker's dwelling 
could ever hope to be, and every member of the household had apparently 
lent himself to the maintenance of the proper degree of decorous and tomb- 
like silence. The pangs of a very real American hunger were fast becoming 
paramount to all other feelings and forced us to try our fate elsewhere. All 
the other places were said to be "worse" than this first one indicated; so 
what matters it which one is tried? Again we crossed the street and rapped 
vigorously at another door. A tidy, fresh-looking young English girl 
promptly answered our summons and asked our pleasure. "Can we get 
some lunch?" "What would you like?" "What have you?" "We can 
give you a chop" — the almost invariable formula in a small English country 
inn and very speedily the typical and appetizing meal is served in a well- 
appointed diuing-parlor. Perfect chops, perfectly cooked, the cottage loaf 
on its round board with knife beside it, the Cheddar cheese as good as the 
bread, the pot of delicious tea, and if desired the mug of foaming home- 
brewed ale. So excellent was the luncheon prepared for us in this unas- 
suming little "public," and so well aud neatly served, that we were fully 
persuaded the old woman in the church was possessed of sinister motives or 
personal spites and had, one and all, basely belied the inns of her native 
place. Though very antiquated the old town has not lost all her youthful 
cunning or forgotten all her useful knowledge, for her skill in cooking, if old 
in fashion, is still superior, and we feel sure that so far as the entertainment 
of her inns is concerned she can vie with her namesake of the new world in 
the serviceable and delightful art of making guests comfortable and satisfied. 

The ancient castles of this region must needs have been strong fortifica- 
tions, for the surrounding country affords no natural advantages in the way 
of defence. It is for the most part decidedly level, though here and there 
it becomes undulating, resembling soniew-hat the formation of the rolling- 
prairies of our West. Its surface is not, however, wholly unlike that of our 
town, the lack of hills considered. The trees appear to be more or less 
stunted in their growth and are not so numerous as with us, yet many general 
resemblances in the scenery may be recognized. We drove six or eight miles 
to see the great " Winfarthing Oak," and our way lay through a succession 



778 A SKETCH OF THE 

of most fertile farms. The hay crops were enormous, frequently half clover, 
and there was scarcely space to heap them on the ground ; and the grain 
appeared to be equally abundant in its yield. We howled swiftly along- over 
roads as smooth and hard as if macadamized and laid out for the most part 
in straight lines : road-making is not a lost art in that region as it seems to 
be in ours. We passed through only one village in the entire length of our 
drive. Its little central common was mostly covered by a shallow pond; and 
ducks, dogs, and children were making use of it as a general recreation 
ground in the most cheerful and friendly manner. We caught sight first of 
the lesser oak, which is visible from a great distance over the surrounding 
plain, stretching its gaunt and almost leafless branches defiantly tow r ard 
heaven. Our giants of the forest would be but dwarfs by its side, 1 and it in 
turn is a pygmy compared with its greater neighbor. The size of that one 
has not been exaggerated. It would doubtless measure seventy feet around 
the exposed roots, and the trunk, though increased in size by its ivy cover- 
ing, looked to be forty feet in circumference some considerable height above 
the ground. The inside is now filled with rubbish, but the cleared space 
would seat two dozen people comfortably. The old tree is fast going to 
decay and falling in several places, though it is propped with strong iron 
bands. From the inside we could see one huge knot still alive, out of which 
o;reat leaf v branches were growing vigorously — large trees in themselves. 
The present tenant of the surrounding farm was our guide to this interesting- 
spot upon the property, and he told us that the immediate predecessor of his 
grandfather upon the place was the Mr. Doggett who put the inscription 
upon the tree. All traces of the inscription are gone, but a box still remains 
attached, bearing a request for offerings, not for the Bible Society, but for the 
" poor widows of the parish." One of us in proof of both general and 
personal interest in this glorious old monarch of the woods was about to 
drop in a half-crown wdien our host interposed, saying that nothing above a 
shilling was ever expected from any visitor. This was in marked contrast to 
the owner of our trap, who demanded nearly double the bargained price for 
its use on our return to the inn where we hired it. "We drove back through 
the softened sunshine, — it is never glaring in England, — thinking if the 
hedges were turned into stone walls, if the houses were built of timber, and 
a wooded hill rose here and there, the appearance of the country would be by 
no means unfamiliar. The emigrants in selecting what is now Attleborough, 
M:is>.. for their new home may certainly have been reminded of the scenery 
of the old home left behind. But beyond a certain general resemblance, 
which nature furnishes to-day as formerly, all comparison must cease. The 



'There is an oak in one of the fields along Horn Street, which in miniature resembles this lesser 
tree. The trunk tapers rapidly upward and the few remaining branches are scraggy, knotted, and 
gnarled. It has lost its youthful grace and is lean and grim and crazy-looking, like the great Win- 
farthing trees, which are dying from the top. 



HISTORY OF ATTLE BOROUGH. 779 

new Attleborough is busy, enterprising, progressive — in a word thoroughly 
alive ; the old Attleborougoh is inert, stagnant, dying, with not enough life 
remaining to be ever again aroused to any degree of bustle and activity. 
But this is only the result of the natural order of things. The same laws of 
decadence govern the town, the city, that govern the nation ; all rise but to 
fall in time. The same old processes have been at work there, but the name 
still remains, and we may be proud that it is one which in ages past became 
famous, and that our mother town once took high rank among her compeers 
in promoting and advancing both agricultural and industrial pursuits. 

The first inhabitants of our town were a substantial and respectable class 
of people. They were, like most of the settlers of the other towns of the 
Old Colony, emigrants from England ; seldom any of them were from Scot- 
land and Wales. They were the right men and women to subdue and culti- 
vate a new country and plant the civilization of their native land in this 
wilderness, to introduce and improve upon here the institutions, both political 
and religious, in which they had been educated in their native land. They 
were characterized by great simplicity in their habits. Industry and economy 
were the prevailing traits of the people, and their plain style of living con- 
tributed much to their health and longevity. Even when means afforded 
opportunity, there was among our fathers less of that false pride which 
engenders the love of display, which is so prevalent in the present age. 
They lived more in accordance with the laws of nature, and there is no doubt 
that there was generally more true happiness among the masses. The pres- 
ent age is without doubt one of great advancement as compared with the 
earlier ones, but the generation which amassed great fortunes in an hour? 
rushed as speedily into wild extravagance in speech, deportment, and manner 
of living, and these things are not yet lt fast passing away." We might well 
retrace some of our steps and sit down humbly at the feet of the fathers, to 
learn from their lips many a sober and earnest lesson in the way of true and 
honest living, to hear and heed many a prudent precept to guide us in the 
paths of true wisdom and understanding. 

In looking back over the early history of our town and, in a measure, of 
the country, it is very natural to inquire what were the existing conditions ou 
the arrival of our forefathers, and what were the natural productions which 
could afford them temporarily the means of living. The country was called 
a wilderness, which in one sense was a true designation, but the impression 
that the surface was entirely covered with an unbroken forest is erroneous. 
Although a large part was covered with a permanent grow T th of wood and 
heavy timber, yet a considerable portion was open land, which had been 
cultivated by the natives in their rude forms of husbandry from time imme- 
morial, and on the margins of the brooks and rivers a coarse meadow grass 
grew in abundance, which was at first used for the support of the cattle. 
The first white men found a variety of wood or timber: four kinds of oak, 



7 SO A SKETCH OF THE 

white, yellow, black, and red, differing in the leaf, timber, and color; also 
ash, elm, willow, birch, beech, sassafras, juniper, cypress, cedar, spruce, 
pines, white and pitch, the latter furnishing turpentine, tar, etc., with other 
materials for building ships and houses. They found also a variety of wild 
animals, such as bears, wolves, foxes, several sorts of deer, beavers, otters, 
martens, wildcats, wood ducks, and both gray and white (red?) squirrels in 
great abundance, and the old chronicles mention also the flying squirrel. 
These animals furnished those furs which afforded such a profitable menus of 
trade with the Indians for many years after the earliest settlement. On our 
shores was found a great variety and abundance of sea fish. One old 
chronicler mentions that he saw " great store of whales and grampuses, and 
such abundance of mackerel as astonished him." Codfish were also plenti- 
ful, and a fish called a bass, " a most sweet and wholesome fish as I ever did 
eat, which is altogether as good as our fresh salmon." Plenty of fish called 
scate by our forefathers and thornback were found, and abundance of lob- 
sters the old chronicler records, "and the least boy in the Plantation may 
both catch and eat what he will of them. For my own part I was soon cloyed 
with them, they were so great, and fat, and luscious. I have seen some 
myself that have weighed sixteen pounds, but others have had divers times 
so great lobsters as have weighed twenty-five pounds, as they have assured 
me." The seashore abounded also in shell-fish : clams, quahogs, oysters, and 
other varieties of excellent quality ; and the streams and ponds were supplied 
with a variety of fresh-water fish. There was a great variety of natural 
fruits and nuts : strawberries, raspberries, mulberries, plums, currants, 
huckleberries, gooseberries, chestnuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, butternuts, wild 
cherries, and grapes hanging on the limbs of the trees in great festoons in 
the woodlands, with various other small nuts and fruits. The fields were 
decorated with a fair variety of flowers, and among them were found the 
single damask rose in bloom, and this must therefore have been native to 
the country. Wild fowl were found in abundance, to supply food for the 
table: " partridges larger than those in England, as big as our hens; wild 
turkeys found in the woods, whicli are very fleshy and fat, for they have an 
abundance of food, as strawberries found everywhere in summer, and other 
berries and fruit." Great flocks of pigeons filled the air in the winter time, 
wild geese were innumerable, and wild ducks and other sea-fowl filled the 
ponds, "so that," to use the words of the old chronicler again, "a great 
part of the winter the planters have eaten nothing but roast meat of divers 
fowls which they have killed." The early settlers found that in the spring 
alewives, fish resembling herrings, ran up the brooks and rivers in this towu 
to spawn, and these streams were plentifully supplied with various small 
fresh-water fish. 

Having glanced at the state of the country, it is natural also and may nov 
be out of place to glance at the inhabitants thereof and inquire what was 



HIS TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 781 

the character and condition of the natives of these regions on which our 
forefathers settled. The land on which we of Attleborough now dwell was 
then the domain of the tribe of Wampanoags. At the time of the landing 
of the PhVrims in 1620, the territory they claimed and occupied was called 
Pawkunawket — Pokanoket — and extended from Mount Hope Bay to Wreu- 
tham, including a portion of that ancient town. It probably extended over 
the whole of the Old Colony and was then governed by the w% Good Massa- 
soit the friend of the English." At the time this town was settled by white 
men there was no permanent residence of the natives within its borders, 
though the relics found in various parts of the town turned up by the plow- 
share and the condition of portions of the soil are indications that formerly 
Indians had dwelt in certain localities. They had planted small tracts ; and 
there were places of resort for the purposes of hunting and fishing, places 
of nets and snares. They straggled over the region occasionally and prob- 
ably had temporary residences in their accustomed haunts during a few weeks 
or months in the summer season; indeed, tradition points to a rocky cave on 
Mount Hope Hill near the residence of the late George Price as one of these 
occasional places of habitation. Like all barbarous peoples they changed 
their habitations from place to place, living in the rudest simplicity and often 
suffering great hardships as a consequence of their wanderings. lt Their 
shelters," says an old writer, "are small and homely, made with small poles 
pricked into the ground, and so bound and fastened at the tops, and on the 
sides they are matted with bows, [boughs] and covered on the roof with 
sedge and old mats ; and for their beds they have a mat." These rudely 
constructed wigwams were but an imperfect protection against the storms of 
the severe winters. Says the old writer again, in referring to the aborigines : 
"They are a tall, strong-limbed people, and their color is tawny. They are 
partially clothed in beasts skins. Their hair is generally black, and cut 
before like our gentlemen, one lock longer than the rest. For their weapons 
they have bows and arrows, — some of them headed with bone, and some 
with brass." Their mea+s were furnished by such wild game as they could 
secure with their bows and arrows or by snares ; fish supplied a considerable 
portion of their means of living, and they had the fruits and nuts which the 
soil produced naturally and abundantly. 

The Indians planted corn in the more pliable soils. This was done in the 
rudest manner by digging small holes in the ground with such unskilfully 
constructed implements as they could themselves manufacture, and dropping 
the kernels into them. This "maize" pounded into meal in an awkward 
way and formed into cakes, which they baked in the ashes or by heated stones, 
made one of then- principal articles of food and was their only kind of meal. 
Besides the ashes made by annually burning the fields, they manured the corn 
with fish, when near enough to the seashore to obtain them. In this way 
thev often raised tolerable crops and frequently traded them to the whites. 



782 A SKETCH OF THE 

Sometimes, however, there was a lack, and they themselves would suffer for 
want of this food. They were a wholly improvident people and often like 
wild animals in their modes of eating. When there was an abundance they 
feasted even to gorging themselves, and when there was a scarcity they 
fasted even to the verge of starvation ; but they never learned to provide for 
possible dearth in the time of plenty. Their other productions were beans, 
pompions or pumpkins, and squashes, all apparently indigenous. Their 
cooking was of the simplest — hot ashes, heated stones, and fires upon the 
mound their means, and roughly made pots and pans of clay their only 
utensils, for they had no iron until after the advent of the Pilgrims. How 
they baked clams is known to almost every man, woman, and child on the 
New England coast to-day. They also baked their beans ; while beans and 
corn boiled together, and seasoned with clams when these could be obtained, 
constituted that famous dish called succotash, a dish not to be lightly treated 
even by epicures. For these three dishes, so celebrated not only throughout 
New England but all over the land, and so welcome to every true son of that 
eastern soil, wherever he may be, we are indebted to the aborigines. 

Savage and ferocious as these people were as a race, some among them 
possessed noble and attractive qualities ; cruel and relentless to foes, they 
were faithful and devoted to family and friends, if necessary even to the 
death. They were trained to great physical endurance, and they bore the 
most excruciating pain, suffered the most cruel hardships, and endured 
the deepest agonies of sorrow in stern, uncomplaining silence. Many of them 
possessed a wild sort of beauty, which they enhanced by the barbaric gaudi- 
ness of their personal decorations. Their language was musical in sound, 
and they gave expression to their thoughts in short but poetic phrases ; and 
they were not devoid of religious beliefs. Their youths were taught to pos- 
sess and maintain the greatest respect for the elders and chiefs of the tribes ; 
and all advancement to places of prominence or responsibility in the conduct 
of their affairs must be meritoriously earned before it could be obtained — two 
customs worthy of imitation by the children of their usurpers. Their man- 
ners were sober and dignified, their speeches full of an untutored but effective 
eloquence; and a council of their great sachems gathered in one of nature's 
grand forest temples must have formed a highly impressive scene. If we 
may believe the early writers, the dignity and grave propriety which charac- 
terized the proceedings of these assemblies might well be copied in some of 
the highest council-chambers of the land, even in this universally named 
enlightened and civilized age. 

Such were the people whom our forefathers encountered when they landed 
on these shores. There was perhaps, on the whole, but little to attract and 
much to repel in this savage, uncultivated race of men, who possessed none 
of the arts and refinements of civilized life and had no inclination and but 
little capacity for improvement in that direction. They adopted some of the 



HI 8 TOBY OF ATTLEBOBOUGH. 783 

mechanical improvements of the white settlers, but had no genius for invent- 
ing any for themselves. They did not take kindly to what would elevate 
them, but unfortunately for themselves they learned with great readiness some 
of the worst among the bad customs attendant upon civilization and became 
thereby troublesome to the whites. Many of the Indians were lazy and 
became drunkards, hung about the settlements, entered the dwellings of the 
people and stole their goods, and committed many petty depredations. 
These became such a nuisance that measures were taken to prevent their 
annoyances. Treaties were made with the sachems on the subject, and laws 
were enacted to protect the settlers against such intrusions. Plymouth 
provided "•forasmuch as complaint is made that many Indians pass into 
divers parts of this Jurisdiction, whereby some of the plantations begin to 
be oppressed by them, it is enacted by the Court that no strange or foreign 
Indians shall be permitted to come into any part of this Jurisdiction so as 
to make their residence there ; and for that end that notice be given to the 
several Sagamores to prevent the same." [ The laws empowered towns to 
adopt measures to prevent these evils, and it may be seen in the first chapter 
of this book that our town suffered some annoyances in this way and availed 
itself of the provisions of the law to prevent their continuance or recurrence. 
On these fair domains of the red man, in place of scattered groups of 
temporary wigwams, now stand thriving cities and villages with thousands 
of permanent dwellings ; instead of the smoke of blazing camp fires rising 
here and there from forest glade or lakeside clearing, now rises from every- 
where the smoke of countless manufactories; where youthful warriors 
gathered round their aged chief to listen to his words of wisdom or hear 
him relate the treasured traditions of the tribe, now rise stately halls of 
learning, where the youths of the passing generations gather to glean stores 
of wisdom from the accumulated lore of all the ages ; and where, in the leafy 
bowers of nature's build, beneath the moon's pale beams the swarthy lover 
wooed his dusky mate, now lie our busy streets, and the fair lover wooes some 
blushing maiden 'neath brilliant beams from flaming gas jets or within the 
searching glances of electric lights. Long since might has claimed the right 
to the inheritance of the poor Indian, and he has passed on from these 
charming hilltops and lovely vales to the longed for and, let us hope, happy 
and never to be disturbed hunting-grounds beyond the grave. For countless 
centuries these savage races had remained in this their land, roaming over 
these fields and through these forests, unchanged in their character and habits ; 
but, coming at last in contact with a civilized and intellectual race, they were 
doomed to perish. They must obey the fixed law of nature and succumb to 
the superior race. However much we may lament or pity the fate of the red 
man or listen sadly to the departing footsteps of his people who preceded 



» See Old Col. Laws, p. 129. 



784 A SKETCH OF THE 

us, we know it was not in the order of Providence that this great continent 
should be delivered over for all coming ages of time to such wild, wandering 
tribes, who were incapable of improving the soil on which they trod, thereby 
to exclude other races of men from its settlement and occupation and to arrest 
that magnificent march of modern emigration and civilization which is 
spreading- all over this vast territory, a territory capable of supporting 
hundreds of millions of men and bringing its inexhaustible natural resources 
into the commerce of the world. 

In reviewing the early history of our country, we can but look with pro- 
found admiration and reverence upon our kl Pilgrim Fathers," those men of 
lofty principles and stern integrity, who were inspired of God with an 
unflinching determination to plant and perpetuate free institutions in a free 
land. They braved the perils of an unknown sea and the greater perils of 
an unknown continent, with its untried clime and life of danger amon«- 
hostile savages, to gain for themselves and to bestow upon their children the 
independence we now enjoy. 

Such as these were the men who settled our town, and the passing genera- 
tions have seen here many worthy sons of these worthy sires. In Massa- 
chusetts' great marches of advancement our town kept even pace with every 
step, until it ranked among the foremost in progress and business enterprise. 
No town could have a more interesting early history or a longer and more 
honorable list of useful and distinguished men, among them some famous for 
their learning and intellectual attainments. So its history ran on to the very 
end, for now the page of records has no longer a single but a double leaf. 
At the word of her citizens two towns have been made, both alike springing 
from the parent stock fully armed and equipped, like Minerva from the brain 
of her father Jove. These begin each a new and somewhat separate career, 
but perchance, and let us so hope, only to be again united at no far distant 
day, then to make a record even more honorable and brilliant than that of 
the past. Though half-divided in name, the two towns cannot be wholly 
divided in their history so long as the chief business interest of both remains 
the same. May this much at least be always true, and if it be so decreed 
that they shall never be reunited under the ancient name, may the present 
names ever remain unchanged, and the two towns when classed together be 
known as "the two Attleboroughs." Then indeed the act of division will no 
longer be remembered ; the granite pillars recently set up and the imaginary 
lines connecting them and separating the two portions will be forgotten ; the 
••ancient landmarks" only will be recalled, and the territory embraced by 
them will seem as before an undivided whole ; then indeed the two fair 
records of the future will be read together as one, and all those born within 
her old-time borders, wherever they may be, may still proudly and gratefully 
say : " My birthplace is 'the good old town of Attleborough.' " 



HISTORY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 



'85 



INDEX. 



Academies, North and East Attleborough, 

333-336. 
Address to Committee of Correspondence. 

(1773), 120. 
Advocate, The Attlehoro, 444. 
Aid, State and military, 173, 17(i, 177, 180. 
Alger, Isaac, 507-509. 
Angle Tree controversies, 649-652. 
Articles of Confederation, etc., Report on, 124. 
Assonett Expedition, 129. 
Attleborough Agricultural Association, 427. 
Attleborough Branch Railroad, 445. 
Attleborough. Norfolk County, England, 770- 

779. 
Aurora Lodge, 410. 

Bailey. Rev. John M. B.. 238. 
Banks. 425. 

Barden, Thomas A. and family, 509. 
Barrows^ Drs. George and Ira, 492, 493. 
Barrows. Henry F., 510. 
Barrows, II. P. & Co., 375. 
Barton, Rev. Walter. 254. 
Bates & Bacon, 370. 
Bates, Ezekiel, 511. 
Bates, Joseph M., 513. 
Beers, Rev. J. S., 295. 
Bethany Chapel, 242. 

Bills of Credit Act, 177s. Petition on, 125. 
Bishop (place and family), 680. 
Blackinton family, 516-518. 
Blackinton, R. & Co., 393. 
Blackinton, W. & S., 382. 
Blackinton, V. H., 379. 
Blackstone, William, 65-84. 
Blackstone, John. 75. 
Blake & Claflin, 378. 
Bliss Brothers & Everett, 387. 
Bloomery. The, 338. 
Board of health, 424. 
Boards of trade, A. and N. A., 424, 425. 
Bonnett, John P., 390. 

Boundary line controversy between Massa- 
chusetts and Rhode Island, 154. 
Box manufactories, 359. 
Bradford. Perez, 453. 



Briggs, D. F., 391. 

Briggsville, cemetery and ancient burial-place, 

735. 761-764. 
Bristol Commandery, K. of T., 410. 
Bristol Lodge, F. and A. M., 412-415. 
Building improvements, etc., 712-715. 
Burying ground, Cutting's Plain. 759. 
Bushee, A. & Co., 382. 
Button manufactories, 349-352. 

Canton Attleborough, P. M., 418. 

Cantwell, Rev. John S., 2S4. 

Capron family, 518-521. 

Capron, General Horace, 473. 

Carlisle Lodge. I. O. G. T., 423. 

Carpenter family burying ground, 758. 

< larriage manufactories, 360. 

Carrique, Rev. Richard, 280. 

Centennial Committee (1875-70), 699. 

( Ihafee, W. T.. 389. 

Chaplin, Joseph, 659. 

Chronicle, The Attleborough, 442. 

Church, African Methodist Episcopal, 293. 

Church, Briggsville, 290. 

Church, The Centenary Methodist Episcopal. 

291. 
Church, Central Congregational, 299. 
Church, First Congregational, 220-242. 
Church, First Universalist, 279-286. 
Church, Free Evangelical, 298. 
Church, Grace (Episcopal), 294-298. 
Church, Hebron, 286, 289. 
Church, Hebronville Methodist Episcopal, 293. 
Church, Murray Universalist, 303-306. 
Church, North Baptist, 271-278. 
Church, Second Congregational, 243-270. 
Church, South Baptist, 278. 
Church. St. John's (Roman Catholic). 308. 
Church. St. Mary's (Roman Catholic), 307. 
Church, St. Stephen's (Roman Catholic), 309. 
Civil War. resolves and reports, 174, 175. 

178, 181, 182. 
Civil War, woman's work, 183. 
Clark, Elder Gardner, 290. 
Clark, W. G. & Co., 391. 
Cobb, Thomas and family. 071-674. 



786 

iMoU^a, 3 at 

Codding; Ahiel and family, 521. 

Codding Brothers, 389. 

Coffin-trimming manufactories, 360. 

College graduates. List of, 639-642. 

• "iu]i;m\ ( Association, 425. 

Committees of Correspondence, etc., 121, 127. 

< (institution Convention, committee, etc., 127. 

Coombs (burial yard), 757. 

1 ott< ills, Atherton ( Bebronville) , etc., 348. 

Cotton mills. Beaver Dam factory, 342. 
Cotton mill-. City factory, 345. 
Cotton mills. Dodge's factory. 347. 
Cotton mills, Falls factory, 343. 
I lotton mills. Farmers factory, 344. 
i otton mills, Lanesville factory, now Adams- 
dale, 346. 
Cotton mills, Mechanics factory, 340. 
Courts, superior and inferior, 121, 122. 
Crane. Rev. Jonathan, 252. 
Crotty, Daniel, 396. 
Cummings family, 522. 
Cummings & Wexell, 386. 
Curtis, II. H. & Co., 391. 

Daggett & Clap, 391. 

Daggett, Hon. David and family, 464-468. 

Daggett, Hon. Ebenezer, 494. 

Daggett, Colonel John and Dr. Ebenezer, 462, 

463. 
Daggett, Hon. John (author), biographical 

sketch, 11-39. 
Daggett, II. N. and H. M., 524-527. 
Daggett^ Lyman W., 527. 
Daggett, Rev. Naphtali and family. 454-462. 
Dean, A. E., 395. 

Dean family. L. W.. G. A., etc., 529-533. 
Dean, G. A. & Co., 377. 
Deeds (Rehoboth North Purchase), 48, 49. 
Demarest it Brady, 394. 
Dionys Lodge. 419. 

Division, 153, 154, 157, 158, 159, 160-171. 
Dodgeville burj ing ground, 749-752. 
Dodge family yard, 735. 
Doyle, Joseph J., 388. 
Draft. Civil War, 223. 
Draper, Frank S.. 533. 
Draper, F. S. & Co.. 381. 
Draper. Oscfcr M.., 393. 
Draper, Titl't & Co., 368. 
Dye Works, The Attleborough, 361. 

Early conditions of the country. 779. 
Early settlements. 98-100. 
East village early in 1 1 1 i — century, 674. 
Electric street railways, 449 152. 
Emigrants to other places, (164. 



.1 SKETCH OF THE 



Enlistments. Civil War, artillery, cavalry, 

and navy, 217. 
Enlistments. Civil War, infantry. 204-217. 
Enlistments, Civil War, in Rhode Island. 218- 

222. 
Esther Lodge, D. of L\, 418. 
Etzensperger, John, 388. 
Ezekiel Bates Lodge, F. and A. M„ 415. 

Falls burying ground. 748. 
Ferguson, Rev. John, 250. 
Fire districts, A. and N. A., 429, 431. 
Fisher family, 534-536. 
Fisher, J. M. & Co., 390. 
Fisher, S. E. & Co., 3S9. 
Fiske, Rev. Frederick A., 296. 
Follett burying ground, 756. 
Foster. John, 468. 
Franklin, E. I. & Co., 393. 
Franklin School, 329-332. 
Freeman, B. S. & Co., 373. 
Freshet (1886), 701-712. 

Gas Light companies, N. A. and A.. 42s- 

429. 
Gilbert, F. S., 392. 
Gold Medal I '.raid Co., 357. 
Gould, S. W. & Co., 390. 

Halliday, T. J. & Co., 392. 

Harford, Penn., Settlement of, 664-668 

Harris, C. R., 302. 

Hatch's burying ground, 727-730. 

Hatch house. 97. 682. 

Hatch, Colonel Israel and family. 95-98. 

Hayward & Briggs, 372. 

Hayw T ard, Charles L\, 536-540. 

Hebron Manufacturing Company. 348. 

Bigh schools. 321, 322. 323, 327. 

Holman, Rev. Nathan, 240. 

Ilolman family (S. M., D. E., etc.), 5+0-547. 

Hope Lodge, Sous of T., 423. 

Horton, Augell & Co., 383. 

Horton family, 547-556. 

Howard Encampment. 417. 

Hugo, J.N. & Co.. 392. 

Hunt family, 556-560. 

Ide, Rev. Jacob. 497-501. 

Incorporation, Act of, 86. 

Improvement District, Attleborough, 156, 131. 

Independent Rifle Co., 405-411. 

[ndian War, 106-116. 

Instructions to Representative (1776), 123. 

Jenny, E. V., 396. 



HISTOEY OF ATTLEBOROUGH. 



787 



Kellogg Division, Sons of T., 423. 

Kilhani, Rev. Robert, 280. 

King Hiram Royal Arch Chapter, 415. 

Lawyers in town, 644. 

Lazell. Rev. Ebenezer, 249. 

Leather manufactories, 353, 355. 

Leonard, Judge George, 668. 

Library Association. 400. 

License votes. 151, 152, 156, 157, 159. 

Literary societies, 399. 

Loan Fund Association, 426. 

Lodges, Masonic, Odd Fellows, etc., 412-420. 

Longevity, Instances of, 655-659. 

Luther, J. \V. & Co.. 381. 

Macdonald, R. B., 388. 

Magnolia Council, A. L. of H.. 419. 

Mann burying ground, 734. 

Mann family. 468-474. 

Marsh & Bigney, 389. 

Mason, Draper & Co., 394. 

Maxey, Rev. Jonathan and family. 474-483. 

May family, 483-486. 

May, Elisha G.,561. 

Mechauics. Early history of. 669-674. 

Merritt, H. D., 562. 

Merritt, H. D. & Co., 375. 

Militia companies, 405. 

Militia Company I. 446-4-W. 

Military services (Revolution), 128-134. 

Mount Hope Cemetery, 752-755. 

Mount Hope Lodge, 420 . 

North Attleborough Steam and Electric Co., 

434. 
Nerney, John, 661. 
Nerney A Lincoln, 389. 
Newman. Rev. Samuel, 44. 
Newspapers. 442-445. 
Nine Men's Misery, 114-116. 
Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike Co., 684. 
North Purchase lands, Division of, 106. 
North village early in this century, 681. 

Old Kirk Yard, 739-74S. 

Olive Branch Division, Sons of T., 424. 

Orient Lodge, 417. 

Original inhabitants (habits, customs, etc.)) 

780. 
Osgood, Rev. George E., 297. 

Paine burying ground. 735. 
Parish. East. Records of, 243-245. 
Parish, First. Records of, 235-237. 
Parmenter family, 681. 



Parris, Samuel Bartlett, 486. 

Peck burying ground. 736-739. 

Peck homestead and family, 677-680. 

Peloubet, Rev. F. N., 253. 

Pennington Lodge, A. O. U. W.. 420. 

Pensioners (1887), 224. 

Perry, Mr. Dan, 660. 

Petition on militia laws (1795), 148. 

Petition on change of county town. 118. 

Phillips, Rev. William, 275. 

Physicians in town, 642 -C>44. 

Pierce, Alfred, 563. 

Pierce's Fight, 109-113. 

Pierce, Rev. J. D.. 281-283. 

Pokanoket Tribe, O. of R., 424. 

Ponds, 769. 

Porter, Burrill, Jr., 564. 

Postmasters and postoffices, 644, 686-690. 

Prentiss M. Whiting Post, G. A. R.. 441. 

Price family, 565-567. 

Proprietors. North Purchase, Lisl of those 
first drawing lots, 62. 

Proprietors, Proceedings of, 101-106. 

Propriety. Clerks of, 106. 

Powder House, 119. 

Public libraries. 400-404. 

Pythagoras Lodge, 418. 

Razee's library, 404. 
Read, Elder .lames and family. 273-275. 
Read family, 567-569. 
Read, Joel and Daniel, 489-491. 
Rehoboth North Purchase, List of pur- 
chasers, 57. 
Rehoboth, Settlement of, 43. 
Rehoboth North Purchase lands. Rehoboth 

votes relating to same, 58-61, 62-64. 
Representatives, List of, 630-632. 
Revolution, Soldiers of. 134-143. 
Richards. E. Ira & Co., 369. 
Richards family (H. M., E. I., J. D., etc.). 

.-)(i9-577. 
Richards, J.J. & J. M.,380. 
Richards Memor i al Library Bu ilding, 403. 
Richards & Price, 369. 
Richardson. Abiathar A., 580. 
Richardson, Stephen, 577. 
! Richardson, Stephen & Co., 370. 
Richaud. Joseph Antoine, 660, 732. 
Riley & French, 392. 
Rivers, 768. 

Robinson, W. H., Edwin A., etc., 371. 
Robinson, Rev. Ezekiel, 501-506. 
Robinson family, 581-5s+. 
Robinson, Samuel, 488. 
Roman Catholic cemeteries. 755. 



788 



.1 SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF ATTLEBOEOUGH. 



Roxbury, Expedition to (Revolution), 130. 
Royal Arcanum, A. and N. A. councils, 419. 

Sadler Brothers, 383. 

Sadler, L. E., 391. 

Sandland, Caprou & Co., 394. 

Savery family, 584-589. 

School districts, 313-318, 322, 323. 

Schools, First in town, 313. 

School funds, 318, 327-329. 

School money, Divisions of, 31G-318, 322, 325, 
326. 

Schoolmasters, First iu town, 312, 313. 

Seamans, Elder Job, 272. 

Selectmen, List of, 634-638. 

Senators, List of, 632. 

Settlers in town previous to 1730, 623-629. 

Shepard. Rev. Nathaniel, 271. 

Shepard, John, '■ the Ancient," 655. 

Shepardson, C. A., 393. 

Sherman, C. E. W., 589. 

Sherman, C. E. W. & Son, 375. 

Short, Rev. Matthew, 227. 

Sbort, Nerney & Co., 379. 

Shuttle manufactories, 355. 

Sickness called the " cold plague," 654. 

Simmons, R. F. & Co., 386. 

Smith, Dauiel H., 395. 

Smith & Crosby, 394. 

Smith family (T. I., etc.), 590. 

Smith, T. I. &Co.,380. 

Soldiers, Bounties to, 172, 174, 175, 176, 177, 
178, 179. 

Soldiers, Payment of (Revolution), 123, 124- 
127. 

Soldiers, Civil War, Reminiscences and expe- 
riences of, 18(5-203. 

Solomon family burial yard, 757. 

Sons of Veterans, 440. 

Sound disasters (steamer collision, etc.). 693- 
699. 

South Attleborough burying ground, 730-734. 

South and West Attleborough, 715. 

Stanley Brothers, 385. 

Stanley family (W. S., M.D., etc.), 491, 592. 

Statistics, 644-648. 

Stevenson, John, 77. 

Streeter Brothers, 395. 

Sturdy family, 593-600. 

Sturdy, J. F. & Co., 373. 

Sumner Lodge, 418. 

Superintendents of schools, 324, 327. 

Suspender manufactory, 362. 

Tanneries, 353. 

Thacher, Rev. Peter, 245-248. 



Thacher family, 600-605. 

Thayer burial ground. 757. 

"The Attleborough Common," History of, 

719-726. 
Thomson, J. N. &, Co., 396. 
Tiffany family, 605. 
Topography of the town, 765. 
Totten, Thomas & Co., 396. 
Town clerks. List of, 633. 
Town farm, 151, 152. 
Town b use, 151, 154. 
Town meetings. First record of, 87-89. 
Tract called R. N. P., Purchase of, etc., 46-48. 

Union Improvement District, 433. 

Valuation of town, (1792), 147; (1887), 646. 
Volunteers, Civil War, Mass. Reg., 204-217. 

Wales family, 607-613. 

War, Civil, Town actions, 172-183. 

War (1812). Records of, etc., 149, 150, 685. 

War, Revolutionary, 120-134. 

Washington Lodge, K. of H., 418. 

Washington Street burial-lot, 734. 

Water Company (North Attleborough). 432. 

Water district (Attleborough), 430. 

Watson, Newell & Co., 388. 

Webster, G. K., 389. 

Weld, Rev. Habi.jah, 231-235. 

Wheaton & Richards, 393. 

White, Rev. Ebenezer, 229. 

White & Shaw, 374. 

Whitehill,Rev. John, 240. 

Whiting family, 613-616. 

Whiting Manufacturing Company, 356. 

Whitney, E. & Co., 385. 

Whitney, Felix G., 616-618. 

Whituey, F. G. & Co., 374. 

Wilder, Rev. John, 237. 

Willett, Captain Thomas, 51-56. 

William A. Streeter Post, G. A. R., 434-440. 

Williams, Rev. Thomas, 286-2*9. 

Wilmarth family, 619-621. 

Wilmarth, W. H. & Co., 394. 

Witherell, P. E., 386. 

Woodcock's Garrison, etc., 89-94. 

Woodlawn Cemetery, 755. 

Women's Christian Temperance unions. 422. 

Women's Relief Corps, 440. 

" Women Schools," 314. 

Women voters, 157, 159, 160. 

Writers in town, 718. 

Young & Bennett. 385. 

Young Men's Christian Association, 420. 



